Strengthening local control to help improve land management

The issues of water reliability and water infrastructure are of such high importance, particularly in our region and across the West, that they are topics I constantly focus on in Congress.

Whether the backlog of water projects waiting to be built right here in the Fourth Congressional District, or the difficulty and complexity of renegotiating the Columbia River Treaty with Canada, to the ongoing threat of the spill order mandated at our lower Snake and Columbia River dams, we face a lot of challenges in ensuring a stable water supply for our communities.

To help address water concerns right here in Central Washington, and after months of ongoing work between Kennewick Irrigation District, the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), and my office, I recently introduced legislation, H.R. 6652, authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to transfer title of certain BOR assets to the Kennewick Irrigation District (KID).

This legislation, in accordance with a Memorandum of Agreement with KID and BOR, will transfer title of works beginning at KID’s head gate extending 40-miles east. The transfer includes the conveyance of land and project facilities.

This title transfer is important because it will allow KID to manage water supplies more efficiently, while also reducing federal liabilities and providing a cost savings benefit to the federal government.

Water providers across our region and across the West face numerous challenges to supply water, including growing demand, aging infrastructure, and changing precipitation patterns.

By transferring title to a local entity like KID, water suppliers can better manage critical water resources and empower water managers to be as responsive, efficient, and innovative as possible in serving the community.

There are a few important points to know regarding what this legislation is and what a title transfer actually means, or really, what it doesn’t mean.

This legislation does not privatize federal water projects or properties within BOR. It simply conveys title for the facilities already managed and operated by the local, public irrigation district.

This transfer also does not mean the district will be able to sideline any of the required environmental reviews for future projects. KID will include an environmental assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act, as well as all necessary Endangered Species Act, National Historical Preservation Act, and hazardous review processes.

This legislation is just one step forward for safe and reliable water infrastructure for our region, but it is a significant step.

I am proud that H.R. 6652 will streamline water uses for our local community while reducing government waste and burdensome regulations.