August 2021 “Monthly Briefing” Now Available!
Agreement Reached on Bipartisan Infrastructure Package Deal includes significant Western water provisions
The White House and a bipartisan group of senators finally reached an agreement on infrastructure stimulus legislation more than a month after tentatively agreeing to a framework. The Senate voted 67-32 on July 28 to move forward with the deal, which includes significant support for Western water infrastructure.
The deal includes $550 billion in new federal investments in a wide array of infrastructure categories, including the Western water and forestry infrastructure provisions found in the Energy Infrastructure Act recently reported out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. That bill included $8.3 billion for the Bureau of Reclamation, including $3.2 billion for aging infrastructure, $1.15 billion for new storage and conveyance, $100 million for small scale storage projects, $250 million for ecosystem restoration, $100 million for multi-benefit watershed projects and $400 million for WaterSMART, including $100 million for natural infrastructure projects.
Those provisions closely match the infrastructure package advanced by a Western water coalition that collectively represents thousands of Western farmers, ranchers, water providers, businesses and communities who help provide $120 billion of agricultural production on millions of acres of productive land. The coalition is led by a steering committee comprised of the Alliance, Association of California Water Agencies, California Farm Bureau, National Water Resources Association (NWRA) and Western Growers. The coalition also represents many of the local and regional public water agencies that supply water to over 75 million Western urban, suburban and rural residents.
Click below for the full Monthly Briefing:
What you will find inside:
· Western Drought Conditions Worsen—Alliance Presents at Western Drought Seminar
· Administration Moves Forward to Replace Trump WOTUS Rule
· Alliance Support Forest Resilience Legislation
· Alliance Backs Bills to Reduce Rural Water Infrastructure Costs
· House Passes Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill
· House Resources Committee Marks Up Ocean-Based Climate Bill
· GOP Pushes Back on President Biden’s Nominee for BLM Director
· Judge Requires CWA Permit Under Supreme Court Groundwater Ruling
· Senate Committee Holds Hearing on USDA Undersecretary
· Alliance Provides Recommendation to Treasury Dep’t on Use of Recovery Funds
· A Big “Thank You” to our New and Supporting Members!
If you have any questions regarding the “Monthly Briefing,” please do not hesitate to contact Dan Keppen at dan@familyfarmalliance.org.
