Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet announced that he secured over $119 million for 82 Colorado projects in the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) omnibus funding bill through the Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) process. Overall, Colorado will welcome $178 million for projects in the state this year. 

The Senate released the text of the omnibus earlier today and is expected to pass the bill later this week. The bill will then head to the U.S. House of Representatives. 

“From upgrading water infrastructure to increasing access to affordable housing to investing in minority-owned businesses, these projects will help meet the needs of Coloradans and continue our work of building an economy that works for everyone and every community,” said Bennet. “For the second year in a row, this process has empowered Coloradans to tell Congress directly about the challenges their communities face and how Washington can be a better partner. I’m pleased to help bring this funding to over eighty projects across our state.” 

In addition to 82 Congressionally Directed Spending projects in Colorado, Bennet also secured funding for major Colorado priorities, including:

• $10.1 million for the Arkansas Valley Conduit.
• $505,000 for the Amache National Historic Site operations and 5 full staff.
• $14 million for a Fire Station Support Building at Fort Carson.
• $5 billion for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). 
• $1.93 billion for the Bureau of Reclamation, including $186 million to fund Western drought programs under the WIIN Act. 
• $941 million for the Natural Resource Conservation Service’s conservation operations. 
• $900 million for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, including $8 million for the Rio Grande National Forest and $3.4 million for the Pike and San Isabel National Forest.
• $748 million for the Colorado River Water Quality Improvement project. 
• $515 million for the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program to offset lost property tax revenue to counties with significant federal lands. 
• $324 million for COPS Hiring grants to support the hiring of approximately 1800 officers nationwide.
• $225 million to address PFAS contamination on military bases and in neighboring communities.
• $160 million for NREL facilities and infrastructure, a $20 million increase from FY22. 
• $20 million for University Consortium for Space Technology research.