WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) secured language in the Water Resources and Development Act of 2024 (WRDA) to extend authorization for a University of Wyoming (UW) project to expand the network of stations to monitor snowpack and soil moisture throughout the plains areas of the Upper Missouri River Basin. The project will produce critical data to help Wyoming and surrounding states mitigate flooding and better understand how they can manage valuable resources and maximize access to water that ranchers and landowners rely on.
“Access to water is life in Wyoming, and as a rancher I know firsthand how important it is to always be improving our understanding of how we can be good stewards of our natural resources,” said Lummis. “I am proud the University of Wyoming is spearheading the effort to expand upon our base of knowledge and lead us into the future. Seeing Wyoming tax dollars sent to Washington come back and be spent to better our state is truly the best use and a rare departure from the usual wasteful spending in Washington.”
Background:
- On April 12, 2024, Senator Lummis sent a letter to U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Tom Carper (D-DE) and Ranking Member Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV) urging them to include funding to extend the UW project funding in the Water Resources and Development Act of 2024.
- The authorization was set to expire in 2025 but will now be extended to 2029 to prevent a lapse in authorization for the project expected to be completed in 2027.
- UW received an $8M grant in 2020 to expand the mesonet network in the state.
- As of April 2024, there were 18 stations in Wyoming and 61 are expected to be completed for the grant.
Click here to read the full bill.
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