Water Rights Protection Act

To prohibit the conditioning of any permit, lease, or other use agreement on the transfer, relinquishment, or other impairment of any water right to the United States by the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Water Rights Protection Act 2. Treatment of water rights The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture— (1) shall not condition the issuance, renewal, amendment, or extension of any permit, approval, license, lease, allotment, easement, right-of-way, or other land use or occupancy agreement on the transfer of any water right directly to the United States, or any impairment of title, in whole or in part, granted or otherwise recognized under State law, by Federal or State adjudication, decree, or other judgment, or pursuant to any interstate water compact; and (2) shall not require any water user to apply for or acquire a water right in the name of the United States under State law as a condition of the issuance, renewal, amendment, or extension of any permit, approval, license, lease, allotment, easement, right-of-way, or other land use or occupancy agreement. 3. Definition For purposes of this Act, the term water right 4. Impact on existing authority Nothing in this Act limits or expands any existing authority of the Secretaries to condition any permit, approval, license, lease, allotment, easement, right-of-way, or other land use or occupancy agreement on Federal lands subject to their respective jurisdictions. Amend the title so as to read: A bill to prohibit the conditioning of any permit, lease, or other use agreement on the transfer of any water right to the United States by the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture. March 4, 2014 Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources March 4, 2014 The Committee on Agriculture

Summary: Water Rights Protection Act - Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) from: (1) conditioning the issuance, renewal, amendment, or extension of any permit, approval, license, lease, allotment, easement, right-of-way, or other land use or occupancy agreement on the transfer of any water right (including joint or sole ownership) directly to the United States, or any impairment in title, in whole or in part, granted or recognized under state law, by federal or state adjudication, decree, or other judgment, or pursuant to any interstate water compact; and (2) requiring any water user (including any federally recognized Indian tribe) to apply for a water right in the name of the United States under state law as a condition of such a land use or occupancy agreement. States that nothing in this Act shall: (1) limit or expand any existing authority of the Secretaries to condition any permit, approval, license, lease, allotment, easement, right-of-way, or other land use or occupancy agreement on federal lands subject to their respective jurisdictions; (2) interfere with existing or future Bureau of Reclamation contracts; (3) affect the implementation of the Endangered Species Act of 1973; (4) limit or expand any existing federal reserved water rights on lands administered by the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture; (5) limit or expand certain authorities under the Federal Power Act; and (6) limit or expand any existing reserved water right or treaty right of any federally recognized Indian tribe.