Two of my bills, the American Energy Act and the 90-Day Review Act, passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support as part of H.R. 1. I promised that I would deliver real solutions to problems facing Colorado. Promises made, promises kept. My bills will reduce gas prices, streamline the process for critical infrastructure projects, prevent frivolous litigation, and help make American energy independent once again.
I’ve started the 118th Congress being an extremely effective legislator and have now passed two bills through the House of Representatives with bipartisan support and passed nine of nine amendments offered through the House, eight of which had strong bipartisan support.
My American Energy Act passed the House as Sections 20212 and 20217 of H.R. 1. This legislation ensures that the Department of Interior continues to process drilling permits under a valid existing lease regardless of any unrelated civil action, extends the term of drilling permits from 2 years to 4 years, and requires courts to remand lease sale EIS’s to agencies to remedy when necessary rather than allowing judges with a political agenda to simply vacate these leases. Ultimately, this bill will increase American energy production and help decrease gas prices for Coloradans.
My 90-Day Review Act passed the House as an amendment to H.R. 1. It will shorten the timetable to file a lawsuit opposing a major infrastructure project from 150 days down to 90 days. This commonsense provision will ensure that frivolous litigation is not a hurdle to critical infrastructure projects that will improve the lives of Americans across the country. For far too long, we have put trial lawyers’ interests ahead of the American people. Burdensome litigation causes our hardworking men and women to sit idle on job sites as they wait on court processes. This bill will unleash American workers to reach their full potential as they build roads, bridges, railways, and other critical infrastructure projects right here in America. |
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Should Joe Biden Sign my Bills into Law?
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Additionally, H.R. 1 included my amendment that passed the House to condemn the partisan decision to cancel the Jordan Cove Pipeline that would have benefited Colorado energy workers, creating 6,000 jobs and generating $100 million in state and local tax revenue annually. Additionally, it would have helped the environment by decreasing pollution globally since American natural gas is the cleanest in the world and is 42% cleaner than Russian gas.
The Jordan Cove Pipeline project had bipartisan support, and it would have transported Colorado natural gas to the West Coast for domestic use and to be exported to our allies in the Pacific. Producing and transporting American energy domestically is key to securing American energy dominance, stabilizing energy prices, and enhancing American national security.
However, Oregon’s liberal Governor unilaterally killed the Jordan Cove Pipeline by arbitrarily denying the necessary permits. My amendment made clear that we should not allow states with a misguided anti-energy agenda to kill projects of national and global energy importance. |
Two of my amendments to the Parents Bill of Rights passed the House with unanimous bipartisan consent. My first amendment requires schools to notify parents if school policies allow biological males to participate in women’s sports, and my second amendment requires schools to notify parents if school policies allow biological males to use women’s restrooms.
We have seen public schools promote extremely divisive content like critical race theory, radical gender ideology, and even drag shows to impressionable young children. Speaking as a mother of four boys, enough is enough. I send my boys to school to receive an education, not indoctrination. Parents have a right to know what’s happening at their child’s school, and my amendments will ensure just that.
I spoke on the Floor in favor of my amendment to require schools to notify parents if school policies allow biological males to compete in women’s sports: |
I also spoke on the Floor in favor of my amendment to require schools to notify parents if school policies allow biological males to use women’s’ restrooms: |
I participated in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s so-called public comment session in Colorado. They were supposed to take public comments and hear from concerned citizens, but instead, they tried to silence people in attendance. I stood up for rural Colorado and blasted the proposed rule seeking to bring wolves back to our communities. |
Additionally, my wolf bill, the Trust the Science Act, received a hearing in the House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries. The Trust the Science Act would follow the guidance of wildlife experts by delisting the gray wolf and returning the issue of gray wolf management to the states. At the hearing, I gave rural communities a voice and shared ranchers’ stories about wolf attacks that killed livestock, and sadly, even pet dogs: |
It was great being in Durango to meet with the Southwestern Water Conservancy District. We discussed my work on water issues impacting rural Colorado, including my bipartisan Dolores River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area Act that will conserve the Dolores River, prevent a federal water grab, and protect existing uses. It is the gold standard for public lands bills as it was written from the ground up by a bipartisan coalition of local stakeholders.
Additionally, we discussed the innovative drought mitigation strategies being pioneered right here in southwest Colorado. I was an early supporter of Montezuma County’s efforts to combat drought by eliminating noxious weeds like the salt cedar and Russian olive infestations that waste up to 200 gallons of water per day per plant. Montezuma County’s program was the model for my legislative provision signed into law to fund a U.S. Forest Service and Department of the Interior pilot program to combat salt cedar and Russian olive infestations in the West. |
I enjoyed hosting Colorado sugar beet growers in my Washington, D.C., office. We discussed my work on combatting western drought, like securing hundreds of millions of dollars for Bureau of Reclamation projects and rural water projects, supporting grants to improve 566 water projects throughout the San Luis Valley, defeating the misguided proposal put forth by the Denver suburbs to steal water from the San Luis Valley, and helping water district managers in the San Luis Valley make data-driven decisions by getting the San Luis Valley weather radar online after a year of bureaucratic delays.
Additionally, we discussed my vote to repeal the unconstitutional WOTUS rule. Farmers have enough to worry about without the EPA regulating every ditch on their land. Biden’s unconstitutional WOTUS rule is another land and water grab to expand the federal government’s jurisdiction and regulate every aspect of our lives. This job-killing mandate will devastate small businesses, farmers, ranchers, and everyday Americans. Farmers and ranchers shouldn’t have to hire a team of consultants to determine what actions they can take on their own property. I was proud to vote for the bill that passed the House to repeal Biden’s WOTUS rule. |
I was honored to invite General Manager of the Colorado River Water Conservation District Andy Mueller to testify to the House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries on solutions for increasing water storage and actively managing our forests.
Andy Mueller’s expert testimony showed that the biggest problems water managers face on the ground are wildfire prevention, active forest management, and water storage. I am working on all of these issues, and in a legislative provision signed into law, I secured $50 million for the U.S. Forest Service to manage our forests and combat the bark beetle infestation increasing the risk of catastrophic wildfires.
I am working on increasing water storage by building new reservoirs, and I recently sent a letter of support for the Huerfano Water Conservancy District’s effort to combat drought by enlarging the Maria-Stevens Reservoir, connecting three existing reservoirs, and building the Bruce Canyon Reservoir. |
It was great speaking with Delta High School JROTC Cadets at their annual ball. Their love of country and patriotism is already inspiring their classmates. I look forward to watching them go on to do great things for our country and for our communities. |
It was great visiting the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory in Durango. They ranked first place in Newsweek’s 2022 America’s Best Retailers List in the chocolate and candy stores category. After visiting them, I understand why! It was amazing to see how they make world-class chocolate right here in Durango, Colorado. We discussed my work in Congress to support small businesses by cutting red tape, fighting inflation, and getting government out of the way. |
I was honored to host Southern Ute Tribe Chairman Melvin J. Baker in my Washington, D.C., office. We discussed the important work I am doing to invest in his community, including through my appropriations request signed into law that delivered $10 million for the Bureau of Indian Affairs Indian Irrigation Fund. This will help address the deferred maintenance backlog and increase water storage projects like the Southern Utes’ Pine River Indian Irrigation Project. |
My team has successfully helped people in the District who weren’t getting answers from federal agencies, like veterans seeking to get the care they earned from the VA, travelers needing expedited assistance to receive a passport on short notice, taxpayers being harassed by the IRS, senior citizens having issues with the Social Security Administration or Medicare, and more. My team serves Coloradans at my three district offices in Pueblo, Durango, and Grand Junction and at mobile office hours across every county in Colorado’s Third District.
My office has hosted over 183 mobile office hours in every county in the District, helped over 1,753 people, and returned over $2,458,936.98 to constituents. From helping a veteran who had to wait 14 months for healthcare cut through the bureaucracy, to helping a traveler receive an expedited passport, my team and I are always busy helping Coloradans. If you are having issues with a federal agency, please reach out to my office so we can get to work on your behalf.
My office will be hosting mobile office hours at the following times and locations:
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5, 2023
Hinsdale County Mobile Office Hours Chillin’ Coffee Shop 205 N. Gunnison Avenue Lake City, CO 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Mineral County Mobile Office Hours Mineral County Administration Building – Administration Conference Room 1201 North Main Street Creede, CO 2:00 – 3:00 pm FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2023
Archuleta County Mobile Office Hours Ruby M. Sisson Memorial Library – Small Meeting Room 811 San Juan Street Pagosa Springs, CO 2:00 – 3:00 pm
TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2023
Alamosa County Mobile Office Hours Developmental Resources Group (DRG) The Depot – 2nd Floor Meeting Room 610 State Street Alamosa, CO 9:00 – 10:00 am
Saguache County Mobile Office Hours Town Hall – Town Trustees’ Meeting Room 294 S. Worth Street Center, CO 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Saguache County Mobile Office hours Road and Bridge Building 305 Third Street Saguache, CO 1:30 – 2:30 pm
Gunnison County Mobile Office Hours Courthouse – Downstairs Conference Room 200 E. Virginia Avenue Gunnison, CO 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Montrose County Mobile Office Hours Public Works – Board of County Commissioners Conference Room 63160 LaSalle Road Montrose, CO 2:30 – 3:30 pm |
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