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| Greetings
from U.S. Senator Ken Salazar
In the past two weeks our Nation has seen huge demonstrations in every major city over the issue of immigration. Illegal immigration affects us all, from law enforcement and medical personnel to educators and employers. And there is no doubt that we need to enact comprehensive immigration reform to bolster our border security and enforce our immigration laws. The U.S. Senate spent the last two weeks attempting to enact a bipartisan compromise on immigration reform. I worked closely with a dedicated, bipartisan group of Senators – including Senators McCain (R-AZ), Kennedy (D-MA), Specter (R-PA), Leahy (D-VT), Graham (R-SC) and others – to create that comprehensive immigration reform. In my recent speech on the Senate floor, I said that comprehensive immigration reform legislation must be tough at the border and on employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants; fair to those who agree to pay taxes and commit no crimes; and practical by providing solutions to today’s illegal immigration problems. My colleagues and I developed a law and order proposal that strengthened our border security, increased enforcement and dealt with the economic realities in America today. I was disappointed when the second bipartisan compromise effort broke down in the Senate, but I will continue to work on this issue, because we cannot afford to risk our Nation’s security with porous borders, lax enforcement and with undocumented immigrants living in the shadows. In other Senate action, I have been fighting to make sure Colorado is prepared for this upcoming wildfire season. Years of erratic snow pack levels and protracted drought, combined with the threat posed by widespread bark beetle infestation, means that we could be facing the perfect storm of conditions for devastating fires this summer in Colorado. In the short term, I urged the U.S. Forest Service to take quick action to combat the huge, dry fuel loads left behind by bark beetles, and later echoed this critical priority when I met with the nominee for Secretary of the Interior, Gov. Dirk Kempthorne (R-ID). For the long term, I introduced S. 2584, the Rocky Mountain FIRES Act, a companion bill to a version introduced by Congressmen Udall and Salazar in the House of Representatives. The ‘Rocky Mountain FIRES Act’ would require that in the Rocky Mountain region, including Colorado and several other western states, at least 70 percent (or, approximately $20 million) of the funds allocated for hazardous fuel reduction projects be used for projects in the wildland-urban interface. The bill also authorizes the USFS to designate insect-emergency areas and relocate personnel to respond to an insect emergency. Finally, this week, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns and United States Trade Ambassador Rob Portman met with Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi, for the 17th annual senior-level meeting of the Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT). A bipartisan group of my Senate colleagues and I wrote to President Bush, calling on him to take a stand for Colorado’s and America’s small ranchers and beef producers and urge China to re-open its markets to American beef and beef products. We also wrote that the JCCT meeting would provide an ideal forum to address this issue. After the meeting, China agreed to reopen its market to U.S. beef exports. This is a big win for the Colorado livestock industry. Reopening what was the seventh-largest export market in the world for U.S. beef will hold great potential as a market to build on. Over the next two weeks I am traveling across Colorado. I will visit with students in Fort Collins at Fossil Ridge High School, tour an ethanol plant in Sterling, meet with county commissioners in Montrose, observe a collaborative community development plan between an oil and gas drilling company and Rifle town residents, discuss the future of the American coal industry with Hayden Power Plant employees and much more. It will be a busy and informative April work session. I look forward to discussing issues with the Coloradans I will meet in towns all over the state. I hope to see you soon. Sincerely Ken Salazar Working for Colorado Sen. Salazar Asks President to Promote US Beef in Meetings with China Sen. Salazar Urges Congress to Provide VA with Resources to Move Forward on Fitzsimons Sen. Salazar Introduces ‘Rocky Mountain FIRES Act’ Sen. Salazar Fights to Protect Colorado in Upcoming Wildfire Season Sen. Salazar Calls for Swift Resolution of RTD-Labor Impasse Senator Ken Salazar's DC office is located at 702 Hart Senate office building, Washington, DC 20510. He has Colorado regional offices in Denver, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Ft. Morgan, Pueblo, Durango, Grand Junction and Alamosa. For contact and mailing info, click here.
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