[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 15174]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     RURAL WATER SUPPLY ACT OF 2005

  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, today, I join my colleagues Senator 
Domenici, Bennett, Dorgan, Murkowski, Bingaman, Johnson, and Salazar, 
in support of S. 895, the Rural Water Supply Act of 2005.
  The Rural Water Supply Act directs the Secretary of the Interior to 
develop a program that ensures that a basic need--the need for a clean, 
safe, affordable, and reliable water supply--is not neglected. Overall, 
the bill will guarantee that the Bureau of Reclamation has sufficient 
authority to address the unique needs of rural and small communities in 
the West, and it will do so in a manner that respects the States' 
primary role in water resources management.
  The U.S. Census Bureau cites that 46 percent of Montanans lived in 
rural areas in 2000. These people and others in Western States deserve 
a safe, affordable, and reliable water supply--an essential component 
of a healthy life.
  I look forward to working with my Senate colleagues to pass this 
important piece of legislation for not only Montanans but for all rural 
citizens in Western States.

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