[House Report 116-667]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
116th Congress } { Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session } { 116-667
======================================================================
WATER RECYCLING INVESTMENT AND IMPROVEMENT ACT
_______
December 18, 2020.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on
the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Grijalva, from the Committee on Natural Resources, submitted the
following
R E P O R T
together with
DISSENTING VIEWS
[To accompany H.R. 1162]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred
the bill (H.R. 1162) to establish a grant program for the
funding of water recycling and reuse projects, and for other
purposes, having considered the same, reports favorably thereon
with an amendment and recommends that the bill as amended do
pass.
The amendment is as follows:
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Water Recycling Investment and
Improvement Act''.
SEC. 2. COMPETITIVE GRANT PROGRAM FOR THE FUNDING OF WATER RECYCLING
AND REUSE PROJECTS.
(a) Competitive Grant Program for the Funding of Water Recycling and
Reuse Projects.--Section 1602(f) of the Reclamation Wastewater and
Groundwater Study and Facilities Act (title XVI of Public Law 102-575;
43 U.S.C. 390h et seq.) is amended by striking paragraphs (2) and (3)
and inserting the following:
``(2) Priority.--When funding projects under paragraph (1),
the Secretary shall give funding priority to projects that meet
one or more of the following criteria:
``(A) Projects that are likely to provide a more
reliable water supply for States and local governments.
``(B) Projects that are likely to increase the water
management flexibility and reduce impacts on
environmental resources from projects operated by
Federal and State agencies.
``(C) Projects that are regional in nature.
``(D) Projects with multiple stakeholders.
``(E) Projects that provide multiple benefits,
including water supply reliability, eco-system
benefits, groundwater management and enhancements, and
water quality improvements.''.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 1602(g) of the
Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act (title
XVI of Public Law 102-575; 43 U.S.C. 390h et seq.) is amended--
(1) by striking ``$50,000,000'' and inserting ``$500,000,000
through fiscal year 2025''; and
(2) by striking ``if enacted appropriations legislation
designates funding to them by name,''.
(c) Duration.--Section 4013 of the WIIN Act (43 U.S.C. 390b(2)) is
amended--
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``and'';
(2) in paragraph (2), by striking the period and inserting
``; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(3) section 4009(c).''.
(d) Limitation on Funding.--Section 1631(d) of the Reclamation
Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act (43 U.S.C. 390h-
13(d)) is amended by striking ``$20,000,000 (October 1996 prices)'' and
inserting ``$30,000,000 (January 2019 prices)''.
Purpose of the Bill
The purpose of H.R. 1162 is to establish a grant program
for the funding of water recycling and reuse projects.
Background and Need for Legislation
Water recycling and reuse projects recover and treat
wastewater and impaired ground and surface water to repurpose
it for a new intended use. In regions frequently affected by
drought, water recycling and reuse projects can provide new,
virtually drought-proof local water supplies for a variety of
uses. The arid western states, and California in particular,
have significantly increased recycled water use in recent
years. Since the 1980s, California has nearly tripled recycled
water use and its use continues to grow.\1\ Despite this
growth, water recycling still represents a major untapped new
water source for California and other regions affected by
droughts, which are becoming increasingly frequent and severe
due to climate change.\2\ California currently reuses a small
fraction of its wastewater--approximately 700,000 acre-feet per
year--or enough water to supply approximately four million
people per year.\3\ The state recently established a goal to
increase recycled water to at least 2.5 million acre-feet per
year by 2030, which would supply fifteen million Californians
each year.\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\California's Growing Demand for Recycled Water Has Ripple
Effects, Public Policy Institute of California (May 2019), https://
www.ppic.org/blog/californias-growing-demand-for-recycled-water-has-
ripple-effects/.
\2\Heather Cooley, and R. Phurisamban, The Cost of Alternative
Water Supply and Efficiency Options in California, Pacific Institute
(October 2016), https://pacinst.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/
PI_TheCostofAlternativeWaterSupplyEfficiencyOptionsinCA.pdf.
\3\California's Growing Demand for Recycled Water Has Ripple
Effects, Public Policy Institute of California (May 2019), https://
www.ppic.org/blog/californias-growing-demand-for-recycled-water-has-
ripple-effects/.
\4\California Water Resilience Portfolio, California Natural
Resources Agency (July 2020), https://waterresilience.ca.gov/wp-
content/uploads/2020/07/Final_California-Water-Resilience-Portfolio-
2020_ADA3_v2_ay11-opt.pdf
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title XVI of Public Law 102-575, commonly referred to as
the Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse program (Title XVI
Program), provides the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation)
with the authority to support water projects that reclaim and
reuse municipal, industrial, and agricultural wastewater and
naturally impaired ground and surface water. The Title XVI
Program provides funding for up to 25 percent of the planning,
design, and construction costs of a water recycling project in
the Western United States and United States territories. At
least 75 percent of the remaining costs are paid for by non-
federal cost-share sponsors, typically local water utilities.
In 2016, amendments in P.L. 114-322 to Title XVI of P.L. 102-
575 authorized a water recycling competitive grant program to
fund planning, design, and construction of projects that have
been studied in non-federal feasibility studies and approved by
the Interior Secretary for federal action.\5\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\Section 4009(c) of the WIIN Act, P.L. 114-322.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Since 1992, approximately $715 million in federal funds for
the Title XVI Program has been leveraged with more than $2.8
billion in non-federal funds to construct water recycling
projects across the West.\6\ In 2018, an estimated 431,000
acre-feet of water was recycled and made available through
Title XVI projects.\7\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\United States Government Accountability Office, Water Reuse
Grant Program Supports Diverse Projects and Is Managed Consistently
with Federal Regulation (December 2018), https://www.gao.gov/assets/
700/696007.pdf.
\7\U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Title XVI--Water Reclamation and
Reuse (Updated Sept. 10, 2020), https://www.usbr.gov/watersmart/title/
index.html.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title XVI projects also support improved water supply
reliability through the development of local water supplies.
For example, Title XVI projects reduce the threat of water
supply cuts to Southern California from imported water sources
in Northern California and from the Colorado River. The
aqueducts transporting imported water from these sources are
hundreds of miles long and cross the San Andreas Fault several
times.\8\ Southern California water utilities have testified
that more local water projects like Title XVI projects will
diminish the threat posed by future seismic events, which could
damage the Colorado River Aqueduct and the California Aqueduct
and cut off imported water supplies for tens of millions of
Southern Californians.\9\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\8\Rosanna Xia and Rong-Gong Lin II, Earthquake could destroy
L.A.'s water lifeline, Los Angeles Times (Dec. 15, 2014), https://
www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-quake-water-20141216-story.html.
\9\Id.; see also Hearing on H.R. 335, H.R. 729, H.R. 2185, H.R.
3115, H.R. 3237, H.R. 3510, H.R. 3541, H.R. 3596, H.R. 3723, Before the
H. Comm. on Nat. Res., Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife,
116th Cong. (2019) (not printed), (statement of Rick Shintaku, General
Manager, South Coast Water District), https://
naturalresources.house.gov/imo/media/doc/Shintaku%20Testimony%20-
%20Sub%20on%20WOW%20Leg%20Hrg%2007.25.19.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Despite the Title XVI Program's success, it remains greatly
underfunded at the federal level. There is a backlog of nearly
$1 billion in eligible but unfunded Title XVI projects.\10\
H.R. 1162 would permanently reauthorize Reclamation's Title XVI
water recycling competitive grant program and raise the
program's funding authorization from $50 million to $500
million through 2025. H.R. 1162 also removes the requirement
that specific recycling projects be named in appropriations
legislation before funding can be received, and amends the
grant program to open funding priority beyond areas that have
been specifically identified by the U.S. Drought Monitor or
designated as a disaster area in the past four years. Finally,
the bill raises the ceiling on federal spending for individual
water recycling and reuse projects from $20 million (October
1996 prices) to $30 million (January 2019 prices).\11\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\10\United States Government Accountability Office, Water Reuse
Grant Program Supports Diverse Projects and Is Managed Consistently
with Federal Regulation (December 2018), https://www.gao.gov/assets/
700/696007.pdf
\11\In 1996, Congress limited the federal share of individual
projects to $20 million in 1996 dollars (P.L. 104-266).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Additionally, the Committee notes that the Title XVI
projects provide multiple public benefits in exchange for
modest federal investments. These benefits include pollution
prevention through reduced wastewater discharges into streams,
lakes, and beaches; greater flexibility to reduce water
diversions from public rivers and imperiled ecosystems; more
abundant fish and wildlife; and improved water quality and
recreation.\12\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\12\See e.g. 2012 Guidelines for Water Reuse, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, https://nepis.epa.gov/Adobe/PDF/P100FS7K.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Apart from limited opposition from some Republican members
of the Committee, there is widespread support for water
recycling and reuse projects and H.R. 1162. While a few
Republican members of the Committee have cited cost concerns,
in truth water reuse projects are highly cost competitive and,
in many cases, provide the cheapest new water source
available.\13\ The Committee and numerous interested
stakeholders support H.R. 1162 because it will help reduce the
nearly $1 billion backlog for eligible Title XVI projects,
advance projects that can provide virtually drought-proof water
supplies for millions of Americans, and provide numerous
benefits for the public at large, including pollution
prevention, improved water quality and recreation, and more
abundant fish and wildlife.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\13\WateReuse Research Foundation, The Opportunities and Economics
of Direct Potable Reuse, 2014.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Committee Action
H.R. 1162 was introduced on February 13, 2019, by
Representative Grace Napolitano (D-CA). The bill was referred
solely to the Committee on Natural Resources, and within the
Committee to the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife.
On June 13, 2019, the Subcommittee held a hearing on the bill.
On March 11, 2020, the Natural Resources Committee met to
consider the bill. The Subcommittee was discharged by unanimous
consent. Representative Napolitano offered an amendment
designated Napolitano #1. The amendment was agreed to by voice
vote. No additional amendments were offered, and the bill, as
amended, was adopted and ordered favorably reported to the
House of Representatives by a roll call vote of 19 yeas and 12
nays, as follows:\14\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\14\Rep. Nydia M. Velazquez (D-NY) was unable to vote due to a
scheduling conflict with a markup at the House Committee on Small
Business, of which she is the Chair. Rep. Velazquez requested, after
the closing of the vote, that the record reflect that had she been
present she would have voted in favor of adopting the bill as amended
and ordering it favorably reported.
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
On July 1, 2020, the House of Representatives passed H.R.
2, the Moving Forward Act, which included a version of the text
of H.R. 1162.\15\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\15\H.R. 2, 116th Cong. (as passed by and engrossed in the House,
July 1, 2020).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hearings
For the purposes of section 103(i) of H. Res. 6 of the
116th Congress--the following hearing was used to develop or
consider H.R. 1162: hearing by the Subcommittee on Water,
Oceans, and Wildlife held on June 13, 2019.
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 Natural Resources' oversight findings and
recommendations are reflected in the body of this report.
Compliance With House Rule XIII and Congressional Budget Act
1. Cost of Legislation and the Congressional Budget Act.
With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(2) and (3) of
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and
sections 308(a) and 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of
1974, the Committee has received the following estimate for the
bill from the Director of the Congressional Budget Office:
U.S. Congress,
Congressional Budget Office,
Washington, DC, November 6, 2020.
Hon. Raul M. Grijalva,
Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R 1162, the Water
Recycling Investment and Improvement Act.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Aurora
Swanson.
Sincerely,
Phillip L. Swagel,
Director.
Enclosure.
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
H.R. 1162 would authorize the appropriation of $500 million
for a competitive grant program to fund water recycling and
reuse projects and would make the program permanent. The bill
would require the authorized amount to be appropriated before
the end of 2025, but otherwise does not specify the year in
which any appropriation should be provided.
For this estimate, CBO has assumed that the Congress would
provide $100 million a year from 2021 through 2025. On that
basis, and using information from the Bureau of Reclamation
(BOR), CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 1162 would cost
$445 million over the 2021-2025 period. The remaining funds
would be spent within a few years after 2025. The costs of the
legislation, detailed in Table 1, fall within budget function
300 (natural resources and environment).
TABLE 1.--ESTIMATED INCREASES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION UNDER H.R. 1162
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By fiscal year, millions of dollars--
--------------------------------------------------------------
2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2021-2025
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Authorizationa................................... 100 100 100 100 100 500
Estimated Outlays................................ 60 85 100 100 100 545
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
aThe bill would authorize the appropriation of $500 million by 2025, but not specify how much should be
appropriated in any fiscal year. Using information from the Bureau of Reclamation, CBO has estimated those
amounts for each fiscal year through 2025.
Through 2019, the program had received appropriations
totaling $50 million and most of those funds have been
expended. Since 2016, about 50 projects have been identified by
BOR, which administers the program, as eligible to compete for
grants. If all of those projects were funded, the federal share
of costs would total nearly $700 million. Under current law,
BOR may accept proposals until the program expires in December
2021.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Aurora Swanson.
The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy
Director for Budget Analysis.
2. General Performance Goals and Objectives. As required by
clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general performance goals and
objectives of this bill are to establish a grant program for
the funding of water recycling and reuse projects.
Earmark Statement
This bill does not contain any Congressional earmarks,
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined
under clause 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI of the Rules of
the House of Representatives.
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act Statement
This bill contains no unfunded mandates.
Existing Programs
This bill does not establish or reauthorize a program of
the federal government known to be duplicative of another
program.
Applicability to Legislative Branch
The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to
the terms and conditions of employment or access to public
services or accommodations within the meaning of section
102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act.
Preemption of State, Local, or Tribal Law
Any preemptive effect of this bill over state, local, or
tribal law is intended to be consistent with the bill's
purposes and text and the Supremacy Clause of Article VI of the
U.S. Constitution.
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 italics, and existing law in which no
change is proposed is shown in roman):
RECLAMATION WASTEWATER AND GROUNDWATER STUDY AND FACILITIES ACT
TITLE XVI--RECLAMATION WASTEWATER AND GROUNDWATER STUDIES
* * * * * * *
SEC. 1602. GENERAL AUTHORITY.
(a) The Secretary of the Interior (hereafter ``Secretary''),
acting pursuant to the Reclamation Act of 1902 (Act of June 17,
1902, 32 Stat. 388) and Acts amendatory thereof and
supplementary thereto (hereafter ``Federal reclamation laws''),
is directed to undertake a program to investigate and identify
opportunities for reclamation and reuse of municipal,
industrial, domestic, and agricultural wastewater, and
naturally impaired ground and surface waters, for the design
and construction of demonstration and permanent facilities to
reclaim and reuse wastewater, and to conduct research,
including desalting, for the reclamation of wastewater and
naturally impaired ground and surface waters.
(b) Such program shall be limited to the States and areas
referred to in section 1 of the Reclamation Act of 1902 (Act of
June 17, 1902, 32 Stat. 388) as amended, and the State of
Hawaii.
(c) The Secretary is authorized to enter into such agreements
and promulgate such regulations as may be necessary to carry
out the purposes and provisions of this title.
(d) The secretary shall not investigate, promote or
implement, pursuant to this title, any project intended to
reclaim and reuse agricultural wastewater generated in the
service area of the San Luis Unit of the Central Valley
Project, California, except those measures recommended for
action by the San Joaquin Valley Drainage Program in the report
entitled A Management Plan for Agricultural Subsurface Drainage
and Related Problems on the Westside San Joaquin Valley
(September 1990).
(e) Authorization of New Water Recycling and Reuse
Projects.--
(1) Submission to the secretary.--
(A) In general.--Non-Federal interests may
submit proposals for projects eligible to be
authorized pursuant to this section in the form
of completed feasibility studies to the
Secretary.
(B) Eligible projects.--A project shall be
considered eligible for consideration under
this section if the project reclaims and
reuses--
(i) municipal, industrial, domestic,
or agricultural wastewater; or
(ii) impaired ground or surface
waters.
(C) Guidelines.--Within 60 days of the
enactment of this Act the Secretary shall issue
guidelines for feasibility studies for water
recycling and reuse projects to provide
sufficient information for the formulation of
the studies.
(2) Review by the secretary.--The Secretary shall
review each feasibility study received under paragraph
(1)(A) for the purpose of--
(A) determining whether the study, and the
process under which the study was developed,
each comply with Federal laws and regulations
applicable to feasibility studies of water
recycling and reuse projects; and
(B) the project is technically and
financially feasible and provides a Federal
benefit in accordance with the reclamation
laws.
(3) Submission to congress.--Not later than 180 days
after the date of receipt of a feasibility study
received under paragraph (1)(A), the Secretary shall
submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of
the House of Representatives a report that describes--
(A) the results of the Secretary's review of
the study under paragraph (2), including a
determination of whether the project is
feasible;
(B) any recommendations the Secretary may
have concerning the plan or design of the
project; and
(C) any conditions the Secretary may require
for construction of the project.
(4) Eligibility for funding.--The non-Federal project
sponsor of any project determined by the Secretary to
be feasible under paragraph (3)(A) shall be eligible to
apply to the Secretary for funding for the Federal
share of the costs of planning, designing and
constructing the project pursuant to subsection (f).
(f) Competitive Grant Program for the Funding of Water
Recycling and Reuse Projects.--
(1) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a
competitive grant program under which the non-Federal
project sponsor of any project determined by the
Secretary to be feasible under subsection (e)(3)(A)
shall be eligible to apply for funding for the
planning, design, and construction of the project,
subject to subsection (g)(2).
[(2) Priority.--When funding projects under paragraph
(1), the Secretary shall give funding priority to
projects that meet one or more of the criteria listed
in paragraph (3) and are located in an area that--
[(A) has been identified by the United States
Drought Monitor as experiencing severe,
extreme, or exceptional drought at any time in
the 4-year period before such funds are made
available; or
[(B) was designated as a disaster area by a
State during the 4-year period before such
funds are made available.
[(3) Criteria.--The project criteria referred to in
paragraph (2) are the following:
[(A) Projects that are likely to provide a
more reliable water supply for States and local
governments.
[(B) Projects that are likely to increase the
water management flexibility and reduce impacts
on environmental resources from projects
operated by Federal and State agencies.
[(C) Projects that are regional in nature.
[(D) Projects with multiple stakeholders.
[(E) Projects that provide multiple benefits,
including water supply reliability, eco-system
benefits, groundwater management and
enhancements, and water quality improvements.]
(2) Priority.--When funding projects under paragraph
(1), the Secretary shall give funding priority to
projects that meet one or more of the following
criteria:
(A) Projects that are likely to provide a
more reliable water supply for States and local
governments.
(B) Projects that are likely to increase the
water management flexibility and reduce impacts
on environmental resources from projects
operated by Federal and State agencies.
(C) Projects that are regional in nature.
(D) Projects with multiple stakeholders.
(E) Projects that provide multiple benefits,
including water supply reliability, eco-system
benefits, groundwater management and
enhancements, and water quality improvements.
(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--
(1) There is authorized to be appropriated to the
Secretary of the Interior an additional [$50,000,000]
$500,000,000 through fiscal year 2025 to remain
available until expended.
(2) Projects can only receive funding [if enacted
appropriations legislation designates funding to them
by name,] after the Secretary recommends specific
projects for funding pursuant to subsection (f) and
transmits such recommendations to the appropriate
committees of Congress.
* * * * * * *
SEC. 1631. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may
be necessary to carry out the purposes and provisions of
sections 1601 through 1630 of this title.
(b)(1) Funds may not be appropriated for the construction of
any project authorized by this title until after--
(A) an appraisal investigation and a feasibility
study that complies with the provisions of sections
1603(b) or 1604(c), as the case may be, have been
completed by the Secretary or the non-Federal project
sponsor;
(B) the Secretary has determined that the non-Federal
project sponsor is financially capable of funding the
non-Federal share of the project's costs; and
(C) the Secretary has approved a cost-sharing
agreement with the non-Federal project sponsor which
commits the non-Federal project sponsor to funding its
proportionate share of the project's construction costs
on an annual basis.
(2) The requirements of paragraph (1) shall not apply to
those projects authorized by this title for which funds were
appropriated prior to January 1, 1996.
(c) The Secretary shall notify the Committees on Resources
and Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the
Committees on Energy and Natural Resources and Appropriations
of the Senate within 30 days after the signing of a cost-
sharing agreement pursuant to subsection (b) that such an
agreement has been signed and that the Secretary has determined
that the non-Federal project sponsor is financially capable of
funding the project's non-Federal share of the project's costs.
(d)(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this title and
except as provided by paragraph (21, the Federal share of the
costs of each of the individual projects authorized by this
title shall not exceed [$20,000,000 (October 1996 prices)]
$30,000,000 (January 2019 prices).
(2)(A) Subject to subparagraph (B), in the case of any
project authorized by this title for which construction funds
were appropriated before January 1, 1996, the Federal share of
the cost of such project may not exceed the amount specified as
the ``total Federal obligation'' for that project in the budget
justification made by the Bureau of Reclamation for fiscal year
1997, as contained in part 3 of the report of the hearing held
on March 27, 1996, before the Subcommittee on Energy and Water
Development of the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives.
(B) In the case of the San Gabriel Basin demonstration
project authorized by section 1614, the Federal share of the
cost of such project may not exceed the sum determined by
adding--
(i) the amount that applies to that project under
subparagraph (A); and
(ii) $6,500,000.
* * * * * * *
----------
WIIN ACT
* * * * * * *
TITLE III--NATURAL RESOURCES
* * * * * * *
Subtitle J--California Water
* * * * * * *
SEC. 4013. DURATION.
This subtitle shall expire on the date that is 5 years after
the date of its enactment, with the exception of--
(1) section 4004, which shall expire 10 years after
the date of its enactment; [and]
(2) projects under construction in sections 4007,
4009(a), and 4009(c)[.]; and
(3) section 4009(c).
* * * * * * *
DISSENTING VIEWS
Funding for water recycling projects was included in the
Water Infrastructure Investments for the Nation Act (WIIN Act,
Public Law 114-322) as part of a bipartisan package of Bureau
of Reclamation provisions. Those provisions, which also
included surface storage funding, water operational flexibility
in California, and desalination funding, were the result of
hard work and compromise. It was truly a bipartisan effort.
These provisions of the WIIN Act are an important step forward
in protecting against the devastation of future droughts in the
West.
These provisions will soon expire, and the Democrats seem
to have no intention to extend them so that this important work
can continue. In the WIIN Act's place, they have chosen to move
bills like H.R. 1162 which proposes to spend half a billion
dollars to recycle what little water is not flushed out to the
ocean.
Instead of addressing the almost $200 million of authorized
funding for abandoned Title XVI water projects, none of which
this bill deauthorizes, the Democrats are increasing the
funding authority by $450 million. Clearly, this program would
benefit from more Congressional oversight, not less.
It is time to reauthorize all the Bureau of Reclamation
provisions in the WIIN Act. For these reasons, Republicans
opposed H.R. 1162 as reported by the Committee on Natural
Resources.
Rob Bishop.
Louie Gohmert.
Tom McClintock.
Paul Gosar.
[all]