2022 #COleg — @ColoradoDNR

HB22-1329: Adds water accounting coordinators in the South Platte River, Arkansas River, and Rio Grande Basins to help maximize the beneficial use of the state’s water resources. #coleg (2/3) #coleg

— CO Dept of Natural Resources (@ColoradoDNR) May 12, 2022

HB22-1379: Includes $20M investment from the Economic Recovery and Relief Cash Fund in order to address the health of our watersheds and forests and to seize on the unprecedented availability of federal funds through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. #coleg (2/4)

— CO Dept of Natural Resources (@ColoradoDNR) May 12, 2022

HB22-1379: Approximately 80 percent of Colorado’s population relies on forested watersheds to deliver water supplies. Healthy forests and watersheds provide critical ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, water supply, filtration, and purification. #coleg (1/4)

— CO Dept of Natural Resources (@ColoradoDNR) May 12, 2022

SB22-028: The state stands by these communities and their local champions to help reduce the uncertainty for the next generation of farmers and ranchers in Colorado. # coleg (2/2)

— CO Dept of Natural Resources (@ColoradoDNR) May 12, 2022

HB22-1011: $10 million to match dedicated local funding or programs for wildfire mitigation and forest management, incentivizing local investment in wildfire preparedness. #coleg pic.twitter.com/pB5ZgOyXis

— CO Dept of Natural Resources (@ColoradoDNR) May 12, 2022

SB22-198: COGCC has established annual fees associated with wells to create a funding mechanism to address Colorado’s Orphan Wells that create transparency for industry to pay to clean up orphan wells, not taxpayers. @ColoradoOGCC #coleg (2/2)

— CO Dept of Natural Resources (@ColoradoDNR) May 12, 2022

HB22-1329: Adds an Assistant Director for Energy Innovation in the Executive Director’s Office to engage proactively and coordinate among DNR divisions and with other state agencies on a wide range of current and emerging energy issues. #coleg

— CO Dept of Natural Resources (@ColoradoDNR) May 12, 2022

Tweetstorm RECAP: This leg session, 15 priority bills passed for @ColoradoDNR to provide critical funding, enhance outdoor recreation, protect our wildlife and water resources, and improve forest health. Thank you @GovofCO & all of our #coleg champions for your support! #coleg

— CO Dept of Natural Resources (@ColoradoDNR) May 12, 2022

Click the link to read “2022 Colorado General Assembly session: Legislators wrap up work after tackling fentanyl, passing largest budget in history” from Colorado Politics (Marianne Goodland, Hannah Metzger, Pat Poblette and Luige Del Puerto) via The Colorado Springs Gazette website. Here’s an excerpt:

Record spending. Legislators passed and the governor signed a $36.4 billion spending plan — the biggest in Colorado’s history — that funds state priorities in the upcoming fiscal year. The budget allocates roughly $2.5 billion more than current spending levels. The budget includes major increases in several areas, notably health care and public safety…

Wildfires. The nature of the Marshall fire, which tore through a suburban neighborhood in the dead of winter, horridly illustrated Colorado’s new reality: a state that could face its worst wildfire season in history…

HB 1132 requires all controlled burns on private property to be reported to local fire departments. SB 7 implements an enhanced wildfire awareness month outreach campaign over the next two years. HB 1011 allocates nearly $27 million to match money that local governments designate for forest management or wildfire mitigation efforts, and HB 1012 spends over $7 million on forest health and restoration. Earlier this session, the legislature also passed HB 1007, which creates a grant program funding wildfire mitigation outreach; HB 1111, which increases insurance coverage of wildfire losses and SB 2, which spends $5 million on volunteer firefighting resources.