[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 86 (Thursday, May 24, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6894-S6895]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. Wyden (for himself, Mr. Smith, Mr. Craig, Mrs. Murray, Ms. 
        Cantwell, Mr. Baucus, Mr. Crapo, and Mr. Tester):
  S. 1522. A bill to amend the Bonneville Power Administration portions 
of the Fisheries Restoration and Irrigation Mitigation Act of 2000 to 
authorize appropriations for fiscal years 2008 through 2014, and for 
other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I am pleased to be joined today by all 
Members of the Senate from the Northwest: Senator Gordon Smith, Senator 
Larry Craig, Senator Patty Murray, Senator Maria Cantwell, Senator Jon 
Tester, Senator Max Baucus and Senator Mike Crapo in introducing the 
Fisheries Restoration and Irrigation Mitigation Act of 2007, or FRIMA. 
Our legislation extends a homegrown, commonsense program that has a 
proven track record in helping restore Northwestern salmon runs. 
Dollar-for-dollar, the fish screening and fish passage facilities 
funded by our legislation are among the most cost-effective uses of 
public and private restoration dollars. These projects protect fish 
while producing significant benefits. That is why it is important that 
this program be reauthorized and funding be appropriated now.
  Since 2001, when the original Fisheries Restoration and Irrigation 
Mitigation Act of 2000, FRIMA, was enacted, more than $9 million in 
Federal funds has leveraged nearly $20 million in private, local 
funding. This money has been used to protect, enhance and restore more 
than 550 rivers miles of important fish habitat and species throughout 
Oregon, Washington, Idaho and western Montana. For decades, State, 
tribal and Federal fishery agencies in the Pacific Northwest have 
identified the screening of irrigation and other water diversions, and 
improved fish passage, as critically important for the survival of 
salmon and other fish populations.
  This program is very popular and has the support of a wide range of 
constituents, including community leaders, environmental organizations, 
and agricultural producers. Senator Smith and I are proud of the 
successful collaborative projects that irrigators and members of the 
Oregon Water Resources Congress have completed while putting this 
program to work in our home State. Our program also has the support of 
Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski, irrigators throughout the Northwestern 
States, Oregon Trout, American Rivers and the National Audubon Society.

  FRIMA authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to establish a program 
to plan, design, and construct fish screens, fish passage devices, and 
related features. It also authorizes inventories to provide the 
information needed for planning and making decisions about the survival 
and propagation of all Northwestern fish species. The program is 
currently carried out by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on behalf 
of the Interior Secretary.
  FRIMA provides benefits by: keeping fish out of places where they 
should not be, such as in an irrigation system; easing upstream and 
downstream fish passage; improving the protection, survival, and 
restoration of native fish species; helping avoid new endangered 
species listings by protecting and enhancing the fish populations not 
yet listed; making progress toward the delisting of listed species; 
utilizing a positive, win/win, public-private partnership; and, 
assisting in achieving both sustainable agriculture and fisheries. 
Since FRIMA's enactment in 2001, 103 projects have been installed. This 
is a true partnership and fine example of how our fisheries and farmers 
can work together to protect fish species throughout the Northwest.
  While he was Governor of Idaho, Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne 
said, ``. . . . the FRIMA program serves as an excellent example of 
government and private land owners working together to promote 
conservation. The screening of irrigation diversions plays a key role 
in Idaho's efforts to restore salmon populations while protecting rural 
economies.'' This is from ``Fisheries Restoration and Irrigation 
Mitigation Programs, fiscal year 2002-2004'', U.S. Fish & Wildlife 
Service, Washington, DC, July, 2005, page 13.
  The bill that we are introducing today specifically extends the 
authorization for tbis program through 2014; gives priority to projects 
costing less than $2.5 million, a reduction in a targeted project's 
cost from $5,000,000 to $2,500,000; clarifies that any Bonneville Power 
Administration, BPA, funds provided either directly or through a grant 
to another entity shall be considered nonFederal matching funds, 
because BPA's funding comes from ratepayers; requires an inventory 
report describing funded projects and their benefits; and changes the 
administrative expenses formula used by the Fish & Wildlife Service and 
the States of Oregon, Washington, Montana and Idaho, so that 
administrative costs may be held to a minimum while projects in the 
field receive the majority of available funding.
  Ultimately, it will take the combined efforts of all interests in our 
region to recover our salmon. State and local governments, local 
watershed councils, private landowners and the Federal Government need 
to continue working together. Initiatives such as the bill I am 
introducing today help to sustain the partnerships upon which 
successful salmon recovery will be based.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues to see this legislation 
pass.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 1522

       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 ``Fisheries Restoration and 
     Irrigation Mitigation Act of 2007''.

     SEC. 2. PRIORITY PROJECTS.

       Section 3(c)(3) of the Fisheries Restoration and Irrigation 
     Mitigation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 777 note; Public Law 106-
     502) is amended by striking ``$5,000,000'' and inserting 
     ``$2,500,000''.

     SEC. 3. COST SHARING.

       Section 7(c) of Fisheries Restoration and Irrigation 
     Mitigation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 777 note; Public Law 106-
     502) is amended--
       (1) by striking ``The value'' and inserting the following:
       ``(1) In general.--The value''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following:

[[Page S6895]]

       ``(2) Bonneville power administration.--
       ``(A) In general.--The Secretary may, without further 
     appropriation and without fiscal year limitation, accept any 
     amounts provided to the Secretary by the Administrator of the 
     Bonneville Power Administration.
       ``(B) Non-federal share.--Any amounts provided by the 
     Bonneville Power Administration directly or through a grant 
     to another entity for a project carried under the Program 
     shall be credited toward the non-Federal share of the costs 
     of the project.''.

     SEC. 4. REPORT.

       Section 9 of the Fisheries Restoration and Irrigation 
     Mitigation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 777 note; Public Law 106-
     502) is amended--
       (1) by inserting ``any'' before ``amounts are made''; and
       (2) by inserting after ``Secretary shall'' the following: 
     ``, after partnering with local governmental entities and the 
     States in the Pacific Ocean drainage area,''.

     SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       Section 10 of the Fisheries Restoration and Irrigation 
     Mitigation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 777 note; Public Law 106-
     502) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a), by striking ``2001 through 2005'' 
     and inserting ``2008 through 2014''; and
       (2) in subsection (b), by striking paragraph (2) and 
     inserting the following:
       ``(2) Administrative expenses.--
       ``(A) Definition of administrative expense.--In this 
     paragraph, the term `administrative expense' means, except as 
     provided in subparagraph (B)(iii)(II), any expenditure 
     relating to--
       ``(i) staffing and overhead, such as the rental of office 
     space and the acquisition of office equipment; and
       ``(ii) the review, processing, and provision of 
     applications for funding under the Program.
       ``(B) Limitation.--
       ``(i) In general.--Not more than 6 percent of amounts made 
     available to carry out this Act for each fiscal year may be 
     used for Federal and State administrative expenses of 
     carrying out this Act.
       ``(ii) Federal and state shares.--To the maximum extent 
     practicable, of the amounts made available for administrative 
     expenses under clause (i)--

       ``(I) 50 percent shall be provided to the State agencies 
     provided assistance under the Program; and
       ``(II) an amount equal to the cost of 1 full-time 
     equivalent Federal employee, as determined by the Secretary, 
     shall be provided to the Federal agency carrying out the 
     Program.

       ``(iii) State expenses.--Amounts made available to States 
     for administrative expenses under clause (i)--

       ``(I) shall be divided evenly among all States provided 
     assistance under the Program; and
       ``(II) may be used by a State to provide technical 
     assistance relating to the program, including any staffing 
     expenditures (including staff travel expenses) associated 
     with--

       ``(aa) arranging meetings to promote the Program to 
     potential applicants;
       ``(bb) assisting applicants with the preparation of 
     applications for funding under the Program; and
       ``(cc) visiting construction sites to provide technical 
     assistance, if requested by the applicant.''.
                                 ______