Press Releases

Today, Senate Western Caucus Chairman John Barrasso (R-WY), Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statements after members of the Senate and Congressional Western Caucuses were successful in securing provisions in the Western Water and American Food Security Act of 2015 to help increase water storage, streamline water permitting and protect water rights in the West. The bill was introduced today by U.S. Representative David G. Valadao (R-CA) in part to address issues related to the drought in California.

“People across the West are calling on Washington to deliver drought relief and provide for more water storage in their communities,” said Senate Western Caucus Chairman John Barrasso.  “I'm glad members of the House have introduced a far reaching bill that addresses the concerns of westerners who need help. The House and Senate should move quickly on passing this important legislation.”

“Having personally visited California's Central Valley on this matter, I can attest to the dire situation facing California with the drought,” said Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Cynthia Lummis. “This situation demands congressional action to tackle the man-made barriers that are needlessly choking off water supplies crucial not just for California jobs but for the food on American tables.  I am pleased to work with my Californian colleagues to ensure we also seize this opportunity to address water issues west wide through water project permit streamlining,  enhanced water storage, and protecting state-endowed water rights that are increasingly under attack at the federal level."

“As I have said for some time, action needs to be taken to alleviate the devastating effects of drought across the West. I will continue working with my colleagues in Congress to advance legislation that ensures that federal actions mitigate the impacts of drought, not exacerbate it,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski,  Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman.

“My western colleagues have worked hard to collaborate on a common sense bill that helps people,” said House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop. “Communities are suffering and we are putting forward a creative solution to address those needs.  I look forward to working on a bipartisan basis in the House and Senate to move this legislation forward.”

Key Western Caucus provisions included in the bill:

1. Water Supply Permitting Act  –  This title sets up a “one-stop-shop” permitting office run by the Bureau of Reclamation to streamline processes that delay the construction of new or expanded surface water storage. This is identical to last Congress’s McClintock/Lummis bill (H.R. 3980) and Barrasso bill (S. 1533).
2. Bureau of Reclamation Project Streamlining Act -- This title mirrors the WRRDA provisions signed into law last year, applying it to Bureau of Reclamation surface storage, water recycling and desalination and rural water supply projects. Nothing in the title authorizes such projects, but it effectively sets up a process where, for example, the Bureau of Reclamation forwards a feasibility study on a water storage project to Congress and the project is eventually approved in a bill similar to how Army Corps projects were approved in WRRDA.
3. Prepayment of Repayment Contracts – This title allows irrigators to pre-pay what they owe in capital repayments to the Bureau of Reclamation. Under current law, 2/3^rd of irrigators are kept from paying off the federal government early. Based upon the San Joaquin River Repayment authorized during the Pelosi-Congress, this will generate substantial mandatory savings (approximately $600-700 million) in the bill.
4. Safety of Dams Additional Project Benefits – This title would allow the Bureau of Reclamation to develop additional project benefits – such as increasing storage capacity - in when studying and carrying Dam Safety measures. This would allow new construction, albeit on a limited basis, to take place without congressional authorization. This is based on a Barrasso/Valadao bill (S. 1657/H.R. 2749) introduced this Congress.
5. Water Rights Protections  – This title would prevent federal agencies from requiring certain entities to relinquish their water rights to the United States in order to use public lands. This is based on a Tipton/Barrasso bill which passed the House last Congress and has been reintroduced in the House and Senate in the current Congress (H.R. 1830/S. 982).

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