WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-WY) and Brian Schatz (D-HI), reintroduced bipartisan legislation to help improve aging water delivery systems and Bureau of Reclamation facilities across the country. Representative Paul Gosar (R-AZ) introduced the companion bill today in the House of Representatives.

The 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.

“Aging water delivery systems make it harder for people in Wyoming and throughout the West to have access to a clean, abundant and reliable supply of water,” said Senator John Barrasso. “Before we can move forward with modernizing these important systems, we need to have a better idea of what specific repairs are needed in our states. Our bill requires Washington to provide a detailed report of the work needed to keep our aging Bureau of Reclamation water facilities operating safely and effectively.”

“Having a reliable and safe water system is key to making sure communities and farms have access to clean water,” said Senator Brian Schatz. “Our bipartisan legislation will make sure the Bureau of Reclamation has the detailed information it needs to make the necessary repairs to our aging water infrastructure and help keep water flowing across the West.”

“Despite numerous requests from members of Congress and others, the agency has refused to provide adequate information about BOR’s maintenance backlog and lacks an efficient system for reporting their maintenance needs to Congress,” said Representative Paul Gosar. “Our good governance legislation increases transparency, consolidates multiple reports and requires the Bureau of Reclamation to open their books. I applaud Senator Barrasso and Senator Schatz for their leadership. Our commonsense bill will allow Congress to better prioritize funds for critical infrastructure projects for the purposes of ensuring an abundant supply of clean water and power for future generations.”

Background:

The Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) is responsible for maintaining water delivery systems—including reservoirs, canals, etc. throughout the West. A majority of these systems are over 50 years old and in need of repair. Despite repeated requests made by Senator Barrasso, the Department of Interior has failed to provide adequate details on the depth and scope of our maintenance backlog at BOR facilities.

The Bureau of Reclamation Transparency Act would force the BOR to do an Infrastructure Needs Assessment Report every two years as part of the BOR’s existing Asset Management Plan reporting process. This Infrastructure Needs Assessment Report would be available to the public on BOR’s webpage. The report would include:

1) An itemized list of major repair and rehabilitation needs at all federally managed BOR facilities and projects.
2) A cost estimate of the expenditures needed to address those repairs.
3) A categorical safety rating, using BOR’s own existing categorical system, of the importance of addressing each item.

The bill would also require similar reporting requirements to be implemented for privately managed, but federally owned, BOR facilities and projects.

The Bureau of Reclamation Transparency Act was originally introduced in the 113th Congress by Senators Barrasso and Schatz in December 2013.

On December 17, 2014, the Senate passed the Bureau of Reclamation Transparency Act. It did not receive a final vote in the House of Representatives.

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