[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 37 (Monday, March 5, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H2124-H2125]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         INLAND EMPIRE AND CUCAMONGA VALLEY RECYCLING PROJECTS

  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 122) to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater 
Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to 
participate in the Inland Empire regional recycling project and in the 
Cucamonga Valley Water District recycling project, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                H.R. 122

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

     SECTION 1. INLAND EMPIRE AND CUCAMONGA VALLEY RECYCLING 
                   PROJECTS.

       (a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the ``Inland 
     Empire Regional Water Recycling Initiative''.
       (b) In General.--The Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater 
     Study and Facilities Act (Public Law 102-575, title XVI; 43 
     U.S.C. 390h et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
     following:

     ``SEC. 16__. INLAND EMPIRE REGIONAL WATER RECYCLING PROJECT.

       ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, in cooperation with the 
     Inland Empire Utilities Agency, may participate in the 
     design, planning, and construction of the Inland Empire 
     regional water recycling project described in the report 
     submitted under section 1606(c).
       ``(b) Cost Sharing.--The Federal share of the cost of the 
     project described in subsection (a) shall not exceed 25 
     percent of the total cost of the project.
       ``(c) Limitation.--Funds provided by the Secretary shall 
     not be used for operation and maintenance of the project 
     described in subsection (a).
       ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to carry out this section $20,000,000.
       ``(e) Sunset of Authority.--The authority of the Secretary 
     to carry out any provisions of this section shall terminate 
     10 years after the date of the enactment of this section.

     ``SEC. 16__. CUCAMONGA VALLEY WATER RECYCLING PROJECT.

       ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, in cooperation with the 
     Cucamonga Valley Water District, may participate in the 
     design, planning, and construction of the Cucamonga Valley 
     Water District satellite recycling plants in Rancho 
     Cucamonga, California, to reclaim and recycle approximately 2 
     million gallons per day of domestic wastewater.
       ``(b) Cost Sharing.--The Federal share of the cost of the 
     project described in subsection (a) shall not exceed 25 
     percent of the capital cost of the project.
       ``(c) Limitation.--Funds provided by the Secretary shall 
     not be used for operation and maintenance of the project 
     described in subsection (a).
       ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated to carry out this section, $10,000,000.
       ``(e) Sunset of Authority.--The authority of the Secretary 
     to carry out any provisions of this section shall terminate 
     10 years after the date of the enactment of this section''.
       (c) Conforming Amendments.--The table of sections in 
     section 2 of Public Law 102-575 is amended by inserting after 
     the last item the following:

``16__. Inland Empire Regional Water Recycling Program.
``16__. Cucamonga Valley Water Recycling Project.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) and the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Bishop) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona.


                             General Leave

  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Arizona?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  The purpose of H.R. 122, as amended, introduced by our colleague, 
Congressman Dreier of California, is to amend the Reclamation 
Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the 
Secretary of the Interior to participate in the Inland Empire regional 
water recycling project and in the Cucamonga Valley Water District 
satellite recycling plant.
  H.R. 122, as amended, would add approximately 100,000 acre-feet of 
new water annually to one of the largest recycled water distribution 
systems in the Santa Ana River Watershed. Some of the recycled water 
will be used to reclaim the groundwater basin and help drought-proof 
the service area. These water recycling plants will develop recycled 
water near where it will be used, offsetting the energy costs 
associated with pumping.
  The Subcommittee on Water and Power held hearings on similar 
legislation in the 108th Congress. In the 109th Congress, similar 
legislation was passed by the House.
  H.R. 122, as amended, will provide a very modest amount of Federal 
financial assistance to help in the construction of these worthy water 
recycling projects.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 122, as 
amended, and yield myself such time as I may consume.
  H.R. 122, sponsored by our colleague, David Dreier, authorizes the 
Bureau of Reclamation to participate in two water recycling projects in 
Southern California that will allow the water districts there to be 
less reliant on imported water.
  As the water demand grows and supplies become more scarce in Southern 
California, this bill would help to drought-proof this arid area. These 
projects would add over 75,000 acre-feet of water annually to one of 
the last recycled water distribution systems in the Santa Ana River 
Watershed. This legislation passed the House during the past two 
Congresses, and I urge my colleagues to support this noncontroversial 
bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield as much time as he may consume to 
the sponsor of this piece of legislation, the gentleman from California 
(Mr. Dreier).
  (Mr. DREIER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill. As I 
was just told by a distinguished member of the committee staff, we hope 
that the third time is a charm here. We have been pursuing this for 
quite a while, and I hope very much that we will be able to see final 
implementation of this.
  I would like to recognize the leadership again on both sides of the 
aisle; the Committee on Natural Resources, of course, Mr. Bishop, who 
served with great distinction on the Committee on Rules. And I will say 
that we miss him upstairs in the Rules Committee. I especially miss the 
fact that we are no

[[Page H2125]]

longer in the majority up in the Rules Committee, but he is serving 
very ably now as an important member of the Natural Resources Committee 
and the Water and Power Subcommittee. And I want to thank, of course, 
on the majority side the distinguished chairman of the full committee, 
Mr. Rahall, my very good friend from California (Mrs. Napolitano) with 
whom I worked closely on this, and of course the ranking member on the 
subcommittee, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, and of course the ranking member 
of the full committee, Mr. Young.
  I want to really underscore the great commitment and support that was 
provided in this effort by my California colleague, Mrs. Napolitano, 
who was an original cosponsor of this bill and has long been a great 
champion for many, many years of regional water solutions. I am also 
very pleased to have had the continued support and cosponsorship of 
other Southern California colleagues in a bipartisan way, Ken Calvert, 
Gary Miller, and of course I am pleased to see that we have just been 
joined on the floor here by my good friend, who represents the Inland 
Empire, Mr. Baca. And I should say, Mr. Speaker, that I just signed one 
of those cosponsor sheets and turned it in at the desk that will now 
include Mr. Baca's name as one of the cosponsors of this important 
legislation.
  As many of you will recall, this bill was passed, as I said, by the 
last Congress; but it was held up in the other body over issues that 
were much larger regarding overall reform of the Bureau of 
Reclamation's title 16 program. And I do share the concern that the 
program, while hugely popular, successful and competitive, is 
oversubscribed and underfunded. That being said, Mr. Speaker, the need 
to reform the program shouldn't hold back good projects like this one.
  The Inland Empire Water Recycling Initiative authorizes $30 million 
for the Inland Empire Utilities Agency and the Cucamonga Valley Water 
District to assist in constructing two water recycling projects. The 
projects will produce nearly 100,000 acre-feet of new water annually to 
the area's water supply. This initiative has the support of all member 
agencies of the Inland Empire Utilities Agency, which encompasses 240 
square miles in Southern California. It also serves a number of cities 
that I am very honored to be able to represent, the cities of Rancho 
Cucamonga, Upland and Montclair, some of the fastest growing cities in 
our Nation.
  These water agencies are using high-quality recycled water in many 
water intensive applications like landscape and agricultural 
irrigation, construction and industrial cooling. This allows fresh 
water to be conserved or used for drinking, which reduces our 
dependence on expensive imported water. In addition, by recycling water 
which would otherwise be wasted and unavailable, these agencies ensure 
that we wring the last drop of use out of water before it is ultimately 
returned to the environment.
  It is imperative that we continue to approve measures preventing 
water supply shortages in the western United States. And, Mr. Speaker, 
this recycling initiative will help meet the water needs of the Inland 
Empire and begin a strategic Federal-local partnership to bring a 
significant amount of new water supply to this very important region in 
Southern California. This project has already been recognized 
nationally as one of the most cost-effective water reuse projects that 
we have.
  The Inland Empire Utility Agency and the Cucamonga Valley Water 
District are innovative leaders in using high-quality recycled water in 
environmentally sensitive and creative ways. This allows fresh water to 
be conserved for drinking, reducing our dependence on expensive 
imported water.
  The hard work of these two local water agencies should be recognized.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to specifically recognize the tireless efforts of 
Rich Atwater, the CEO of the Inland Empire Utilities Agency, and Robert 
DeLoach, the CEO of the Cucamonga Valley Water District.
  I would also like to commend the boards of these agencies for their 
leadership in providing our region with safe, clean, and affordable 
water. And I will say, Mr. Speaker, that at a time when we are focusing 
constantly on the need to look at ways to recycle and focusing on the 
issue of environmentally sound planning for our future, meeting our 
needs, this measure is, again, a model that can be used for the rest of 
the country.
  At this juncture, I would be happy to yield to my very good friend, 
with whom I am privileged to share representing part of the Inland 
Empire, Mr. Baca.
  (Mr. BACA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. BACA. I appreciate the comments by Mr. Dreier. I appreciate his 
leadership on this important issue of water. It is critical to the 
Inland Empire. This is one that needs to be addressed, and he has 
constantly addressed the issues of water in the Inland Empire, not only 
now, but in the past. And I rise in support of H.R. 122, the Inland 
Empire recycling project.
  And I appreciate Grace Napolitano's leadership in this endeavor 
because this is a bipartisan effort for the Inland Empire and its 
region in the area. This is not a Republican or a Democratic issue, but 
an issue that pertains to water and water that is important to a lot of 
us in that region and throughout the State of California.
  This project is important for my district. And he not only mentioned 
his district that covers Upland and Rancho Cucamonga, but it is 
important for my district and across Southern California because it 
would help solve California's state-wide water shortage.
  We all have been warned about global warming and the impact it is 
going to have in terms of the future and the possibility of the lack of 
water. Well, this addresses some of that. By recycling the water in our 
region, we will be able to increase the local water supply and reduce 
our dependence on imported water from San Francisco Bay delta area.

                              {time}  1415

  The Bureau of Reclamation has ranked this project as one of the most 
cost-effective new water supply projects in California; I state, the 
most effective, cost-effective water supply projects in California. And 
it is also endorsed by all cities, including Fontana and Ontario, as 
well as community groups and business groups, and environmental leader 
groups, and I state, environmental groups and leaders throughout the 
Inland Empire.
  I rise to give my full support, and I urge my colleagues to do the 
same on this important issue on water that impacts not only the Inland 
Empire but the State of California, and I ask full support.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I thank my friend for 
his very able contribution.
  Let me just say, Mr. Speaker, in closing that I think that this 
legislation underscores once again how the California congressional 
delegation continues, as it has in the past, to work in a bipartisan 
way addressing priority concerns that we have, whether it be 
transportation, dealing with the whole issue of base closure, dealing 
with the challenge of illegal immigration, dealing with this very 
important water resources issue, health care issues. California's 
delegation is working together in a bipartisan way to address them, and 
this legislation today is evidence of our great success at implementing 
the shared vision that we have for the constituents whom we are honored 
to represent in California. And I again thank both Democrats and 
Republicans on the Natural Resources Committee for their strong support 
of this important legislation.
  And, again, as Mr. Baca said, I hope very much that the committee and 
others will utilize this very successful program as a model for future 
water recycling.
  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 122, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.




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