Welch Discusses Importance of Federally Funded Climate and Water Research at UVM Water Resources Institute

Apr 8, 2026
BURLINGTON, VT –Today,U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.),a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Rural Development,Energy,and Creditvisited the University of Vermont’s (UVM) Water Resources Institute and discussed the importance of federally-funded climate and water research, including research through the Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology (CIROH), the Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships, and the Sea Grant programs.
While at UVM, Senator Welch viewed a demonstration of the Vermont Mesonet, a statewide network weather station, which will one day help Vermont better predict and track precipitation, temperature, wind speed, and other indictors of extreme weather.
“Here in Vermont and across the country, researchers and scientists are making critical advancements to help strengthen our environment and our communities. It’s clear that federally-funded research and science requires hard work, innovation, and consistency— and it’s on Washington to better support the future of research. I’ll keep fighting to protect research that helps our state predict and address extreme weather, flooding, and water infrastructure,”said Senator Welch. “Vermont is fortunate to have the best of the best research right here in our state, and I’ll keep fighting to support this work.”
View photos from the event below:
Senator Welch has carried on the legacy of his predecessor, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), championing federal programs that support water and climate research and flood resiliency. Senator Welch introduced a bipartisan bill to strengthen the work of CIROH and streamline hydrological forecast modeling within the National Weather Service. The billadvancedthrough the Commerce Committee with bipartisan support.
The Senator also recentlycalled on the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigatethe economic, scientific, and national security impacts of the Trump Administration’s policies to reduce or eliminate federal support for scientific research at institutions of higher education.
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