Luján, Bennet, Crapo, Hickenlooper, Risch Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Invest in America’s Forests and Watersheds

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), and James Risch (R-Idaho) introduced the Headwaters Protection Act to invest in America’s forests and watersheds by expanding two key U.S. Forest Service (USFS) programs. The two programs together prevent water pollution at the source, improve the health of our watersheds, and ensure investments benefit downstream communities.

“Water is essential to the health and safety of our communities. Protecting and improving our watersheds is critical to ensuring reliable access to clean drinking water and making our forests more resilient against wildfires,” said Senator Luján. “The Headwaters Protection Act will strengthen these efforts by investing in watershed management and pollution prevention. Importantly for New Mexico, it also expands the Water Source Protection Program to include acequias and land-grant mercedes as eligible water users, recognizing their vital role in our state’s water systems.”

“In the West, the survival of our economy and our way of life depends on the stewardship of our forests and watersheds,” said Senator Bennet. “We need to pass this legislation to protect critical water resources for downstream communities and make our forests more resilient to wildfire, drought, and a changing climate.” 

“Natural resources and the environment are best protected through collaborative efforts at the local level,” said Senator Crapo. “We must support watershed restoration projects that encourage collaboration in small, rural and disadvantaged communities and Tribes without exerting federal control over private lands.”

“Colorado’s forests and grasslands are key to healthy watersheds, with benefits that flow far downstream,” said Senator Hickenlooper. “Our bill equips farmers, cities, and the Forest Service to help reduce water pollution at the source and deliver cleaner water for our communities.”

“When managed properly, National Forests can provide the foundation for healthy watersheds, providing clean drinking water and irrigation,” said Senator Risch. “The Headwaters Protection Act will allow community, industry, and federal partners to improve and protect critical forest water sources for decades to come.”

To ensure clean drinking water for communities, the USFS has two key authorities to manage our forests for watershed health: the Water Source Protection Program (WSPP) and the Watershed Condition Framework (WCF). The WSPP invests in projects that prevent water pollution at the source by encouraging farmers and ranchers, water utilities, Tribes, local governments, and the Forest Service to work in partnership to restore forest health and impaired watersheds. The WCF establishes a consistent process at the USFS to evaluate the health of our watersheds and ensure investments benefit downstream communities.

The Headwaters Protection Act improves the WSPP by increasing and expanding access to funding and directing the program to prioritize local, collaborative partnerships to protect forests and watersheds. It also creates dedicated funding for WCF and makes a technical change to the program to ensure management activities in our National Forests do not lead to the long-term degradation of our watersheds.

Specifically, the Headwaters Protection Act would: 

• Reauthorize the WSPP and increase the authorization of appropriations for the program from $10 million per year to $30 million per year;
• Broaden the range of water users, including historically disadvantaged communities, who can participate in and benefit from the WSPP;
• Reduce financial barriers for water users to participate in the WSPP;
• Prioritize WSPP projects that benefit drinking water quality and improve resilience to wildfire and climate change;
• Make a technical change to the WCF to ensure healthy watersheds do not become degraded; and
• Authorize $30 million in new appropriations per year for the WCF.

The text of the bill is available HERE. 

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