Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert used her brief Wednesday appearance at Colorado Water Congress to tout her record on delivering water projects for the state and her district.

Boebert, who is running for her second term representing the 4th Congressional District, which covers the state’s Eastern Plains, told the standing-room-only audience that water is the foundation of everything built in the state and that “water, water, water” are her top three priorities.

She noted the crisis on the Colorado River, adding that the state’s water is overallocated and that snowpack has failed to deliver.

The Lower Basin states have acted “shocked” when the math finally catches up, she said. Colorado didn’t create this problem and has been living within its means — and that the state will not solve the water crisis by surrendering its future.

“Someone else can keep overusing” their allocations, she said.

Boebert also addressed forest health issues. She dismissed environmental claims about carbon emissions, blaming out-of-control wildfires. She noted a NASA study that said just one wildfire emits more carbon than every vehicle in the state driving for an entire year.

NASA released a study in June that identified wildfires as a major source of carbon emissions.

Boebert said electric vehicles, wind and solar are not the answer. Instead, she said, the state should focus on managing forests to avoid more catastrophic wildfires.

Her solution: more thinning of forests, more prescribed burns and more local control — “not more paperwork from bureaucrats who have never set foot in a Colorado forest.”

Noting that she’s represented 53 of the state’s 64 counties in her three terms in Congress, she said she understands water issues well. Before moving to the 4th District, Boebert served a term in the 3rd Congressional District.

Water is not a partisan issue, she indicated, adding that she’s worked well across the aisle with her Democratic colleagues, including U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse, whose district crosses the Continental Divide into the Western Slope.

Boebert also underscored the need for additional storage, saying conserving every drop is smart and expanding storage is common sense.

“Capturing and storing what God sends us is the smartest way to go about this,” she said. “Colorado cannot afford to keep leaving water on the table while our farmers, our cities and our communities face uncertainty.”

Looking to the future, Boebert said she will continue to fight for the Upper Colorado River Basin’s rights, forest health and storage projects that will keep Colorado water under state control.

One priority is advocating for the Arkansas Valley Conduit bill that President Donald Trump vetoed earlier this year.

Her other water projects include a Rural Jobs and Hydro Expansion Act to encourage hydropower development, an endangered fish recovery program and a bill to improve the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, which encourages farmers and landowners to enroll in long-term conservation contracts.

She also noted she will be on the conference committee on the five-year farm bill that passed the U.S. House but is now stalled in the Senate. That bill includes water projects, such as the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program and the Conduit Project Financing.

Boebert noted that she saw her bill on 13 water projects signed into law in February. That included funding for a waste treatment plant in Lamar, as well as for water projects in Kiowa, Brush and Walsh.

Looking forward, she said she’s put in requests for projects for the Republican River basin, as well as water and sewer treatment projects for several of Colorado’s smallest towns along the Eastern Plains.

Boebert, who will face Democratic challenger Eileen Laubacher, who will speak on Thursday, said she will also continue to oppose any plans to siphon water from the San Luis Valley to Douglas County.

“We’re not buying up the San Luis Valley’s water,” she told the audience to applause.

Following Boebert, Republican state Sen. Mark Baisley, who hopes to defeat Democratic U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper in November, spoke.

He acknowledged he is not a water expert. Baisley is an aerospace engineer.

Agreeing with Boebert and Victor Marx, the Republican candidate for governor, Baisley advocated for more storage to store water where the supply is needed.

Baisley also touted his support for building more data centers.

Nine Front Range cities and counties have enacted moratoriums. Baisley struck a different tone, noting that he’s worked in data centers for years.

“It’s more like a radiator. We recycle that water and it stops just flowing in and dumping out all the time,” he said.