[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 13, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Page S165]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 4183. Mr. BENNET (for himself and Mr. Hickenlooper) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill H.R. 6938, making 
consolidated appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
2026, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as 
follows:

       At the appropriate place in title IV of division C, insert 
     the following:


                   arkansas valley conduit, colorado

       Sec. 4___. Public Law 87-590 (76 Stat. 389; 123 Stat. 1320) 
     is amended--
       (1) in the first section--
       (A) in subsection (c), in the second sentence, by striking 
     ``or in the case of the Arkansas Valley Conduit, payment in 
     an amount equal to 35 percent of the cost of the conduit that 
     is comprised of revenue generated by payments pursuant to a 
     repayment contract and revenue that may be derived from 
     contracts for the use of Fryingpan-Arkansas project excess 
     capacity or exchange contracts using Fryingpan-Arkansas 
     project facilities,''; and
       (B) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(d) Arkansas Valley Conduit.--
       ``(1) Repayment contract.--To provide domestic water 
     supplies to communities and households that do not have 
     reliable access to domestic water supplies, the contract for 
     the Arkansas Valley Conduit shall provide for payment in an 
     amount equal to 35 percent of the cost of the conduit, 
     notwithstanding the reclamation laws or any other provision 
     of this Act. The contract payments shall consist of--
       ``(A) funding provided during construction from any entity 
     other than the Secretary; and
       ``(B) based on a demonstration of financial hardship, as 
     determined by the Secretary, repayment of the balance not 
     covered under subparagraph (A) for a period of not more than 
     75 years with simple interest at a rate that is equal to 50 
     percent of the interest rate determined by the Secretary of 
     the Treasury under section 2(c), including revenue derived 
     from contracts for the use of excess capacity or exchange 
     contracts using Fryingpan-Arkansas project facilities.
       ``(2) Operations and maintenance.--The contract for the 
     Arkansas Valley Conduit shall provide for the assumption by 
     the contracting parties of the care, operation, maintenance, 
     and replacement of the conduit.''; and
       (2) in section 2(b)(3)(A), by striking ``this section'' and 
     inserting ``subsection (d) of the first section''.
                                 ______