Rocky Mountain Farmers Union Members Honor Interior Secretary Ken Salazar for his Leadership

As part of a three-day legislative visit coordinated by National Farmers Union, members of Rocky Mountain Farmers Union met with Interior Secretary Salazar today in Washington, D.C. The group presented Salazar with a banner carried in the Manassa Pioneer Days parade to recognize his commitment to addressing national problems without causing local ones. Secretary Salazar’s family roots are in Manassa, with many generations of farming in Colorado’s San Luis Valley.

As the Interior Department prepares to update a key federal plan for developing solar projects on public lands in six Western states, RMFU members urged the Secretary to protect traditional land uses, natural resources, and rural families. They provided the Secretary with their on-the-ground perspective about the importance of siting solar plants and transmission lines in a way that will serve local communities, protect the public lands and sustain the region’s agricultural economy and natural heritage.

“Our members support responsible solar development in the San Luis Valley and throughout the West,” Midcap said. “Solar farms are spreading across the country, and many more will be developed in the near future. The Secretary’s personal leadership is the key to ensuring that solar energy is developed in a directed and responsible way.”

Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, which represents family farming and ranching in Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming, has been a leader in rural renewable energy development for many years.