I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4959 
To require to Comptroller General to submit to Congress a report on the 
status of dams in the USDA watershed program. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 27, 2023 
Mr. VAN ORDEN (for himself, Ms. KUSTER, and Mr. MCGARVEY) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation 
and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, 
and Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To require to Comptroller General to submit to Congress 
a report on the status of dams in the USDA watershed 
program. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. REPORT ON DAMS IN USDA WATERSHED PRO-
GRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 
of the United States shall submit to Congress a report 
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on the status of covered dams, including, with respect to 
each covered dam— 
(1) the location, ownership, and structural con-
ditions of the dam, including any need for repairs; 
(2) whether the dam is in compliance with the 
principles and requirements described in the docu-
ment published by the Council on Environmental 
Quality entitled ‘‘Principles and Requirements for 
Federal Investments in Water Resources’’ and dated 
March 2013, and the related interagency guidelines 
published by the Council on Environmental Quality 
and dated December 2014; 
(3) the most recent hazard classification assess-
ment of the dam for purposes of the National Dam 
Safety Program Act (33 U.S.C. 467 et seq.), and 
whether downstream changes have been accounted 
for in such assessment; 
(4) whether the dam is meeting its intended 
purpose; 
(5) whether the dam is a candidate for decom-
missioning because— 
(A) the dam is not meeting, or not cost-ef-
fectively meeting, its intended purpose; 
(B) the dam is a safety hazard and has de-
ferred maintenance; 
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(C) the environmental benefits of decom-
missioning and removal of the dam outweigh 
the benefits provided by the dam; or 
(D) the owner of the dam is requesting de-
commissioning; and 
(6) whether the dam has exceeded its life ex-
pectancy, and what the end-of-life care plan is for 
the dam. 
(b) COVERED DAMS.—For purposes of this section, 
the term ‘‘covered dam’’ means a dam for which assistance 
has been provided under— 
(1) the Watershed Protection and Flood Pre-
vention Act (16 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.); 
(2) the Act of December 22, 1944 (chapter 
665; Public Law 78–534); 
(3) the Pilot Watershed Program carried out 
pursuant to the Department of Agriculture Appro-
priation Act, 1954 (Public Law 83–156); and 
(4) the Resource Conservation and Develop-
ment Program carried out pursuant to the Food and 
Agriculture Act of 1962 (Public Law 87–703). 
Æ 
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