[House Report 106-599]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



106th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session                                                     106-599

======================================================================



 
          INCREASED AUTHORIZATION FOR MINIDOKA PROJECT, IDAHO
                                _______
                                

  May 2, 2000.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

  Mr. Young of Alaska, from the Committee on Resources, submitted the 
                               following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 3577]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

  The Committee on Resources, to whom was referred the bill 
(H.R. 3577) to increase the amount authorized to be 
appropriated for the north side pumping division of the 
Minidoka reclamation project, Idaho, having considered the 
same, report favorably thereon without amendment and recommend 
that the bill do pass.

                          Purpose of the Bill

    The purpose of H.R. 3577 is to increase the amount 
authorized to be appropriated for the north side pumping 
division of the Minidoka reclamation project, Idaho.

                  Background and Need for Legislation

    Due to the lack of natural surface drainage outlets to the 
Snake River and constraints associated with drainage onto the 
lower lying Minidoka Irrigation District, most irrigation 
return flows and storm water runoff are injected into drain 
wells (part of the original project design), which pass water 
directly into the underlying aquifer. The Minidoka Project is 
overseen by the Bureau of Reclamation of the Department of the 
Interior.
    In October 1991, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 
designated the eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer a sole source 
of drinking water under the Safe Drinking Water Act. A plan, 
identified as the ``Framework Plan for Drain Water 
Management'', was developed by the Bureau of Reclamation and 
the Minidoka Irrigation District in 1993 to implement an 
alternate to the current practice of untreated agricultural 
return flow and storm water entering drain wells directly into 
the Snake River Plain Aquifer.
    This bill would increase an earlier authorization of 
appropriations by $2.8 million to complete the remaining work 
of the Minidoka Project in Idaho. The remaining work consists 
of constructing passive treatment, abandoning a number of 
wells, and reuse systems at an estimated cost of $2.8 million 
(60 percent federal/40 percent local), of which up to $1.3 
million would be reimbursable to the District under a cost 
sharing arrangement.

                            Committee Action

    H.R. 3577 was introduced on February 3, 2000, by 
Congressman Michael D. Simpson (R-ID). H.R. 3577 was referred 
to the Committee on Resources and within the Committee to the 
Subcommittee on Water and Power. The Subcommittee held a 
hearing on the bill on February 10, 2000. The Subcommittee on 
Water and Power held a markup on the bill on March 9, 2000. No 
amendments were offered and the bill was reported to the full 
Committee on Resources by voice vote. On April 5, 2000, the 
Full Resources Committee met to consider the bill. No 
amendments were offered and the bill was ordered favorably 
reported to the House of Representatives by voice vote.

                      Section-by-Section Analysis


Section 1. Increased authorization for Minidoka Project, Idaho

    This section amends Section 5 of the Act of September 30, 
1950 (chapter 1114; 64 Stat. 1085), authorizing appropriations 
for the north side pumping division of the Minidoka reclamation 
project, Idaho, by striking ``$11,395,000'' and inserting 
``$14,200,000''.

            Committee Oversight Findings and Recommendations

    Regarding clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the 
Committee on Resources' oversight findings and recommendations 
are reflected in the body of this report.

                   Constitutional Authority Statement

    Article I, section 8 of the Constitution of the United 
States grants Congress the authority to enact this bill.

                    Compliance With House Rule XIII

    1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(2) of rule XIII of the 
Rules of the House of Representatives requires an estimate and 
a comparison by the Committee of the costs which would be 
incurred in carrying out this bill. However, clause 3(d)(3)(B) 
of that Rule provides that this requirement does not apply when 
the Committee has included in its report a timely submitted 
cost estimate of the bill prepared by the Director of the 
Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974
    2. Congressional Budget Act. As required by clause 3(c)(2) 
of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and 
section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, this 
bill does not contain any new budget authority, spending 
authority, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in 
revenues or tax expenditures.
    3. Government Reform Oversight Findings. Under clause 
3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives, the Committee has received no report of 
oversight findings and recommendations from the Committee on 
Government Reform on this bill.
    4. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate. Under clause 
3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives and section 403 of the Congressional Budget Act 
of 1974, the Committee has received the following cost estimate 
for this bill from the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                    Washington, DC, April 13, 2000.
Hon. Don Young,
Chairman, Committee on Resources,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 3577, a bill to 
increase the amount authorized to be appropriated for the north 
side pumping division of the Minidoka reclamation project, 
Idaho.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Megan 
Carroll.
            Sincerely,
                                           Steven Lieberman
                                    (For Dan L. Crippen, Director).
    Enclosure.

H.R. 3577--A bill to increase the amount authorized to be appropriate 
        for the north side pumping division of the Minidoka reclamation 
        project, Idaho

    H.R. 3577 would increase, by $2.8 million, the total amount 
authorized to be appropriated to the Bureau of Reclamation to 
complete the north side pumping division of the Minidoka 
reclamation project in Idaho. That amount includes $250,000 
that has already been provided for the current year. Based on 
information from the agency, CBO estimates that implementing 
this bill would increase discretion spending by about $2.5 
million over the 2001-2005 period, assuming appropriation of 
the authorized amount. The bill would not affect direct 
spending or receipts; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures would 
not apply.
    H.R. 3577 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and 
would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments. 
Enacting this bill would authorized the bureau to reimburse the 
affected irrigation district in the state of Idaho for the 
federal share of the district's costs to complete the Minidoka 
project.
    The CBO staff contact is Megan Carroll. This estimate was 
approved by Peter H. Fontaine, Deputy Assistant Director for 
Budget Analysis.

                    Compliance With Public Law 104-4

    This bill contains no unfunded mandates.

                Preemption of State, Local or Tribal Law

    This bill is not intended to preempt any State, local or 
tribal law.

         Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported

  In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by 
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law 
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new 
matter is printed in italic, existing law in which no change is 
proposed is shown in roman):

               SECTION 5 OF THE ACT OF SEPTEMBER 30, 1950


    AN ACT To authorize the Palisades Dam and Reservoir project, to 
authorize the north side pumping division and related works, to provide 
for the disposition of reserved space in American Falls Reservoir, and 
                           for other purposes

  Sec. 5. There is hereby authorized to be appropriated, out of 
any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the sums 
of not to exceed $76,601,000 for the Palisades Dam and 
Reservoir project, Idaho, [$11,395,000] $14,200,000 for the 
Minidoka project north side pumping division, Idaho, and 
$6,600,000 for the American Falls power plant.

                                  
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