Bipartisan Romney river trip to explore climate change solutions
Sep 21, 2021, 1:10 PM | Updated: Feb 23, 2023, 1:27 pm
Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., floated the Colorado River as part of a bipartisan trip to explore climate change solutions. Photo provided by Mitt Romney.
MOAB, Utah — Mitt Romney may not look like a seasoned Colorado River rafter, but the Utah Republican and a Democrat colleague from the Senate led just such a trip in search of solutions to climate change.
Romney, a US senator from Utah, and Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., floated the river from Hittle Bottom to the Rocky Rapid campground, outside of Moab.
On his website, Romney said they made the river trip alongside leaders from both states in the areas of local government, business, agriculture, water and the environment. That included Utah’s lieutenant governor.
“What we are witnessing in Utah and throughout the West is an historic drought,” Romney said in a statement. “The changing climate means that we are going to have to rethink how we solve the West’s water challenges, and today’s trip was an opportunity to begin to build consensus toward addressing them.”
Romney said the river trip came about at Bennet’s invitation. For his part, Bennet said he appreciated the chance to visit Utah and take a bipartisan approach.
“In the West, we come together to take on shared challenges, and we need that same spirit in Washington to create meaningful and durable solutions to climate change,” Bennet said.
This story will be updated.
Read more:
- Utah drought picture still looks grim in spite of recent rainfall
- Water use down by more than 30% in portions of Salt Lake Valley
- Climate change myths debunked: what you need to know
