Now that the legislative session is over, my weeks have filled up with visits around the district and meetings with constituents.
First, I want to give a huge thanks to the League of Women Voters chapters in Montezuma and La Plata counties for organizing bipartisan end of session town halls with myself and Sen. Cleave Simpson. These events were a wonderful opportunity for us to connect with folks across the district and give an overview of our work at the Capitol in Denver this year.
We discussed Colorado’s budget situation and TABOR, the health of our water basins, energy production and more. Many constituents also asked about the Medicaid cuts moving through Congress. I share the concerns that many people expressed about the proposed cuts’ potentially devastating effects on our rural hospitals, and we’re watching Washington, D.C., closely to see what the future holds.
Two weeks ago, I attended the screening of “Honorable but Broken,” a documentary about the crisis that Emergency Medical Systems are under across the country. I heard from providers about the extreme strain our EMS systems are under in Southwest Colorado, and will be working with local leaders to explore how the Colorado Statehouse can help. We’ll be looking into steps to open up more resources to rural EMS systems, and I’ll put updates in this column as we explore options, in preparation for the legislative session next year.
Last week, I had the privilege to go on the Southwest River Basin Tour with the rest of the Joint Colorado Water Resources and Agriculture Review Committee. The tour, run by Water Education Colorado, gave us the chance to learn from hydrologists, engineers, water lawyers and other local experts about water projects and river health across HD59.
Our first stop was Montezuma County, where we visited the water storage facility at Jackson Gulch, the McPhee Reservoir project, and the Ute Mountain Ute Farm and Ranch Enterprise. After a dry, warm winter, the farm in Towaoc will be receiving just 30% of their water allocation this year. They shared with us the incredible strain this has put on the Enterprise and the creative problem solving they – like many producers right now – are doing to keep moving forward.
At Lake Nighthorse in La Plata County, we took a deep dive into the infrastructure for the Animas-La Plata project, as well as the issues preventing the Ute tribes from accessing their water rights in the lake. Last, but certainly not least, we heard from the Mountain Studies Institute in Silverton about the health of the forests and waterways feeding the Animas.
We toured Gladstone, the Superfund site below the Gold King Mine, to learn about the treatment process of water flowing into the Animas, and heard their latest update on water quality. MSI was glad to report that the Animas has almost entirely recovered from the effects of the 2015 mine spill and the 416 Fire, but shared their concerns about the wildfire danger posed by dense tracts of forest in the San Juans.
The trip was an incredible opportunity to get in-depth updates and technical background on some of the most important projects and most pressing issues in Southwest Colorado, straight from the experts. It’s shaping up to be an incredibly dry, difficult year, but there are folks working day in and day out to get clean, safe water where it needs to go.
This past week, we also attended the Durango Chamber of Commerce’s Forum for Progress on energy production in Southwest Colorado. Attendees heard from local experts in energy policy, oil and gas, solar and carbon sequestration to discuss the future of production in our region.
I want to give a special shout out to Chris Hanson, the new CEO of La Plata Electric Association, for all the experience he shared and the vision he is bringing to the co-op. Most of the discussions focused on an “all of the above” approach to energy, which uses all of the tools at our disposal – balancing new technologies and energy sources with tried and true production methods to generate reliable, affordable energy.
I’ll be attending plenty of community events this summer, so keep an eye out for me. If you have specific issues or concerns, please reach out. I am out of the Capitol for the interim and am always happy to hop on the phone or grab coffee with constituents.
Katie Stewart represents House District 59 in the Colorado State House, which encompasses Archuleta, La Plata and San Juan counties and most of Montezuma County. Reach her at katie.stewart.house@coleg.gov or (303) 866-2914.
