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(Washington D.C.)- Congresswoman Grace F. Napolitano (D-Norwalk), Chairwoman of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water & Power, introduced today H.R. 1662, a bill that amends the Reclamation Safety of Dams Act of 1978, authorizing new safety measures and providing a workable framework for sharing costs.
“Congress is exercising its oversight responsibility through this bill and authorizing consistent, fair, and equitable policies to manage the increased security-related costs incurred at Federal facilities,” remarked Chairwoman Napolitano. “The current status quo from the Bush Administration is yet another unfunded mandate where operation and maintenance costs that should be shared at the federal level are instead passed down to local governments, and ultimately consumers throughout the western United States.”
After the events of September 11, 2001, the Bureau of Reclamation shifted the expense of increased guards and patrols to water and power customers for reimbursement, though Congress had not yet enacted specific authorization to do so and ratepayers were given no certainty that costs would be shared equitably.
Congresswoman Napolitano’s legislation would eliminate disparities in current cost-sharing policy, while at the same time providing safeguards and adequate oversight for ratepayers, by:
- Providing Congressional authorization for the Secretary of the Interior to undertake site security measures, and requiring the Secretary to consult with project beneficiaries on the planning, design, and construction of these measures, consistent with current provisions in the Safety of Dams Act.
- Requiring that 15% of all security costs (including capital, operation and maintenance costs, guards and patrols, and fortification upgrades) be paid by water and power customers, consistent with current provisions in the Safety of Dams Act.
- Requiring an annual report to Congress by the Bureau of Reclamation on site security program expenditures, as well as a five-year spending plan for the program.
“The provisions in H.R. 1662 let us solve critical challenges going forward. It protects ratepayers with certainty on their share of costs, provides new sources of revenues to the Bureau of Reclamation on future capital expenses, and delivers a good faith effort by Congress to resolve current disputes on security-related reimbursements.”
"I thank Members of the Water & Power Subcommittee for their consideration of this bipartisan legislation and especially appreciate the support of my dear colleague and esteemed Ranking Member of the Water & Power Subcommittee Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), and colleagues Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ), and Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ). I look forward to continuing to work on this issue as the bill progresses through Congress,” Napolitano concluded.
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