IIB 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4750 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 28, 2006 

Received 

NOVEMBER 13, 2006 

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

AN ACT 

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a 

study to determine the feasibility of implementing a 

water supply and conservation project to improve water 

supply reliability, increase the capacity of water storage, 

and improve water management efficiency in the Republican River Basin between Harlan County Lake in Nebraska and Milford Lake in Kansas. 


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HR 4750 RFS

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Lower Republican 

5 River Basin Study Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. REPUBLICAN RIVER BASIN FEASIBILITY STUDY. 

7 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF STUDY.—Pursuant to rec8 lamation laws, the Secretary of the Interior, acting 

9 through the Bureau of Reclamation and in consultation 

10 and cooperation with the States of Nebraska, Kansas, and 

11 Colorado, may conduct a study to— 

12 (1) determine the feasibility of implementing a 

13 water supply and conservation project that will— 

14 (A) improve water supply reliability in the 

15 Republican River Basin between Harlan County 

16 Lake in Nebraska and Milford Lake in Kansas, 

17 including areas in the counties of Harlan, 

18 Franklin, Webster, and Nuckolls in Nebraska 

19 and Jewel, Republic, Cloud, Washington, and 

20 Clay in Kansas (in this section referred to as 

21 the ‘‘Republican River Basin’’); 

22 (B) increase the capacity of water storage 

23 through modifications of existing projects or 

24 through new projects that serve areas in the 

25 Republican River Basin; and 


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HR 4750 RFS

1 (C) improve water management efficiency 

2 in the Republican River Basin through con3 servation and other available means and, where 

4 appropriate, evaluate integrated water resource 

5 management and supply needs in the Repub6 lican River Basin; and 

7 (2) consider appropriate cost-sharing options 

8 for implementation of the project. 

9 (b) COST SHARING.—The Federal share of the cost 

10 of the study shall not exceed 50 percent of the total cost 

11 of the study, and shall be nonreimbursable. 

12 (c) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary 

13 shall undertake the study through cooperative agreements 

14 with the State of Kansas or Nebraska and other appro15 priate entities determined by the Secretary. 

16 (d) COMPLETION AND REPORT.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para18 graph (2), not later than 3 years after the date of 

19 the enactment of this section the Secretary of the 

20 Interior shall complete the study and transmit to the 

21 Congress a report containing the results of the 

22 study. 

23 (2) EXTENSION.—If the Secretary determines 

24 that the study cannot be completed within the 3-year 


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HR 4750 RFS

1 period beginning on the date of the enactment of 

2 this Act, the Secretary— 

3 (A) shall, at the time of that determina4 tion, report to the Congress on the status of the 

5 study, including an estimate of the date of com6 pletion; and 

7 (B) complete the study and transmit to the 

8 Congress a report containing the results of the 

9 study by not later than that date. 

10 (e) SUNSET OF AUTHORITY.—The authority of the 

11 Secretary to carry out any provisions of this Act shall ter12 minate 10 years after the date of the enactment of this 

13 Act. 

Passed the House of Representatives September 27, 

2006. 

Attest: KAREN L. HAAS, 

Clerk. 


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