Sen. Michael Bennet Proposes Outdoor Restoration Partnership Act In Proactive Approach To Environmental Issues
DENVER (CBS4)- Sen. Michael Bennet is talking about possible solutions for the West's wildfire and water supply concerns. Representatives from Denver Water and Denver Parks and Recreation teamed up with farmers and ranchers at Confluence Park on Tuesday.
Bennet is proposing the Outdoor Restoration Partnership Act to invest up to $60 billion to fight environmental issues proactively. He said that amount has actually been spent in the past five years fighting wildfires across the U.S.
"I'm proposing we spend this money at $1,500 an acre to do the upfront mitigation instead of the backend firefighting. And not only is that a fiscally responsible way of doing it, but we can also create almost two million jobs in the West," said Bennet.
That mitigation includes prescribed burns, fire mitigation and shoring up watersheds to increase access to clean drinking water.