[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 100 (Friday, June 29, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4767-S4768]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             AUTHORIZED RURAL WATER PROJECTS COMPLETION ACT

  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I rise today as an original co-sponsor 
of the Authorized Rural Water Projects Completion Act, introduced by my 
colleague, Senator Baucus. I am pleased to support this important 
legislation which would address the serious backlog in the construction 
of Bureau of Reclamation water projects that are intended to serve 
rural and tribal communities.

[[Page S4768]]

  All of these projects have already been studied and authorized by the 
Congress. However, the funding for constructing the projects has 
lagged, causing a delay in addressing the needs of rural and tribal 
communities to have potable water delivered for their use.
  In 1902, the Reclamation Fund was established by Congress, intended 
to be used as a funding source to construct water projects in the West. 
It is funded through a variety of receipts, including Federal mineral 
leasing receipts. However, the use of monies from the Reclamation Fund 
has been subject to appropriation, and therefore, large balances have 
remained in the Fund. The average annual surplus in the Reclamation 
Fund from FY 2005 through FY 2011 was $960 million. While these monies 
were intended to be used for water project construction, they have not 
always been appropriated when needed.
  The bill that is being introduced today would direct that every year 
$80 million that would otherwise be deposited in the Reclamation Fund 
be made available without further appropriation for the construction of 
the authorized rural water projects--projects that Congress has already 
determined are in the public interest and should be built.
  I would like my colleagues to note that according to Bureau of 
Reclamation analysis, an increase in funding for the construction of 
rural water projects to $80 million per year would reduce the total 
Federal appropriations needed to complete the projects by more than $1 
billion, due to project costs and inflation. Therefore, this bill will 
have a positive fiscal impact. The bill also includes language that 
states that amounts may not be transferred for rural water projects 
pursuant to the legislation if to do so would raise the deficit.
  The legislation provides that the Secretary may not expend amounts 
under the bill until the Secretary develops programmatic goals that 
would: enable completion of rural water projects as quickly as 
possible; reflect the goals and priorities identified in the laws 
authorizing the rural water projects; and reflect the goals of the 
Reclamation Rural Water Supply Act of 2006. The bill does not direct 
that a particular project receive funding, but rather provides that the 
Secretary develop funding prioritization criteria to serve as a formula 
for distributing funds consistent with considerations set forth in the 
bill.
  This bill is important to our citizens in rural and tribal 
communities in the West. Adequate water supplies are fundamental to our 
way of life, and far too many Americans still live without safe 
drinking water. Congress has already determined that the rural water 
projects it has authorized are needed to provide water supplies to our 
rural and tribal communities and are in the best interests of public.
  Mr. President, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this 
important legislation, so that the promise of these important water 
projects can become an on-the-ground reality.

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