Idaho's two Republican senators are signing on to a bipartisan bill that would triple the budget of a program to clean up water sources in national forests.
Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch want to expand grants that go to farmers, utilities, and cities to rehabilitate these polluted waters.
If passed, it would prioritize projects involving wildfire restoration, drinking water, and climate change resiliency.
Under the Headwaters Protection Act, annual grants for the Water Source Protection Program would increase from $10 million to $30 million.
The bill would also establish $30 million in annual funding for the forest service to evaluate watersheds and ensure current management practices don't degrade healthy water sources in the future.
"We must support watershed restoration projects that encourage collaboration in small, rural, and disadvantaged communities and Tribes without exerting federal control over private lands," Crapo said in a statement Thursday.
"When managed properly, National Forests can provide the foundation for healthy watersheds, providing clean drinking water and irrigation," said Risch. "The Headwaters Protection Act will allow community, industry, and federal partners to improve and protect critical forest water sources for decades to come."
Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, both Democrats from Colorado, and Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico) co-sponsor the proposal as well.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise StateCRED Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
