The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee continues to plot a way forward on legislation to ease the historic drought in the Western U.S., its leaders said during a hearing last week to examine a slate of bills that members of Congress have offered as potential solutions. But Democrats and Republicans on the committee have yet to agree on how to balance environmental needs with providing adequate water supplies for farmers and communities.
Last week’s hearing featured testimony from members of Congress, Obama Administration officials, and state and local stakeholders. Garnering much attention was a drought relief bill from California Democrat Dianne Feinstein (S. 2533) that would provide for additional water storage in the short term while promoting water desalination, recycling and infrastructure funding in the long term. Feinstein’s bill would also replicate EPA’s Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) pilot program by authorizing a similar loan guarantee program to help communities in Reclamation states develop water supplies.
Testimony from Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Estevan López offered tepid support for Feinstein’s bill, saying it represents “a constructive approach” to drought relief while still noting the bill has drawn opposition from other stakeholders in the West as well as some congressional Republicans. Some Northern California Democrats have also expressed opposition to Feinstein’s bill, arguing that it would maximize water deliveries to the southern part of the state.
Attempting to define the bounds of the drought bill discussions going forward, Senate Water and Power Subcommittee Chairman Mike Lee (R-Utah) said the cost of any final legislation must be fully offset and be respectful of existing water rights. Sen. Lee declined to offer a timeline for reporting out a bill and noted that the potential contents of the bill remain “in flux.”