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WASHINGTON, D.C.— U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) delivered the following remarks at today’s Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power hearing on water legislation.

The subcommittee considered four Barrasso water bills including: 

  • S. 593, the Bureau of Reclamation Transparency Act;
  • S. 1305, a bill to amend the Colorado River Storage Project Act to authorize the use of the active capacity of the Fontenelle Reservoir in Wyoming;
  • S. 982, the Water Rights Protection Act and
  • S. 1533, the Water Supply Permitting Coordination Act.

Excerpts of Senator Barrasso’s remarks: 

“Today, we’re having a hearing on a series of water bills that address protecting water rights and promoting water development in the West.

“Four of the bills are ones I am sponsoring. 

“They are: S. 593, the Bureau of Reclamation Transparency Act; S. 1305, a bill to amend the Colorado River Storage Project Act to authorize the use of the active capacity of the Fontenelle Reservoir in my home State of Wyoming; S. 982, the Water Rights Protection Act and S. 1533, the Water Supply Permitting Coordination Act.

“S. 593, the Bureau of Reclamation Transparency Act, is a bill to require the Secretary of the Interior to submit to Congress a report on the maintenance backlog of the Bureau of Reclamation. 

“S. 593 seeks to expand on the information provided by Bureau of Reclamation’s Asset Management Plan by providing a detailed assessment of major repair and rehabilitation needs at the project level at Bureau of Reclamation owned and managed sites known as reserved works. 

“The legislation also asks the Bureau to develop a similar assessment for sites owned by the Bureau but managed by other entities. 

“They are known as ‘transferred works.’

“I believe it’s important for Congress to know the maintenance backlog of these sites so that we can begin to address it. 

“I will note that this bill unanimously passed the Senate in the last Congress. 

“S. 1305 is a bill which would amend the Colorado River Storage Project Act to authorize the use of the active capacity of the Fontenelle Reservoir in my home State of Wyoming. 

“The purpose of S. 1305 is to have the Bureau of Reclamation enter into an agreement with the State of Wyoming to complete the area around the Fontenelle Reservoir to increase the storage capacity of the facility.  

“Fontenelle Reservoir is one of the projects authorized by the Colorado River Storage Project Act of 1956. 

“This bill directs that the State of Wyoming pay for the entire project. 

“This includes paying for the study, the design, the planning, and construction of the project. 

“This commonsense bill would provide much needed water storage for Southwestern Wyoming. 

“S. 982, the Water Rights Protection Act, is a bill to prohibit federal agencies from withholding approving permits unless the permittee gives up that privately held water right to the federal government. 

“This bill also prevents the implementation of the Forest Service Groundwater Directive which would essentially allow the Forest Service to comment on, and require permits for, anything that the agency claims would impact Forest Service groundwater. 

“This includes activities that would occur in any watershed where there is Forest Service land.  

“This legislation would prohibit the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture from asserting jurisdiction over groundwater that has been historically controlled by the states.  

“The bill also recognizes the states’ long standing authority related to protecting, evaluating, and allocating groundwater resources. 

“The purpose of S. 1533, the Water Supply Permitting Coordination Act, is to streamline the current multiple-agency permitting process that delay the construction of new or expanded surface water storage by creating a ‘one-stop-shop’ permitting process through the Bureau of Reclamation. 

“Currently federal agencies are not required to coordinate their permits and approvals with one another, which can lead to significant delays in the development of new water storage. 

“This legislation would put the Bureau of Reclamation in the lead role as a coordinating agency to expedite the process. 

“I believe this important bill will help expedite the construction of new water storage projects throughout the West.” 

Background: 

S. 593, the bipartisan Bureau of Reclamation Transparency Act— requires the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) to complete an Infrastructure Needs Assessment Report every two years listing major repairs and rehabilitation needs at BOR facilities. Senators Barrasso and Brian Schatz (D-HI) introduced the bill on February 26, 2015. Click here for more information. 

S. 1305—amends the Colorado River Storage Project Act to authorize the use of the active capacity of the Fontenelle Reservoir in Wyoming. Senator Barrasso and U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) introduced the bill on May 12, 2015. Click here for more information.

S. 982, the Water Rights Protection Act—provides water users with a line of defense from increasing federal attempts, such as the Forest Service Groundwater Management Directive and ski area permit clause, to take private water rights without compensation or restrict user access to them. Senator Barrasso and U.S. Representative Scott Tipton (R-CO) introduced the bill on April 16, 2015. Click here for more information. 

S. 1533, the Water Supply Permitting Coordination Act— streamlines the current multi-agency permitting processes that delay the construction of new or expanded surface water storage by creating a “one-stop-shop” permitting process through the Bureau of Reclamation. Senator Barrasso reintroduced the bill on June 9, 2015.

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https://www.barrasso.senate.gov

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