FEATURE: Significant federal funding is slated to flow into Western Colorado supporting a variety of West Slope Water Priorities. KVNF's Brody Wilson attended the Gunnison Basin Roundtable meeting on Tuesday the 21st to catch up with West Slope Water leaders to learn more about the funding. This is a follow-up story from a previous story on federal money to help purchase Shoshone Water Rights.
LOCAL NEWS: A recently awarded $13 million federal grant from Inflation Reduction Act funds could help defray the costs of electricity for Grand Valley Power customers, reports the Grand Junction Sentinel.
There are already fears that the grant could be rescinded under the Trump administration. On his first day in office Trump signed orders including one that pauses disbursements of funds appropriated through the Inflation Reduction Act.
According to reporting in the Sentinel, Grand Valley was selected to receive the grant over 15 years from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Empowering Rural America (New ERA) Program. The company plans to use the funds to purchase more than 26 megawatts of renewable energy from the Garnet Mesa Solar agri voltaics facility under development in Delta County. If it goes through, the arrangement is expected to power nearly 6,600 homes a year and produce more than $700,000 in cost savings to Grand Valley Power members per year.
Delta City Councilors approved a project needs assessment for extensive work to the city’s water main system on Main Street. Delta City Manager Elyse Ackerman-Casselberry, told the council that KLJ Engineering would assess alleyways as well as other alternative routes on Main Street for a potential new water main system. Cost to the city is estimated at $25,000 with $10,000 coming in grants. City Engineer David Hood also mentioned issues with fire hydrants, noting drainage and freezing issues. He said the assessment could address this need as well.
REGIONAL NEWS: Rocky Mountain Community Radio’s Caroline Llanes reports on President Trumps “national energy emergency” and the rise of homelessness in Colorado and how climate change is affecting that population
