Sens. Marshall, Bennet Announce Hearing on Water Resilience in Subcommittee on Conservation, Climate, Forestry, And Natural Resources

On June 7, Ranking Member Marshall and Chairman Bennet Will Hold the Subcommittee’s First Hearing Since 2013

(Wichita, KS, May 31, 2022) – Today, U.S. Senators Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) Ranking Member and Chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry’s Subcommittee on Conservation, Climate, Forestry, and Natural Resources announced the first hearing in their subcommittee since 2013. The hearing, titled “The Western Water Crisis: Confronting persistent drought and building resilience on our forests and farmland,” will take place on Tuesday, June 7 at 9:00am CT/10:00am ET. This will be the subcommittee’s first hearing since it was expanded in 2021 to focus on climate.

“As the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Conservation, Climate, Forestry, And Natural Resources, I am excited to partner with Senator Bennet to address the water crisis our farmers and ranchers are facing in the west. As drought and wildfires persist, we must come together to create common sense solutions with input from scientists, community members, farmers, and ranchers who intimately understand the challenges at hand. It is my hope that this hearing will serve as a turning point on the long path to drought resiliency,” said Senator Marshall.

“I’m delighted to announce the first Subcommittee on Conservation, Climate, Forestry, and Natural Resources hearing in almost a decade — and the first hearing since the subcommittee placed a focus on climate,” said Senator Bennet. “This hearing has never been more important as climate change fuels persistent and severe drought across Colorado – driving increasingly catastrophic wildfires and causing unprecedented water shortages for our farmers and ranchers. I look forward to hearing from the witnesses to discuss how we can work together to support our communities in the face of this crisis.”

WHO: U.S. Senators Roger Marshall and Michael Bennet

WHAT: Subcommittee on Conservation, Climate, Forestry, and Natural Resources Hearing, “The Western Water Crisis: Confronting persistent drought and building resilience on our forests and farmland”

WHEN: TUESDAY, June 7, 2022 at 8:00 a.m. MT/10:00 a.m. ET

WHERE: 562 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC

LIVESTREAM: Available soon.

Witness List

• Mr. Andy Mueller, General Manager, Colorado River Water Conservation District, Glenwood Springs, CO
• Mr. Tom Willis, Owner/Manager, T&O Farms LL, Kansas Farmer with the KSU Water Farm, Liberal, KS
• Dr. Courtney Schultz, Associate Professor, Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, Warner College of Natural Resources, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
• Mr. Earl Lewis, Chief Engineer, Kansas Department of Agriculture, Division of Water Resources, Western States Water Council, Manhattan, KS
• Dr. Ellen Herbert, Senior Scientist, Ducks Unlimited, Memphis, TN

Background:

Agriculture is the largest economic driver of Kansas’ economy and for 48 of the past 50 years, the state has had a voice on the Senate Agricultural Committee. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D., who grew up in a fifth-generation farm family, continues to watch out for the best interests of Kansas’ agricultural industry by serving on the Committee. As Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Conservation, Climate, Forestry, and Natural Resources Senator Marshall ensures that the voices of the original conservationists, farmers and ranchers, are heard during the federal policy making process.

Bennet has served on the U.S. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee since first coming to the U.S. Senate in 2009. During that time, he has worked to pass two bipartisan Farm Bills — in 2014 and 2018 — and secured a number of priorities for Colorado, such as new tools to improve drought resilience and soil health, and expanded funding for collaborative forest restoration and wildlife habitat improvements. Since passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, Bennet has remained committed to ensuring key Colorado priorities in the bill are fully and effectively implemented.

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