[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3569-S3571]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 6447. Mr. ROUNDS (for himself and Ms. Cortez Masto) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4784, to
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities
of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for
defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military
personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which
was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the end of subtitle G of title X, add the following:
SEC. 1094. DAKOTA MAINSTEM WATER SUPPLY PROJECT FEASIBILITY
STUDY.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Dakota mainstem water supply project.--The term
``Dakota Mainstem Water Supply Project'' means the proposed
project to supply municipal, rural, and industrial water to
the Dakota Mainstem Regional Water System service area in the
States of South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, and Minnesota.
(2) Non-federal project entity.--The term ``non-Federal
project entity'' means the Dakota Mainstem Regional Water
System, Inc., a nonprofit corporation established and
operated substantially in accordance with the reclamation
feasibility standards to serve as a non-Federal project
entity for purposes of the cooperative agreement entered into
under subsection (b)(1).
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior (acting through the Commissioner of
Reclamation).
(b) Study.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary, in coordination with the
non-Federal project entity, shall carry out a study to
determine the feasibility of constructing the Dakota Mainstem
Water Supply Project in accordance with the reclamation laws
and reclamation feasibility standards.
(2) Feasibility report.--After completion of the
feasibility study for the Dakota Mainstem Water Supply
Project under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall--
(A) develop a feasibility report that includes a
recommendation of the Secretary on--
(i) whether the Dakota Mainstem Water Supply Project is
found to be technically and financially feasible in
accordance with the reclamation laws;
(ii) whether the Dakota Mainstem Water Supply Project
should be authorized for construction; and
(iii) the appropriate non-Federal share of construction
costs for the Dakota Mainstem Water Supply Project, which
shall be at least 25 percent of the total construction costs;
(B) submit the report under subparagraph (A) to the
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and
the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of
Representatives; and
(C) make the report under subparagraph (A) publicly
available, along with associated feasibility study documents.
(3) Consultation and cooperation.--In addition to the non-
Federal project entity, the Secretary shall consult and
cooperate with appropriate Federal, State, Tribal, regional,
and local authorities during the conduct of the feasibility
study and development of the feasibility report under this
section.
(c) Cost-sharing Agreement for Feasibility Study Costs.--
The Secretary shall enter into a cost-sharing agreement (or
an appropriate financial assistance agreement, as determined
by the Secretary) with the non-Federal project entity to
conduct a study under subsection (b) that complies with the
reclamation feasibility standards.
(d) Federal Share of Feasibility Study Costs; Funding.--
(1) Federal share; funding.--The Federal share of the total
costs of carrying out the feasibility study under this
section--
(A) shall not exceed 50 percent; and
(B) shall be paid for by the Secretary using appropriated
funds.
(2) Identification of funds.--Not later than 90 days after
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall
identify sources of available funds to pay the Federal share
under paragraph (1)(B).
(e) Limitation on Expenditures.--Not more than $10,000,000
of Federal funds may be expended to carry out the feasibility
study under this section.
(f) Termination of Authority.--The authority provided by
this section expires on the date that is 5 years after the
date of enactment of this Act.
SEC. 1095. WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA WATER SUPPLY PROJECT
FEASIBILITY STUDY.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Non-federal project entity.--The term ``non-Federal
project entity'' means the Western Dakota Regional Water
System, Inc., a nonprofit corporation.
(2) Western south dakota water supply project.--The term
``Western South Dakota Water Supply Project'' means the
proposed project to supply municipal, rural, and industrial
water from the Missouri River to the Western Dakota Regional
Water System.
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior (acting through the Commissioner of
Reclamation).
(b) Study.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary, in coordination with the
non-Federal project entity, shall carry out a study to
determine the feasibility of the Western South Dakota Water
Supply Project in accordance with the reclamation laws and
reclamation feasibility standards.
(2) Feasibility report.--After completion of the
feasibility study for the Western South Dakota Water Supply
Project under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall--
(A) develop a feasibility report that includes a
recommendation of the Secretary on--
(i) whether the Western South Dakota Water Supply Project
is found to be technically and financially feasible in
accordance with the reclamation laws;
(ii) whether the Western South Dakota Water Supply Project
should be authorized for construction; and
(iii) the appropriate non-Federal share of construction
costs, which shall be at least 25 percent of the total
construction costs;
(B) submit the report under subparagraph (A) to the
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and
the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of
Representatives; and
(C) make the report under subparagraph (A) publicly
available, along with associated feasibility study documents.
(3) Consultation and cooperation.--In addition to the non-
Federal project entity, the Secretary shall consult and
cooperate with appropriate Federal, State, Tribal, regional,
and local authorities during the conduct of the feasibility
study and development of the feasibility report under this
subsection.
(c) Cost-sharing Agreement for Feasibility Study Costs.--
The Secretary shall enter into a cost-sharing agreement (or
an appropriate financial assistance agreement, as determined
by the Secretary) with the non-Federal project entity to
conduct a study under subsection (b) that complies with the
reclamation feasibility standards.
(d) Federal Share of Feasibility Study Costs; Funding.--
(1) Federal share; funding.--The Federal share of the total
costs of carrying out the feasibility study under subsection
(b)--
(A) shall not exceed 50 percent; and
(B) shall be paid for by the Secretary using appropriated
funds.
(2) Identification of funds.--Not later than 90 days after
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall
identify sources of available funds to pay the Federal share
under paragraph (1)(B).
(e) Limitation on Expenditures.--Not more than $10,000,000
of Federal funds may be expended to carry out the feasibility
study under subsection (b).
(f) Termination of Authority.--The authority provided by
this section expires on the date that is 5 years after the
date of enactment of this Act.
SEC. 1096. SNOW WATER SUPPLY FORECASTING PROGRAM.
The Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program Authorization Act
(43 U.S.C. 1477) is amended--
(1) in subsection (c)(2)--
(A) in subparagraph (A)--
(i) by striking ``develop'' and inserting ``continue
developing''; and
(ii) by striking ``culminating in the report required under
subsection (d)(3)'' and inserting ``with an emphasis on
development and deployment of more accurate, timely, and
cost-effective snow monitoring technologies and water supply
forecasting, including technologies that integrate snowpack
measuring and modeling''; and
(B) in subparagraph (B)--
(i) by striking ``after submitting the report required by
subsection (d)(3),''; and
(ii) by inserting ``and to improve water supply
forecasting'' after ``watersheds'';
(2) in subsection (d)--
(A) in paragraph (1)--
(i) in the paragraph heading, by inserting ``and water
supply forecasting'' after ``data'';
(ii) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking
``emerging technologies for snowpack measurement, such as''
and inserting ``technologies for snowpack measurements and
methods to forecast water supply, including'';
(iii) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``and'' at the end;
and
(iv) by striking subparagraph (C) and inserting the
following:
``(C) imaging spectroscopy;
``(D) machine learning;
``(E) snowpack and hydrologic modeling; and
``(F) other technologies that the Secretary determines are
likely to provide more accurate or timely snowpack
measurement data or analytical methods utilizing snowpack
[[Page S3570]]
data that can improve water supply forecasting to inform
water management and reservoir operations.'';
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``emerging technologies
for snowpack measurement'' and inserting ``technologies for
snowpack measurement and models, including the Department of
Agriculture and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration''; and
(C) by striking paragraph (3);
(3) in subsection (e)--
(A) in paragraph (1)--
(i) by striking ``After submitting the report required
under subsection (d)(3), the'' and inserting ``The''; and
(ii) by striking ``in particular watersheds'' and inserting
``and water supply forecasts in particular watersheds and to
explore new statistical, machine learning, or physical models
to generate improved water supply forecasts utilizing
snowpack data''; and
(B) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the following:
``(2) Focus.--The program shall focus on activities that
will maintain, establish, expand, or advance snowpack
measurement and modeling projected water supply, with an
emphasis on--
``(A) enhancing activities to achieve improved snow and
water supply forecasting results that are more responsive to
changing weather and watershed conditions;
``(B) activities in river basins where activities described
in this section relating to snowpack measurement and water
supply forecasting can inform water management decisions or
models at a multi-water user, multi-basin, or multi-State
scale, including interstate water management decisions; and
``(C) building the capacity of program partners to
implement and adapt to the new measurement and forecasting
capabilities enabled under the program.'';
(4) in subsection (f)--
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking
``this Act'' and inserting ``the National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027'';
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``or sub-basin'';
(C) by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph (4); and
(D) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the following:
``(1) a list of basins for which snowpack measurement and
integrated modeling technologies are being used under the
program, including a description of each application,
outcome, and data resource used;
``(2) an assessment of which technologies best inform water
supply forecasting for multiple water districts, communities,
or States;
``(3) an assessment of forecasts generated using new
technologies authorized under this Act compared against water
supply forecast benchmarks from the Department of Agriculture
and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration;
and''; and
(5) in subsection (g), by striking ``$15,000,000, in the
aggregate, for fiscal years 2022 through 2026'' and inserting
``$3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031''.
SEC. 1097. REAUTHORIZATION OF COMPETITIVE GRANT PROGRAM FOR
LARGE-SCALE WATER RECYCLING AND REUSE PROGRAM.
Section 40905 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
(43 U.S.C. 3205) is amended--
(1) in subsection (b), by inserting ``feasibility studies
and'' before ``the planning'';
(2) in subsection (d)--
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by inserting
``for a feasibility study for the eligible project or''
before ``to an eligible project''; and
(B) in paragraph (4), by striking ``30'' and inserting
``60''; and
(3) in subsection (k)--
(A) by striking ``5 years'' and inserting ``10 years''; and
(B) by inserting ``, except for any project under
construction as of that termination date'' before the period
at the end.
SEC. 1098. GLEN CANYON DAM FEASIBILITY STUDY.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of the Interior (acting
through the Commissioner of Reclamation) (referred to in this
section as the ``Secretary''), in consultation with the
Secretary of Energy, the Director of the United States Fish
and Wildlife Service, the Director of the United States
Geological Survey, the Colorado River Basin States, and
Colorado River Storage Project power contractors, shall carry
out a feasibility study (including all hydrological modeling)
to analyze alternatives (including infrastructure upgrades)
to address downstream invasive species at Glen Canyon Dam.
(b) Included Alternatives.--The alternatives analyzed under
subsection (a) may include a thermal curtain or a selective
water withdrawal system at Glen Canyon Dam to optimize
hydropower generation when releasing cold water from Glen
Canyon Dam, while also preventing entrainment of invasive
species, pursuant to the 2016 Long-Term Experimental and
Management Plan Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement
and Record of Decision and section 1802 of the Grand Canyon
Protection Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-575; 106 Stat. 4669).
(c) Feasibility Determination.--If the Secretary determines
that an alternative studied under subsection (a) is feasible
under the reclamation laws, the Secretary may initiate
design, construction, and associated activities of, as
applicable, the recommended alternative, including any
necessary policy actions allowable under the reclamation
laws.
(d) Feasibility Report.--After completion of the
feasibility study required under subsection (a), the
Secretary shall develop a summarized feasibility study report
that includes, at a minimum--
(1) an analysis of the alternatives analyzed and
identification of the recommended alternative;
(2) an allocation of the construction, operation,
maintenance, and replacement costs of the recommended
alternative to the authorized purposes of the Colorado River
Storage Project;
(3) the major structural features and nonstructural
features of the recommended alternative, any special
considerations for implementation of the recommended
alternative, and the estimated cost of implementation of the
recommended alternative;
(4) an analysis of the effects of the recommended
alternative on hydropower production and rates, which shall
be developed in consultation with the Western Area Power
Administration;
(5) a recommendation of the Secretary on whether--
(A) the recommended alternative is found to be technically
and financially feasible in accordance with the reclamation
laws; and
(B) the recommended alternative should be authorized for
construction; and
(6) any other recommendations determined to be necessary by
the Secretary.
(e) Feasibility Study and Feasibility Report Deadlines.--
The Secretary shall--
(1) not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of
this Act, complete the feasibility study required under
subsection (a); and
(2) not later than 90 days after the date on which the
Secretary completes the feasibility report required under
subsection (d), submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural
Resources of the House of Representatives the feasibility
report required under that subsection.
(f) Funding.--
(1) In general.--The costs of the feasibility study
required under subsection (a) shall be paid for by the
Secretary using appropriated funds.
(2) Treatment of funds.--Any Federal funds made available
to carry out this section shall be nonreimbursable and
nonreturnable to the United States.
(3) Identification of funds.--Not later than 90 days after
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in
consultation with the Secretary of Energy and Colorado River
Storage Project power contractors, shall identify sources of
available funds to carry out this section.
(g) Effect.--Nothing in this section affects the criteria
for the coordinated long-range operations of Colorado River
reservoirs pursuant to section 602 of the Colorado River
Basin Project Act (Public Law 90-537; 82 Stat. 900).
(h) Termination of Authority.--The authority provided by
this section expires on the date that is 5 years after the
date of enactment of this Act.
SEC. 1099. COOPERATIVE WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PROGRAM.
(a) Definitions.--Section 6001 of the Omnibus Public Land
Management Act of 2009 (16 U.S.C. 1015) is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (4) through (7) as
paragraphs (5) through (8), respectively;
(2) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following:
``(4) Indian tribe.--The term `Indian tribe' has the
meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C.
5304).''; and
(3) in paragraph (7) (as so redesignated), in subparagraph
(B)(v)--
(A) in subclause (I), by striking ``or'' at the end;
(B) in subclause (II), by inserting ``or'' after the
semicolon; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(III) has ancestral lands within the watershed;''.
(b) Program.--Section 6002 of the Omnibus Public Land
Management Act of 2009 (16 U.S.C. 1015a) is amended--
(1) in subsection (c)--
(A) in paragraph (1)(B)--
(i) in clause (i), by striking ``interests; or'' and
inserting ``interests, including Indian tribes;'';
(ii) by redesignating clause (ii) as clause (iii); and
(iii) by inserting after clause (i) the following:
``(ii) demonstrate significant need due to drought,
wildfire, or other natural disaster; or'';
(B) in paragraph (2)--
(i) in subparagraph (A)(i), by striking ``$100,000'' and
all that follows through the period at the end and inserting
``$150,000 each year for a period of not less than 3 years,
subject to the sufficiency of applications submitted and the
availability of appropriations.'';
(ii) by striking clause (iii);
(iii) by redesignating clauses (iv) and (v) as clauses
(iii) and (iv), respectively; and
(iv) by adding at the end the following:
``(v) Continuation and extension.--
``(I) In general.--The Secretary may, at the discretion of
the Secretary, issue a continuation of the first-phase grant
for not more than 2 additional years if the recipient of the
first-phase grant has demonstrated
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satisfactory performance with implementation of the proposal
under the initial grant, as determined by the Secretary.
``(II) Amounts.--A grant continued pursuant to subclause
(I) shall be in an amount not greater than $150,000 each
year, as determined to be appropriate by the Secretary.'';
(C) in paragraph (3)(B)(ii), by striking ``quantity.'' and
inserting the following: ``quantity, including--
``(I) grant writing;
``(II) project management; and
``(III) technical assistance, such as feasibility, design,
preliminary environmental review, and engineering.''; and
(D) by adding at the end the following:
``(4) Continuous enrollment.--The Secretary shall--
``(A) make funding opportunities for the program available
on a regular basis; and
``(B) allow applications for grants under the program to be
submitted and evaluated multiple times during a calendar
year.'';
(2) in subsection (f), in the matter preceding paragraph
(1), by inserting ``, and make available to the public,''
after ``House of Representatives''; and
(3) by striking subsection (g) and inserting the following:
``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this section $40,000,000 for
each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.''.
SEC. 1099A. ANNUAL LICENSING STATUS REPORT.
Part I of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 792 et seq.) is
amended by adding at the end the following:
``SEC. 37. ANNUAL LICENSING STATUS REPORT.
``(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date
of enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, the
Commission shall submit to Congress a report on the status
of--
``(1) the licensing process for each new license, and for
each subsequent license for which sections 14 and 15 have
been waived, for which the existing licensee has notified the
Commission under section 15(b)(1) at least 3 years prior to
submission of the report that the existing licensee intends
to file an application for the new license or subsequent
license, but the new license or subsequent license has not
yet been issued under section 15; and
``(2) the licensing process for each original license under
section 4(e) for which a citizen, association, corporation,
State, Indian Tribe, or municipality has notified the
Commission, pursuant to applicable regulations, at least 3
years prior to submission of the report that the citizen,
association, corporation, State, Indian Tribe, or
municipality intends to file an application for the original
license, but the original license has not yet been issued
under section 4(e).
``(b) Inclusions.--Each report submitted under subsection
(a) shall include, with respect to the licensing process for
each new license and subsequent license described in that
subsection and the licensing process for each original
license described in that subsection--
``(1) the date the notice of intent described in that
subsection was provided to the Commission;
``(2) any docket number assigned with respect to the
licensing process;
``(3) whether any application for the new license,
subsequent license, or original license, as applicable, has
been filed;
``(4) information regarding the status of the application,
including the date the Commission anticipates the Commission
will issue the original license, subsequent license, or new
license, as applicable;
``(5) the date of any upcoming proceeding or other meeting
relating to the original license, subsequent license, or new
license, as applicable; and
``(6) a description of any ongoing or completed actions
required of the existing licensee, citizen, association,
corporation, State, Indian Tribe, municipality, Commission,
any fish and wildlife agency referred to in section 15(b)(3),
and any other applicable agency.
``(c) Disaggregation of Information by License Type.--The
information included in each report submitted under
subsection (a) shall be disaggregated by whether the
information relates to a new license, or a subsequent
license, issued under section 15 or an original license
issued under section 4(e).''.
______