WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new letter from U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and nearly a dozen of his colleagues underscores how investments in restoration, resilience, and natural infrastructure — including forests, wetlands, dunes, reefs, marshes, and living shorelines — will create jobs and protect people and wildlife from climate-fueled fires, floods, droughts, hurricanes, erosion, and storms.

“Right now, as tens of millions of Americans are suffering from record temperatures, historic drought, megafires, flooding, hurricanes, and coastal erosion, it’s absolutely imperative that we make robust investments in natural infrastructure restoration and resilience,” said Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “These investments will create more than 3.5 million good jobs, bolster community resilience, provide clean air and water, improve public health and safety, recover wildlife, and conserve our outdoor heritage. It’s the ultimate win-win-win-win-win. We are incredibly grateful for the leadership of Senators Heinrich and his colleagues for calling for significant natural infrastructure restoration and resilience investments and look forward to working with our champions to ensure they are fully embedded in both the bipartisan infrastructure package and the American Jobs Plan.”

The letter, led by Heinrich, was also signed by U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calf.), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.) Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).