[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 123 (Wednesday, September 27, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H7654-H7655]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 LOWER REPUBLICAN RIVER BASIN STUDY ACT

  Mr. PEARCE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4750) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct 
a study to determine the feasibility of implementing a water supply and 
conservation project to improve water supply reliability, increase the 
capacity of water storage, and improve water management efficiency in 
the Republican River Basin between Harlan County Lake in Nebraska and 
Milford Lake in Kansas, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 4750

       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 ``Lower Republican River Basin 
     Study Act''.

[[Page H7655]]

     SEC. 2. REPUBLICAN RIVER BASIN FEASIBILITY STUDY.

       (a) Authorization of Study.--Pursuant to reclamation laws, 
     the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of 
     Reclamation and in consultation and cooperation with the 
     States of Nebraska, Kansas, and Colorado, may conduct a study 
     to--
       (1) determine the feasibility of implementing a water 
     supply and conservation project that will--
       (A) improve water supply reliability in the Republican 
     River Basin between Harlan County Lake in Nebraska and 
     Milford Lake in Kansas, including areas in the counties of 
     Harlan, Franklin, Webster, and Nuckolls in Nebraska and 
     Jewel, Republic, Cloud, Washington, and Clay in Kansas (in 
     this section referred to as the ``Republican River Basin'');
       (B) increase the capacity of water storage through 
     modifications of existing projects or through new projects 
     that serve areas in the Republican River Basin; and
       (C) improve water management efficiency in the Republican 
     River Basin through conservation and other available means 
     and, where appropriate, evaluate integrated water resource 
     management and supply needs in the Republican River Basin; 
     and
       (2) consider appropriate cost-sharing options for 
     implementation of the project.
       (b) Cost Sharing.--The Federal share of the cost of the 
     study shall not exceed 50 percent of the total cost of the 
     study, and shall be nonreimbursable.
       (c) Cooperative Agreements.--The Secretary shall undertake 
     the study through cooperative agreements with the State of 
     Kansas or Nebraska and other appropriate entities determined 
     by the Secretary.
       (d) Completion and Report.--
       (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), not 
     later than 3 years after the date of the enactment of this 
     section the Secretary of the Interior shall complete the 
     study and transmit to the Congress a report containing the 
     results of the study.
       (2) Extension.--If the Secretary determines that the study 
     cannot be completed within the 3-year period beginning on the 
     date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary--
       (A) shall, at the time of that determination, report to the 
     Congress on the status of the study, including an estimate of 
     the date of completion; and
       (B) complete the study and transmit to the Congress a 
     report containing the results of the study by not later than 
     that date.
       (e) Sunset of Authority.--The authority of the Secretary to 
     carry out any provisions of this Act shall terminate 10 years 
     after the date of the enactment of this Act.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
Mexico (Mr. Pearce) and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Mexico.
  Mr. PEARCE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, H.R. 4750, sponsored by Congressman Tom Osborne, 
authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to study the feasibility of a 
water supply and conservation project in the Republican River Basin.
  This legislation would enact into law one requirement of the 
Republican River Compact Settlement negotiated between the States of 
Nebraska, Kansas, and Colorado, and approved by the United States 
Supreme Court in 2003.
  The feasibility study would help clarify the opportunities to 
increase water storage in the river basin, and is needed to increase 
water availability and encourage more efficient water use.
  I urge my colleagues to support this needed legislation.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KIND. Madam Speaker, we too support passage of this legislation, 
encourage its adoption and yield back the balance of our time.
  Mr. PEARCE. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne), the author of the legislation.
  Mr. OSBORNE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Mexico for 
yielding me time and bringing this forward, and for the rapidity with 
which we are moving through the bills tonight. We are sorry to slow you 
down. But the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moran) and I would like to say 
a few words about this bill. He was a co-author with me.
  As you mentioned, H.R. 4750 is a study as to how to more efficiently 
utilize water between Harlan County Dam in Nebraska and Milford 
Reservoir in Kansas. The reason this is so important is that Nebraska 
and Kansas signed a compact in 2002, which means that a lot of Nebraska 
water goes down the Republican River into Kansas, and Nebraska so far 
has been short. We are 100,000 acre feet short, as a matter of fact, 
over the last 3 years.
  And this has been exacerbated by an extreme drought which we have had 
for the last 6 years. So this water shortage has made for a very 
critical situation. So if we can, through this study, allocate water 
more effectively, save some water, it will help farmers, ranchers, 
municipalities both in Nebraska and Kansas.
  We want to thank you. We want to thank Mr. Pombo and the resources 
staff for bringing forth this bill on short notice. We think it is very 
important. We urge its passage. We appreciation the cooperation on both 
sides of the aisle on this bill.
  Mr. PEARCE. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moran).
  Mr. MORAN of Kansas. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New 
Mexico. I also thank the gentleman from Wisconsin this evening for 
being here in support of H.R. 4750. As has been indicated, this is a 
very important issue for many in both the State of Nebraska and the 
State of Kansas. I particularly want to express my appreciation to the 
gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne) and really the cooperation that 
has existed on very difficult issues between the State of Nebraska and 
the State of Kansas.
  Water is a huge issue in the midwest. It always has been, probably 
always will be. But it is especially exacerbated by the fact of 
inadequate rainfall for now, four, five and six years in much of Kansas 
and much of Nebraska.
  An agreement was reached, compact litigation ensued. Ultimately a 
settlement of that litigation was reached. And that settlement provides 
for the State of Nebraska and the State of Kansas to come together, 
provide some money, share with the Federal Government.
  The Department of Interior would then conduct a study. The State of 
Kansas, and I believe the State of Nebraska has appropriated this money 
for the fiscal year. That is why this legislation is so important to be 
timely considered and timely approved. All that now remains is for the 
Federal Government to meet its obligation under the settlement 
agreement.
  The feasibility study is desperately needed to increase the water 
availability to find out how we do that, and to encourage its efficient 
use and conservation within our delivery system.
  Madam Speaker, the feasibility study authorized by 4750 is not only 
necessary to ensure the State remains in compliance with that 
agreement, but to make certain that the economic, agriculture and 
personal use of water is done in a very efficient and effective way.
  I urge Members of Congress to approve this legislation.
  Mr. PEARCE. Madam Speaker, I would remind the Members that this is a 
very bipartisan bill, everything being bipartisan except the name of 
the river basin being studied. I would urge passage.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of our time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Pearce) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 4750, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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