Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) activated Phase 2 of the Drought Mitigation and Response Plan in all of Colorado’s 64 counties after initially starting the plan in 40 counties in June.
Polis also sent a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue calling on the USDA to expedite disaster aid payments to Colorado producers as a result of persistent drought conditions in the state. “Colorado producers, in all four corners, continue to experience dire ecosystem conditions with depleted soil health, pest pressures, rangeland damage, and a heavy reliance on declining groundwater reserves,” the letter reads.
Currently, 50 percent of the state is experiencing extreme drought (D3), and 39 percent is under severe drought (D2).
