Name: Trump vetoes bill aimed at bringing clean drinking water to Colorado
Uploaded: 2026-01-01T03:08:33.484Z
Duration: 4 min 30 s
Description: President Trump has vetoed a bill aimed at providing reliable, clean drinking water to rural communities in southeastern Colorado.

President Trump has vetoed a bill aimed at providing reliable, clean drinking water to rural communities in southeastern Colorado.

Colorado

President Donald Trump has vetoed a bipartisan bill that would have provided final federal funding for the Arkansas Valley Conduit, a 130-mile pipeline designed to deliver clean drinking water to 39 communities and 50,000 people in southeastern Colorado. The bill, introduced by Republican Lauren Boebert, was intended to make the project more affordable for local communities, but the White House cited concerns over high costs and reliability.

The veto has drawn criticism from local advocates and lawmakers, who argue the pipeline is critical infrastructure for underserved rural areas. Some view the move as political retaliation against Colorado, referencing ongoing disputes involving former Mesa County clerk Tina Peters. Efforts to override the veto are being discussed, though the outcome remains uncertain.

Trump vetoes bill aimed at bringing clean drinking water to Colorado

is Eve. I'm Shannon and I'm Jessica Porter. Plenty of New Year's Eve coverage later in the show. But first we do want to go to our top story tonight. Denver seven is continuing to follow a presidential veto of a bill that would have finished federal funding of a critical pipeline meant to deliver clean water to communities in southeastern Colorado. The Arkansas Valley conduit has been in the plans for decades and is the final piece of a much larger project. And this first veto of President Trump's second term now was of a bipartisan effort and it was introduced by Republican Lauren Boebert. The White House says the project cost too much money while advocates believe that it would actually make the pipeline more affordable for local communities. As Denver seven's Colette Bordelon reports, many say this is just the latest in the presidential where the president's retaliation against Colorado. There's an old saying whiskey is for drinking water is for fighting three days without it and you're done. Everybody cares about it when you talk about it. Lawyer James Eklund can talk about water or the lack thereof all day. We're standing here in Denver and it is 58 degrees by my watch and I see very little snow pack over the city and county building back there today though. His concern is connected to the frying pan Arkansas project which was signed by former President john F. Kennedy in 1962 and meant to bring both irrigation and drinking water to the Arkansas Valley. The last part of that project is a 130 mile pipeline that will serve 39 communities and 50,000 people east of Pueblo delivering filtered water ready for treatment from the Pueblo Reservoir. This project is a way of getting clean drinking water to people in communities that are traditionally have been underserved by our infrastructure and our federal state local dollars. This isn't a frivolous project. Christine Arbogast is the federal lobbyist for the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District. She says the clean drinking water from the pipeline would go to communities like Crowley Otero and bent counties which all voted for President trump in 2024. This is in response to a mandate and to the need for people in rural areas as well as urban areas to be able to drink water that is safe and is not carcinogenic. This week, President donald trump vetoed the finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act which had bipartisan support saying his administration is quote committed to preventing american taxpayers from funding expensive and unreliable policies. Those behind the bill say it intended to make the payments more affordable for the locally funded portion of the pipeline once completed. What happens is the cost to repay the 35% is an incredible burden on the poorest part of the state. Are today's republicans going to push back or are they going to be scared because they can override this veto with the two thirds vote. Alton Dillard is Denver sevens political analyst. We just have to be honest here. It's pure retaliation which is the platform he ran upon. While it's not clear if or when an override vote could happen, Coloradans are ready for a fight. Our state has to come up with solutions that are impossible to ignore a fight. That's nothing new in the west where water is always in high demand. Collette Bordelon, Denver seven and lawmakers are pointing to President trump's veto as just the latest example of punishing colorado over the incarceration of disgraced elections clerk tina peters. I've been following the president's attempts to release the former Mesa County clerk for months and a truth social post today, trump wrote that it was hard to wish peters a happy new year and quote to the scumbag governor and the disgusting republican rhino D. A. Who did this to her? I wish them only the worst. May they rot in hell free tina peters peters was convicted on state charges of illegally tampering with voting machines in the 2020 election. Trump pardoned peters, but under the constitution, the president only has the authority to pardon those convicted of federal charges. Last week, peters attorneys asked a state appeals court to recognize her pardon from President trump. The court didn't immediately throw out the request and instead asked Attorney General Phil Weiser to respond by january 8th and Governor polis responded to the president's truth social post by saying he hopes the president stops his tariff policy and fixes health care costs. He also said quote, I wish all americans including the president and all the wonderful people across the political spectrum a happy, healthy and productive new year.

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