Minturn Seeking Critical Funding for Water Infrastructure
Minturn Grateful to Senator Hickenlooper & Senator Bennet for Seeking Critical Funding for Water Infrastructure
MINTURN – Town officials and community leaders in Minturn are excited and grateful to Senator John Hickenlooper and Senator Michael Bennet for publicly announcing that they each are making official requests for funding to support the “Minturn Water Tank Project,” in the Fiscal Year 2022 federal appropriations legislation. If funded, this project would construct two new water tanks to replace the town’s sole water tank and address existing water loss rates, protect against increased wildfires, and ensure the health and well-being of the community.
The United States Congress is in the process of preparing FY2022 federal appropriations, or spending, legislation. As part of this process, the Senate Appropriation Committee began taking requests from Senators for direct funding to specific, home-state projects which meet identified eligibility tests and are deemed worthy of federal support. These “Member-designated” or “congressionally-directed” requests, if enacted in final legislation, would comprise up to 1% of total discretionary spending and can only be requested by units of local government and non-profit organizations.
This year, 64 of 100 senators have made requests to the Senate Appropriations Committee for these congressionally-directed grant projects, including Senator Hickenlooper and Senator Bennet. See www.appropriations.senate.gov/fy-2022-appropriations-requests-and-congressionally-directed-spending. In early July, Senator Hickenlooper and Senator Bennet publicly announced the projects that they selected for potential congressional funding on their websites, https://www.hickenlooper.senate.gov/fy2022-congressionally-directed-spending-requests/ and https://www.bennet.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/congressionally-directed-spending-requests
The Minturn community is very glad, and grateful to these Colorado Senators for prioritizing the Minturn Water Tank Project for congressional consideration. While the legislative drafts of specific spending bills must still proceed through several stages in the Senate before it is determined which projects are selected for funding, Minturn is very appreciative that John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet continue their work to keep our small town moving forward. Mayor John Widerman says, “Minturn seeks to make solid investments in our water infrastructure to ensure that we can continue to meet the needs of current and future residents. Senator Hickenlooper and Senator Bennet have always backed these efforts, and Minturn is very grateful now that these CO leaders are seeking to bring resources to our community to this vital project.”
The Minturn community is hopeful that, by the end of 2021, the Water Tank Project can be finalized in federal law and on its way to support progress in Minturn.