Governor Polis Applauds USDA’s $3 Billion Climate and Agriculture Investment

DENVER - Governor Jared Polis released the following statement in response to the USDA announcing a $3 billion investment to address challenges in America’s agriculture community. 

“Colorado’s agricultural community is an extremely important sector powering jobs and our state’s economy. Historic drought conditions, climate induced wildfires, and the effects of climate change have threatened our rural communities and stressed small businesses and their teams. I commend Secretary Vilsack and the Biden administration for making this significant investment that will go far helping our invaluable agricultural sector better get ahead of and successfully adapt to the challenges posed by a changing climate. The state of Colorado looks forward to working with USDA to implement and effectively distribute this transformational investment.” 

During the 2021 legislative session, the Governor was proud to sign legislation allocating $50 million to support the implementation of Colorado’s State Water Plan, and fund Colorado Water Conservation Board grants supporting local projects. He also signed legislation creating and funding the Office of Drought and Climate Resilience, and the Soil Health Program, at the Colorado Department of Agriculture, both of which will begin awarding grants this fall. In August, Governor Polis visited Elk Head Reservoir State Park in Craig on the state’s drought tour and announced that the Colorado River District in partnership with the Colorado Water Conservation Board are doing their part to help farmers by releasing 677 acre-feet of water from Elkhead Reservoir to local farmers free of charge.