Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) released the following statement after introducing H.R. 1268,  the Bipartisan Bureau of Reclamation Transparency Act:

“The Bureau of Reclamation’s aging infrastructure is in desperate need of repair,” said Congressman Gosar. “This bicameral, bipartisan legislation allows for a thorough inventory of BOR’s assets and prioritizes major repairs in order to ensure future generations have access to an abundant supply of clean water and power.”

BACKGROUND:

The full text of the Bureau of Reclamation Transparency Act can be found HERE.

20 members of the House have cosponsored H.R. 1268 including: Andy Biggs (AZ-05), Ken Calvert (CA-42), Jim Costa (CA-16), John Garamendi (CA-03), Greg Gianforte (MT-At Large), Louie Gohmert (TX-01), Jody Hice (GA-10), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Duncan Hunter (CA-50), Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-02), Doug LaMalfa (CA-01), Doug Lamborn (CO-05), Mark Meadows (NC-11), Tom McClintock (CA-04), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05), Markwayne Mullin (OK-02), Grace Napoloitano (CA-32), Dan Newhouse (WA-04), David Schweikert (AZ-06), Scott Tipton (CO-03).

This legislation increases transparency, consolidates multiple reports and requires the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) to do a thorough inventory of its assets as well as prioritize major repairs necessary at the agency’s facilities.

This bill has a strong history of bipartisan support. This bill unanimously passed the House in the 115th Congress. It is also included in the Lands Package that passed the Senate 92-8 on 2/13/19. It was approved unanimously by the Senate in the 113th Congress with Senators Barrasso and Schatz ushering passage. Senators Barrasso and Schatz have again introduced the Senate companion in the form of S.40.

At Committee hearings on this bill in the 114th and 115th Congresses, agency officials from both the Obama Administration and the Trump Administration testified in support of the bill finding that the legislation is consistent with BOR’s draft “Infrastructure Investment Strategy.”

The Bureau of Reclamation was established in 1902 and much of the agency’s now aging infrastructure was built more than 50 years ago. The agency delivers water to more than 30 million people and provides one in five Western farmers with water to irrigate their crops. The 10 million farmland acres that receive this irrigation water produce 60 percent of the nation’s vegetables and 25 percent of our fresh fruit and nut crops.  BOR’s assets include more than 475 dams and dikes, and the agency is also responsible for the operations of 53 different hydroelectric power plants.