[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 183 (Monday, November 6, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H5410-H5411]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CLARIFYING JURISDICTION WITH RESPECT TO CERTAIN BUREAU OF RECLAMATION
PUMPED STORAGE DEVELOPMENT
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 1607) to clarify jurisdiction with respect to certain Bureau
of Reclamation pumped storage development, and for other purposes, as
amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1607
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. LAND WITHDRAWAL AND RESERVATION.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Agreement.--The term ``Agreement'' means the agreement
between the United States and the Association dated September
6, 1917, as amended.
(2) Association.--The term ``Association'' means the Salt
River Valley Water Users' Association.
(3) Covered land.--The term ``covered land'' means the
portion of the National Forest System land located on the
south side of the Salt River from the March 9, 1903, 1-mile
withdrawal area for the Bureau of Reclamation purposes
extending an additional 2 miles from the Salt River at
Roosevelt Dam to 18.25 river miles downstream, in the State
of Arizona, not including the Superstition Mountain
Wilderness Area and the Tonto National Monument, as depicted
on the Map.
(4) District.--The term ``District'' means the Salt River
Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District.
(5) Map.--The term ``Map'' means the map prepared under
subsection (e)(1).
(6) SRP.--The term ``SRP'' means--
(A) the District; and
(B) the Association.
(b) Reservation of Covered Land.--Subject to valid existing
rights, the covered land is reserved to the United States,
through the Secretary of the Interior, for the exclusive
right to use the covered land and interests in the covered
land for the development, generation, and transmission of
electrical power and energy for the use and benefit of the
Salt River Federal Reclamation Project pursuant to the
Agreement.
(c) Withdrawal of Covered Land.--The covered land is
permanently withdrawn from--
(1) all forms of entry, appropriation, and disposal under
the public land laws;
(2) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and
(3) operation of the mineral leasing, mineral materials,
and geothermal leasing laws.
(d) Facilities.--With respect to facilities constructed by
SRP on the covered land for the development, generation, and
transmission of electrical power and energy--
(1) the design and specifications shall conform to Bureau
of Reclamation standards, and final designs shall be subject
to review and approval by the Secretary of the Interior;
(2) all construction work shall be subject to inspection
and approval by the Secretary of the Interior;
(3) upon a determination of substantial completion of such
facilities, the Secretary of the Interior shall accept title
on behalf of the United States as part of the Salt River
Federal Reclamation Project pursuant to--
(A) section 6 of the Act of June 17, 1902 (32 Stat. 389,
chapter 1093; 43 U.S.C. 498); and
(B) the Agreement; and
(4) SRP shall be responsible for the care, operation, and
maintenance pursuant to the Agreement.
(e) Map.--
(1) In general.--As soon as practicable after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall
prepare a map depicting the boundary of the covered land.
(2) Availability.--The Map shall be on file and available
for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the
Forest Service and the Bureau of Reclamation.
(f) Management of Covered Land.--Management of the covered
lands shall be in accordance with the Management Memorandum
among the District, United States Department of Agriculture,
Forest Service, and the Bureau of Reclamation, dated April
27, 1979, as amended.
(g) Relation to Other Law.--
(1) Compliance with environmental laws.--The Secretary of
the Interior is directed to carry out all necessary
environmental compliance under the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq.), the Endangered
Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531, et seq.), and all other
applicable environmental laws and regulations, prior to
construction of facilities on the covered land for the
development, generation, and transmission of electrical power
and energy.
(2) Lead agency.--The Bureau of Reclamation shall be the
lead agency with respect to environmental compliance.
(3) Withdrawal not major federal action.--The withdrawal of
the covered land shall not constitute a major Federal action
under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42
U.S.C. 4321, et seq.).
(4) Antideficiency.--The United States shall not be liable
for failure to carry out any obligation or activity
authorized to be carried out under this title (including any
such obligation or activity under the Agreement) if adequate
appropriations are not provided by Congress expressly to
carry out the purposes of this Act.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arkansas.
General Leave
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to
include extraneous material on H.R. 1607, as amended.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Arkansas?
There was no objection.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my colleague, Mr. Schweikert's bill
which enables the Bureau of Reclamation and Salt River Project to move
forward with developing pumped storage hydropower facilities in the
Salt River reservoir system in Arizona.
Pumped storage is an efficient means to store energy when supply
exceeds demand and has been shown to be one of the most useful methods
for regulating intermittent renewable generation resources, such as
wind and solar.
Based on initial work done by the Bureau of Reclamation in 2014, the
Salt River Project developed two possible locations for the
construction of a pumped storage hydropower project.
H.R. 1607 would withdraw approximately 17,000 acres of Federal lands
[[Page H5411]]
from the National Forest System and transfer it to the Bureau of
Reclamation for the development of pumped storage hydropower and the
development, generation, and transmission of electrical power and
energy.
Through the transfer of this land, the proposed pumped storage
project to be developed will be entirely within the authorities and
footprint of the Federal reclamation project--streamlining development
and maximizing Federal reclamation project benefits. Without it, the
project would need to be permitted by both the Bureau of Reclamation
and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Mr. Speaker, for those reasons, I support and urge my colleagues to
join me in supporting this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1607, introduced by my
colleague from Arizona (Mr. Schweikert) and co-led by Representative
Greg Stanton, also from Arizona.
This bill would reserve certain lands in Arizona to the United States
for use as part of the Salt River Federal Reclamation Project. The Salt
River Project was first authorized in 1903 and provides water and power
to over 2 million people in central Arizona today.
Under this legislation, the reserved lands will be used for
development, generation, and transmission of electrical power and
energy to assist the Salt River Project in expanding pumped storage
hydropower facilities to meet increasing energy demands.
I thank my colleagues from Arizona, Representatives Schweikert and
Stanton for introducing and promoting this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the bill, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from
Arizona (Mr. Schweikert), the lead sponsor of this bill.
Mr. SCHWEIKERT. Mr. Speaker, this is fun to have one of these where
we all sort of agree on it.
Let me put in a little character--you heard some of the basic
mechanisms. The Salt River Project is a waterpower quasi-municipality.
It is very unique. It actually predates statehood for us. Think about
that. It actually was put together before we actually became a State.
What is unique in Arizona is--many of you have heard the discussion
of the thing called the duck curve. In the late afternoon you get lots
of photovoltaic power and then the sun goes down, and you don't get
lots of photovoltaic power, but we still run our air conditioners.
We need some ginormous batteries for those of us that live in the
desert Southwest, hence, comes the concept of pumped storage. Where
this is at is actually where I live. I live probably 25 minutes away
from this. It is the lake I grew up on.
To try to get this visually, picture a series of lakes that are our
water reservoirs for the Phoenix area, and then these cliffs that are
just tremendously high--it is a very impressive area--and the concept
of using gravity as a battery.
I appreciate everyone from our delegation who has been very, very
helpful on this, but this is one of those occasions where it makes
sense. It is environmentally sound. It actually allows us to take care
of something that is somewhat unique for us in the Southwest; and that
is the solar power we produce.
Mr. Speaker, the fact of the matter is, I do hope all of our brothers
and sisters here, later on, vote ``yes'' in suspension.
Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, the bill before us today does streamline
the permitting process for a project that is intended to keep energy
costs low, help stabilize the electric grid during peak demand, and
boost affordable and reliable energy.
As Mr. Schweikert explained, this is one of the oldest forms of
batteries that we have to pump water uphill when we have excess energy
and then to use it to generate energy on the off-hours.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join in supporting this
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1607, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
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