Romney, Bennet Release GAO Report Recommending Improvements to the Emergency Watershed Protection Program

Statement

U.S. Senators Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) today released a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report highlighting the challenges faced by Western communities in the aftermath of wildfire and detailing opportunities for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to improve its Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWP) to more effectively serve communities across the West as they recover. After a destructive wildfire season, Romney and Bennet heard many community suggestions on improvements to federal wildfire recovery programs and requested that the GAO examine the USDA's EWP program in November 2019. GAO accepted the request on December 10, 2019, and started auditing the program shortly thereafter.

"This report underscores the challenges faced by communities in Utah and throughout the West in the aftermath of wildfires," Romney said. "It will better inform our work as we continue our efforts to both mitigate natural disasters and ensure that communities across Utah have the support they need to recover. To better address the needs of communities recovering from natural disasters--including our devastating wildfires--the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which is now law, provides $300 million to address the Emergency Watershed Protection Program's severe backlog."

"Last year, Colorado saw three of the worst wildfires in our state's history, and our communities are continuing to rebuild and recover," Bennet said. "This report supports the challenges Western communities face in the aftermath of wildfire and illustrates improvements to the EWP program to help communities in Colorado and across the West mitigate post-fire damage and protect private property. I look forward to Senator Romney's continued partnership as we work together to find solutions based on the recommendations in this report."

Romney and Bennet secured $300 million in EWP funding in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed into law this week, as well as $275 million in EWP funding in supplemental disaster appropriations that passed Congress at the end of September 2021.

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