Congressman Jeff Hurd has been a strong leader on issues concerning water, agriculture, and energy for Western Colorado, delivering results for the region. These sectors form the economic backbone of West Slope communities and face significant challenges, according to a guest commentary by Delta County Commissioner Wendell A. Koontz. Koontz, a Delta County Commissioner for District 3, credits Hurd with practical and effective leadership.
A key achievement highlighted by Koontz is Hurd’s role in securing $40 million for Shoshone Water Rights funding. This funding aims to keep Colorado River water on the Western Slope. Senator Michael Bennet, as reported by the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel and cited by Koontz, gave Hurd full credit for this outcome. Bennet stated that Hurd "landed this plane" when Bennet's own calls were not being returned by the previous administration, and Hurd made it his number one priority.
Koontz also pointed to Hurd’s actions regarding public lands. At the Club 20 debate on September 19, 2026, Hurd stated he was "standing up for my district" by casting the sole Republican vote in the House of Representatives against a proposed massive public land sale by Senator Mike Lee of Utah. Hurd said he worked to ensure the provision was stripped from the final legislation, preventing its passage out of the House.
In contrast to Hurd’s stance, Koontz noted that candidate Dwayne Romero, Hurd's opponent, firmly opposed all new leases on public lands, including for grazing and energy, at the same 2026 Club 20 debate. Koontz highlighted the economic impact of such a position, stating that Bureau of Land Management lands generated $7.9 billion in Colorado in 2024 and supported over 33,000 jobs. Koontz emphasized that rural Western Colorado communities, which host most of these public lands, could lose their agricultural and energy economies without support like Hurd's.
On energy, Hurd is supporting the SPEED Act, which passed the House of Representatives with his leadership. This legislation aims to modernize the federal permitting system, support "all-of-the-above" energy production, and facilitate the construction of critical infrastructure. Koontz noted that these reforms are currently being considered in a comprehensive bipartisan permitting reform bill in the Senate, with the goal of preventing energy projects from taking decades to engineer, permit, and build.
Additionally, Hurd has taken a leading role in promoting innovative energy resources. He co-led the passage of the Geothermal Energy Advancement Act through the House of Representatives with Representative Susie Lee of Nevada, according to Canary Media. This bill received broad bipartisan support from both Republican and Democrat representatives. Koontz highlighted geothermal energy as a zero-carbon, always-on renewable resource and noted that Western Colorado possesses excellent geology for this technology. The region also has a skilled workforce from its existing oil and gas sector capable of exploration and development of production wells for geothermal projects.
Koontz stated that in less than two years, Congressman Hurd has become "one of the most effective representatives the Western Slope has had." Koontz described Hurd as promoting "all-of-the-above" energy abundance, bringing federal support for drought-stressed rivers and watersheds, and ensuring the continued production of food and fiber by Western Slope agriculture. Koontz concluded by describing Hurd as principled, fiscally conservative, thoughtful, and genuinely committed to humble servant-leadership, fostering renewed trust in American politics.
