[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 19]
[Senate]
[Page 26772]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                     CBO COST ESTIMATE FOR S. 1211

  Mr. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, at the time Senate Report No. 106-175 
was filed to accompany S. 1211, the Congressional Budget Office report 
was not available. I ask unanimous consent that the report which is now 
available be printed in the Congressional Record for the information of 
the Senate.
  There being no objection, the report was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                                    U.S. Congress,


                                  Congressional Budget Office,

                                  Washington, DC, October 5, 1999.
     Hon. Frank H. Murkowski,
     Chairman, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, U.S. 
         Senate, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
     prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 1211, a bill to 
     amend the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act to 
     authorize additional measures to carry out the control of 
     salinity upstream of Imperial Dam in a cost-effective manner.
       If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
     pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contacts are Mark 
     Grabowicz (for federal costs), who can be reached at 226-
     2860, and Marjorie Miller (for the state and local impact), 
     who can be reached at 225-3220.
           Sincerely,
                                                 Barry B. Anderson
                                   (For Dan L. Crippen, Director).
       Enclosure.

       CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE, OCTOBER 5, 1999

S. 1211: A Bill To Amend the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act 
 to Authorize Additional Measures To Carry Out the Control of Salinity 
          Upstream of Imperial Dam in a Cost-Effective Manner

  (As ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural 
                    Resources on September 22, 1999)


                                summary

       S. 1211 would authorize the appropriation of $175 million 
     for a program to control the salinity of the Colorado River 
     upstream of the Imperial Dam. Under current law the Congress 
     has authorized the appropriation of $75 million for this 
     activity. The bill would direct the Secretary of the Interior 
     to prepare a report by June 30, 2000, on the status of the 
     comprehensive program for minimizing salt contributions to 
     the Colorado River.
       Assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts, CBO 
     estimates that implementing S. 1211 would result in 
     additional discretionary spending of about $6 million over 
     the 2000-2004 period. Enacting this legislation would not 
     affect direct spending or receipts, so pay-as-you-go 
     procedures would not apply. S. 1211 contains no 
     intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in 
     the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA). State and local 
     governments might incur some costs to match the federal funds 
     authorized by this bill, but these costs would be voluntary.


                estimated cost to the federal government

       The estimated budgetary impact of S. 1211 is shown in the 
     following table. Of the $75 million authorized under current 
     law about $36 million has been appropriated through fiscal 
     year 2000. Assuming that annual appropriations for this 
     program continue near the 2000 level of $12 million as 
     anticipated by the Department of the Interior, the balance of 
     the $75 million authorization would not be exceeded until 
     fiscal year 2004. Thus, CBO estimates that the additional 
     $100 million authorized by S. 1211 would be appropriated in 
     2004 and in the following years. We estimate that the report 
     required by the bill would cost less than $500,000 in fiscal 
     year 2000. The costs of this legislation fall within budget 
     function 300 (natural resources and environment).

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                         By fiscal year, in millions of
                                                    dollars
                                      ----------------------------------
                                        2000   2001   2002   2003   2004
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    Spending subject to appropriation
Spending Under Current Law:
Budget Authority/Estimated
  Authorization Level \1\............     12     12     12     12      2
  Estimated Outlays..................     12     12     12     12      6
Proposed Changes:
  Estimated Authorization Level......    \2\      0      0      0     10
  Estimated Outlays..................    \2\      0      0      0      6
Spending Under S. 1211:
  Estimated Authorization Level \1\..     12     12     12     12     12
  Estimated Outlays..................     12     12     12     12    12
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The 2000 level is the amount appropriated for the Colorado River
  salinity control program for that year. The estimated levels for
  fiscal years 2001 through 2004 represent the use of the remaining
  authorization under current law.
\2\ Less than $500,000.

       Pay-as-you-go considerations: None.


              intergovernmental and private-sector impact

       S. 1211 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
     mandates as defined in UMRA. State and local governments 
     might incur some costs to match the federal funds authorized 
     by this bill, but these costs would be voluntary.
       Estimate prepared by: Federal Costs: Mark Grabowicz (226-
     2860). Impact on State, Local, and Tribal Governments: 
     Marjorie Miller (225-3220).
       Estimate approved by: Peter H. Fontaine, Deputy Assistant 
     Director for Budget Analysis.

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