A bipartisan pair of Senate lawmakers is urging the Biden administration to reform a host of drought mitigation programs in a bid to better address aridification in the West and Great Plains states.
Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet (D) and Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall (R) detailed their proposed changes in a letter Wednesday to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
“Droughts in Colorado and Kansas are increasing in frequency and intensity,” the lawmakers wrote. “Agriculture in our states is on the frontlines of the effects of long-term drought and producers should be part of the solution to help conserve water while producing food to feed the world.”
The list of changes — including how the agency allocates resources for research and development and altering the standards for programs that provide incentives to farmers conserving water — was spurred by a recent field hearing the lawmakers held in Burlington, Colorado.
