Gardner Leads Delegation Letter Requesting Colorado Disaster Relief Projects Funding

Washington, DC – Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO), along with Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO), Congresswoman Diana DeGette (CO-1), Congressmen Jared Polis (CO-2), Scott Tipton (CO-3), Ken Buck (CO-4), Doug Lamborn (CO-5), Mike Coffman (CO-6), and Ed Perlmutter (CO-7) sent a letter to Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran (R-MI) and Vice Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (KY-05) and Ranking Member Nita Lowey (NY-17) regarding funding for disaster relief projects related to the 2013 floods in Colorado.

The letter reads in full:

Dear Chairman Cochran, Vice Chairwoman Mikulski, Chairman Rogers, and Ranking Member Lowey:

We write in support of adequate funding for the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Emergency Relief (ER) account (23 U.S.C. § 125) to address disaster relief and mitigation projects in Colorado.

According to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), the ER account is facing a significant shortfall of available funds to allocate to eligible requests from multiple states. It is likely that several recent natural disasters around the country will only add to this problem.

CDOT has informed our offices that it could be 20 years for our state to receive sufficient funding through the ER account to complete the remaining projects from the 2013 floods. Our communities and our state economy cannot risk waiting 20 years to permanently repair our infrastructure. In fact, significant delays in completing permanent repairs will put at risk the temporary repairs made in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, potentially costing additional taxpayer dollars.

As a delegation, we look forward to working with you and the entire Committee in any way possible to find a solution to this critical issue facing Colorado and many states across the country.

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