[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 66 (Thursday, April 28, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S2560]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. WYDEN (for himself and Mr. Merkley):
  S. 2886. A bill to reauthorize the Fisheries Restoration and 
Irrigation Mitigation Act of 2000; to the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources.
  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Reauthorization 
of the Fisheries Restoration and Irrigation Mitigation Act of 2000, 
also referred to as FRIMA. This Act was established to support healthy 
fish populations while simultaneously allowing for continued water 
diversions for irrigation and other uses in the Pacific Northwest. I 
championed this program's last reauthorization in 2009, and I can say 
with certainty that the pressing need for FRIMA has not gone away.
  Throughout the Pacific Northwest there is a critical need for 
projects that improve fish passage without compromising important water 
diversion needs for agriculture and other uses. The sustainable 
coexistence of continued water diversions and healthy fish populations 
can be achieved through a number of interventions, such as installation 
of fish screens, removal of fish passage barriers, and carrying out 
inventories to better understand needs and priorities. The technology 
and the knowledge needed to carry out these projects are at our finger 
tips; the means, however, is not.
  That is why FRIMA is such an important program for the Pacific 
Northwest. The act, overseen by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
provides a Federal cost-share on the order of 65 percent to fund fish 
passage and fish screen projects at water diversion and irrigation 
sites in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and western Montana. This voluntary 
cost-shared program authorizes $25 million in Federal funds, to be 
equally shared among the 4 States, that can be leveraged to make these 
essential projects to improve fish passage and install fish screens 
come to fruition.
  FRIMA has a history of demonstrated success in Oregon and throughout 
the Pacific Northwest. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
127 projects have been funded through FRIMA to date. These projects 
have reopened more than 1,130 miles of habitat to fish passage. In 
total, 56 fish passage barriers have been removed, 130 water diversion 
sites have been screened, and 18 fish passage evaluations have been 
completed. This program has led to multiple accomplishments for 
communities in the Pacific Northwest, but there are still tens of 
thousands of unscreened water diversions in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, 
and western Montana. There is still work to be done, and FRIMA could 
provide the means to continue to make a difference for sustainable 
fisheries and water management.
  At its core, FRIMA is centered on the concept of collaboration. This 
is a program borne through bi-partisan and multi-sectoral support. 
FRIMA is embraced by water users, farmers, fisheries managers and 
conservation organizations alike. The economic and ecological integrity 
of our region depends on resilient fisheries and sustainable management 
of water resources, and FRIMA offers a means to concurrently make 
positive strides in sustainably managing both our water diversions and 
our treasured fishery resources.
  Mr. President, 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. 2886

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

     SECTION 1. REAUTHORIZATION OF THE FISHERIES RESTORATION AND 
                   IRRIGATION MITIGATION ACT OF 2000.

       Section 10(a) of the Fisheries Restoration and Irrigation 
     Mitigation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 777 note; Public Law 106-
     502) is amended by striking ``2009 through 2015'' and 
     inserting `` 2017 through 2024''.
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