[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3385 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3385

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to use designated funding to 
pay for construction of authorized rural water projects, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 16, 2012

  Mr. Baucus (for himself, Mr. Bingaman, Mr. Tester, Mr. Harkin, Mr. 
 Udall of New Mexico, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Franken, Mr. Johnson of South 
 Dakota, and Mr. Conrad) introduced the following bill; which was read 
  twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to use designated funding to 
pay for construction of authorized rural water projects, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Authorized Rural Water Projects 
Completion Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Fund.--The term ``Fund'' means the Reclamation Rural 
        Water Construction Fund established by section 3(a).
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.

SEC. 3. RECLAMATION RURAL WATER CONSTRUCTION FUND.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established in the Treasury of the 
United States a fund, to be known as the ``Reclamation Rural Water 
Construction Fund'', consisting of--
            (1) such amounts as are deposited in the Fund under 
        subsection (b); and
            (2) any interest earned on investment of amounts in the 
        Fund under subsection (d).
    (b) Deposits to Fund.--
            (1) In general.--For each of fiscal years 2013 through 
        2029, the Secretary of the Treasury shall deposit in the Fund 
        $80,000,000 of the revenues that would otherwise be deposited 
        for the fiscal year in the reclamation fund established by the 
        first section of the Act of June 17, 1902 (32 Stat. 388, 
        chapter 1093).
            (2) Availability of amounts.--Amounts deposited in the Fund 
        under paragraph (1) shall--
                    (A) be made available in accordance with this 
                section, without further appropriation; and
                    (B) be in addition to amounts appropriated for such 
                purposes under any other provision of law.
            (3) Limitation.--Notwithstanding paragraphs (1) and (2), no 
        amounts may be deposited in, or made available from, the Fund 
        under those paragraphs if the transfer or availability of the 
        amounts would increase the deficit.
    (c) Expenditures From Fund.--
            (1) In general.--
                    (A) Expenditures.--Subject to subparagraph (B), for 
                each of fiscal years 2013 through 2034, the Secretary 
                may expend from the Fund not more than the sum of--
                            (i) $80,000,000; and
                            (ii) the amount of interest accrued in the 
                        Fund for the fiscal year in which the 
                        expenditures are made.
                    (B) Additional expenditures.--Notwithstanding 
                subparagraph (A), the Secretary may expend more than 
                $80,000,000 for any fiscal year listed in subparagraph 
                (A) if such amounts are available in the Fund due to 
                expenditures not reaching $80,000,000 in 1 or more 
                prior fiscal years.
            (2) Use.--
                    (A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B), the 
                Secretary may use amounts from the Fund to complete 
                construction of rural water projects--
                            (i) authorized to be carried out by the 
                        Secretary on or before the date of enactment of 
                        this Act; or
                            (ii) for which--
                                    (I) pursuant to section 106(e) of 
                                Rural Water Supply Act of 2006 (43 
                                U.S.C. 2405(e)), the Secretary has 
                                completed a feasibility report by 
                                September 30, 2012, that recommends the 
                                construction of a rural water project; 
                                and
                                    (II) an Act of Congress after the 
                                date of enactment of this Act has 
                                authorized the construction of the 
                                project.
                    (B) Limitation.--The Secretary may not use amounts 
                from the Fund to pay for any operation and maintenance 
                costs of an authorized rural water project.
            (3) Conditions.--The Secretary shall not expend any amounts 
        from the Fund until the date on which the Secretary develops--
                    (A) programmatic goals to carry out this section 
                that--
                            (i) would enable the completion of 
                        construction of the authorized rural water 
                        projects as expeditiously as possible; and
                            (ii) reflect--
                                    (I) the goals and priorities 
                                identified in the laws authorizing the 
                                authorized rural water projects; and
                                    (II) the goals of the Reclamation 
                                Rural Water Supply Act of 2006 (43 
                                U.S.C. 2401 et seq.); and
                    (B) funding prioritization criteria to serve as a 
                formula for distributing funds under this section that 
                take into account--
                            (i) an evaluation of the urgent and 
                        compelling need for potable water supplies in 
                        the affected rural and tribal communities;
                            (ii) the status of the current stages of 
                        completion of the authorized rural water 
                        project;
                            (iii) the financial needs of the affected 
                        rural and tribal communities;
                            (iv) the potential economic benefits of the 
                        expenditures on job creation and general 
                        economic development in the affected rural and 
                        tribal communities;
                            (v) the ability of the authorized rural 
                        water project to address regional and watershed 
                        level water supply needs;
                            (vi) the ability of the authorized rural 
                        water project--
                                    (I) to minimize water and energy 
                                consumption; and
                                    (II) to encourage the development 
                                of renewable energy resources, such as 
                                wind, solar, and hydropower elements;
                            (vii) the need for the authorized rural 
                        water project to address--
                                    (I) the needs of Indian tribes and 
                                members of Indian tribes; and
                                    (II) other community needs or 
                                interests; and
                            (viii) such other factors as the Secretary 
                        determines to be appropriate to prioritize the 
                        use of available funds.
    (d) Investments of Amounts.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall invest such portion of 
        the Fund as is not, in the judgment of the Secretary, required 
        to meet current withdrawals.
            (2) Credits to fund.--The interest on, and the proceeds 
        from the sale or redemption of, any obligations held in the 
        Fund shall be credited to, and form a part of, the Fund.
    (e) Transfers of Amounts.--
            (1) In general.--The amounts required to be transferred to 
        the Fund under this section shall be transferred at least 
        monthly from the general fund of the Treasury to the Fund on 
        the basis of estimates made by the Secretary of the Treasury.
            (2) Adjustments.--Proper adjustment shall be made in 
        amounts subsequently transferred to the extent prior estimates 
        were in excess of or less than the amounts required to be 
        transferred.
    (f) Termination.--On September 30, 2034--
            (1) the Fund shall terminate; and
            (2) the unexpended and unobligated balance of the Fund 
        shall be transferred to the reclamation fund established by the 
        first section of the Act of June 17, 1902 (32 Stat. 388, 
        chapter 1093).
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