Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) marked World Water Day last week by releasing a white paper that outlines “a bold vision for water in the 21st Century.” According to a press release from Sen. Cantwell, the document provides “a national framework to address water challenges through the modernization of federal programs to support and finance sustainable, watershed-scale solutions; advance science and technology; and promote partnerships with communities.”
The white paper outlines five policy principles to shape a national framework for drought and water security: supporting collaborative watershed-scale solutions that are locally driven; financing solutions through partnerships and streamlined federal funding; using and advancing the best science, technology and tools; advancing sustainable water supply solutions for people and the environment; and partnering with Tribal Nations and Arctic and Island Communities.
Sen. Cantwell has not announced any plans to transform these principles into specific water legislation in the near term. Instead, they are intended to “foster a public dialogue and to develop a comprehensive policy agenda to address national drought and water security needs.”