WY Delegation Applauds Goshen Irrigation Tunnel Funding

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis and Rep. Harriet Hageman, all R-Wyo., issued the following statements after the Department of Interior announced they will award $100 million from the Working Families Tax Cutslaw to make necessary repairs of the Fort Laramie-Goshen irrigation canal tunnel that collapsed in 2019. This announcement comes after years of efforts by the delegation to secure the resources needed to finally complete the reconstruction process.

"Today's announcement is another example of how the Working Families Tax Cutslaw is helping communities across Wyoming. After years of fighting to deliver a solution to this problem, we are proud to announce the Goshen Irrigation District is receiving the help it urgently needs to repair and restore its aging irrigation tunnel," said Sen. Barrasso. "Wyoming and Nebraska are still feeling the impact from the 2019 tunnel collapse. It revealed major structural deficiencies that must be fixed. We will continue to work with Governor Gordon, the irrigation district and the Trump administration to ensure Wyoming is able to finally complete the reconstruction process."

"For over a century, the Fort Laramie Canal Tunnel has served as a critical pillar of agricultural life in eastern Wyoming. It's a vital conduit for delivering water to thousands of acres of cropland stretching across Wyoming and Nebraska. I am tremendously pleased that the Trump administration is directing funds from the Working Families Tax Cuts law toward a lasting, permanent repair of the Fort Laramie Tunnel, ensuring our farmers and ranchers have the reliable water access they need to feed our nation and keep our rural communities strong," said Sen. Lummis.

"The Fort Laramie Tunnel has been a lifeline for southeastern Wyoming for more than a century and its sudden collapse brought hardship to many," said Rep. Hageman. "The needs of this aging system represent how Washington must return to the kind of proactive approach to water infrastructure that made western life possible. The urgent $100 million provided by the Working Families Tax Cutslaw in addition to the $14.6 million I secured in community project funding will keep this critical region of the west irrigated."

Background Information:

In 2019, Irrigation Tunnel #2 on the Fort Laramie Canal collapsed, leaving more than 100,000 acres of cropland in Wyoming and Nebraska without water. After the collapse, inspections on Tunnel #1 on the same canal also revealed major structural deficiencies. New tunnels through the existing tunnel alignments are necessary to reinstate full operation for the Goshen Irrigation District in Wyoming and the Gering Fort Laramie Irrigation District in Nebraska.

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