Bennet, Hickenlooper, Neguse, Crow, Pettersen Announce Over $26 Million to Reduce Wildfire Risk Across Colorado

Sep 26, 2025|Press Releases
Denver— Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, alongside Colorado U.S. Representatives Joe Neguse, Jason Crow, and Brittany Pettersen announced over $26 million in funding from the U.S. Forest Service Community Wildfire Defense Grant Program to reduce wildfire risk and protect vulnerable communities across Colorado. This funding is part of $5.5 billion passed in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for forest management and wildfire preparedness.
“In the last few years, Colorado has faced increasingly devastating threats from the largest wildfires in our state’s history,”said Bennet. “Investing in wildfire mitigation and preparedness is critical to safeguarding our communities, public lands, and way of life for future generations. I’m glad the investments we fought to secure in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continue to benefit Colorado and support important wildfire preparedness efforts across the state.”
“Our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is all about giving communities the tools to tackle 21st-century challenges,”said Hickenlooper. “These local projects will help communities in Colorado and the West prepare for severe wildfires and address local risks. They’re the bipartisan solutions that Congress should deliver frequently.”
“With fires raging across the West year-round, it’s more important than ever that we invest in wildfire mitigation projects throughout our communities. I’m proud to see that the resources that we fought to secure in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will fund critical projects across Colorado,”said Neguse.
“It’s critically important to protect Coloradans from wildfires. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, I am bringing home federal dollars to our state to help prevent and respond to wildfires so we can keep Colorado communities safe,”said Crow.
“As wildfire season becomes a year-round threat, we need to do everything possible to protect people and properties,”said Pettersen. “These funds – made possible by the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – will allow Jefferson County to put its wildfire management plan into action, giving communities the tools and knowledge they need to adapt to a worsening climate crisis and stay resilient against future threats.”
As a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Bennet has consistently supported forest and watershed health and helped Colorado communities recover from wildfires. In February, Bennetreintroducedthe Protect the West Act to invest $60 billion in forest management and protection across the West. In March, Bennetreintroducedbipartisan legislation to improve and expedite emergency forest and watershed recovery efforts. Earlier this month, hereintroducedlegislation to prevent water pollution and improve watershed health. As the Chair of the Subcommittee on Conservation, Climate, Forestry, and Natural Resources, Bennet also helped secure $5 billion in the Inflation Reduction Act for our forests and haswelcomedover $160 million of forestry funding to Colorado.
A full list of funded Colorado projects is below:
More information on the Colorado projects is availableHERE.
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