Continental Divide Trail Completion Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. STANTON. Madam Chair, I join my colleagues in support of the Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act. I support this bill because we are in the midst of a crisis. After decades of severe drought, the Colorado River, which supplies water to 40 million people across seven States, is on the brink of collapse. The future of Arizona and the entire American Southwest depends on how we respond.

Bold action to protect our water supply has never been more important, and the Federal Government needs to act with the urgency before it is too late.

The Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act is a necessary step to help our communities deal with the impacts of climate change and a drier future. It builds on the investments in the bipartisan infrastructure law to use our water more efficiently, and it includes my legislation to provide $500 million for immediate action to protect critical water levels in Lake Mead and Lake Powell.

Time is of the essence. We must act now. We cannot allow this crisis to turn into a catastrophe. I urge my colleagues to save the Colorado River, save the American Southwest, and support this bill.

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