United States HR 3404: FUTURE Western Water Infrastructure and Drought Resiliency Act

Bill Text

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117TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 3404
To provide drought preparedness and improved water supply reliability to
the Nation.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 20, 2021
Mr. HUFFMAN (for himself, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. LEVIN of California, Mr.
DESAULNIER, Mr. VARGAS, Ms. DEGETTE, and Mr. GRIJALVA) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural
Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Science, Space, and
Technology, Ways and Means, Transportation and Infrastructure, the Ju-
diciary, and Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To provide drought preparedness and improved water supply
reliability to the Nation.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 3
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 4
‘‘Furthering Underutilized Technologies and Unleashing 5
Responsible Expenditures for Western Water Infrastruc-6
ture and Drought Resiliency Act’’ or the ‘‘FUTURE 7
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Western Water Infrastructure and Drought Resiliency 1
Act’’. 2
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 3
this Act is as follows: 4
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings.
Sec. 3. Definitions.
TITLE I—INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT
Sec. 101. Competitive grant program for the funding of water recycling and
reuse projects.
Sec. 102. Storage project development reports to Congress.
Sec. 103. Funding for storage and supporting projects.
Sec. 104. Extension of existing requirements for grandfathered storage
projects.
Sec. 105. Desalination project development.
Sec. 106. Assistance for disadvantaged communities without adequate drinking
water.
Sec. 107. Water infrastructure fund.
TITLE II—IMPROVED TECHNOLOGY AND DATA
Sec. 201. Reauthorization of water availability and use assessment program.
Sec. 202. Modifications to income exclusion for conservation subsidies.
Sec. 203. X-prize for water technology breakthroughs.
Sec. 204. Study examining sediment transport.
Sec. 205. Federal priority streamgages.
Sec. 206. Study examining climate vulnerabilities at Federal dams.
Sec. 207. Innovative technology adoption.
Sec. 208. Forecast-informed water control manual updates.
TITLE III—ECOSYSTEM PROTECTION AND RESTORATION
Sec. 301. Waterbird habitat creation program.
Sec. 302. Competitive grant program for the funding of watershed health
projects.
Sec. 303. Support for refuge water deliveries.
Sec. 304. Drought planning and preparedness for critically important fisheries.
Sec. 305. Reauthorization of the Fisheries Restoration and Irrigation Mitiga-
tion Act of 2000.
Sec. 306. Combating water theft for illegal marijuana cultivation.
Sec. 307. Sustaining biodiversity during droughts.
TITLE IV—WATER JOB TRAINING AND EDUCATION
Sec. 401. Water resource education.
Sec. 402. Water sector career grant programs.
TITLE V—MISCELLANEOUS
Sec. 501. Offset.
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 1
Congress finds the following: 2
(1) As expressed in the Water Supply Act of 3
1958, Congress has recognized the primary respon-4
sibilities of the States and local interests in devel-5
oping water supplies for domestic, municipal, indus-6
trial, and other purposes, and that the Federal Gov-7
ernment should participate and cooperate in these 8
projects. 9
(2) There is a long and robust legal precedent 10
of Federal deference to State primacy in water law 11
and the legal system that States establish for resolv-12
ing disputes over water use, with the Supreme Court 13
finding in Kansas v. Colorado that ‘‘Congress cannot 14
enforce either rule upon any State’’ in matters of 15
the right regulation of water rights. 16
(3) The entire American West and Southwest 17
are facing forecasts of prolonged droughts that will 18
leave States facing major water shortages and cata-19
strophic wildfires. 20
(4) Recent periods of drought in the American 21
West have also occurred with higher temperatures 22
and reduced snowpack and led to what climate sci-23
entists recently concluded was possibly the most se-24
vere drought in California in over 1,200 years. 25
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(5) The Colorado River has been under drought 1
conditions since 2000, and the chances of a 2
‘‘megadrought’’ striking the Southwest and central 3
Great Plains are on the rise according to forecasts 4
from climate scientists. 5
(6) Addressing water shortages today an