(2) convene a meeting of all Federal, tribal, and 
State agencies identified under section 5(d) that 
may— 
(A) have jurisdiction over the project; 
(B) be required by law to conduct or issue 
a review, analysis, opinion, or statement for the 
project study; or 
(C) be required to make a determination 
on issuing a permit, license, or other approval 
or decision for the project study; and 
(3) take all steps necessary to provide informa-
tion that will enable required reviews and analyses 
related to the project to be conducted by other agen-
cies in a thorough and timely manner. 
(e) INTERIM REPORT.—Not later than 18 months 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
submit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy 
and Natural Resources of the Senate and make publicly 
available a report that describes— 
(1) the status of the implementation of the 
planning process under this section, including the 
number of participating projects; 
(2) a review of project delivery schedules, in-
cluding a description of any delays on those studies 
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initiated prior to the date of the enactment of this 
Act; and 
(3) any recommendations for additional author-
ity necessary to support efforts to expedite the 
project. 
(f) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than 4 years after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 
to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Nat-
ural Resources of the Senate and make publicly available 
a report that describes— 
(1) the status of the implementation of this sec-
tion, including a description of each project study 
subject to the requirements of this section; 
(2) the amount of time taken to complete each 
project study; and 
(3) any recommendations for additional author-
ity necessary to support efforts to expedite the 
project study process, including an analysis of 
whether the limitation established by subsection 
(a)(2) needs to be adjusted to address the impacts 
of inflation. 
SEC. 4. EXPEDITED COMPLETION OF REPORTS. 
The Secretary shall— 
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(1) expedite the completion of any ongoing 
project study initiated before the date of enactment 
of this Act; and 
(2) if the Secretary determines that the project 
is justified in a completed report, proceed directly to 
preconstruction planning, engineering, and design of 
the project in accordance with the Reclamation Act 
of 1902 (32 Stat. 388), and all Acts amendatory 
thereof or supplementary thereto. 
SEC. 5. PROJECT ACCELERATION. 
(a) APPLICABILITY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—This section shall apply to 
each project study that is initiated after the date of 
enactment of this Act and for which an environ-
mental impact statement is prepared under the Na-
tional Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 
4321 et seq.). 
(2) 
FLEXIBILITY.—Any 
authority 
granted 
under this section may be exercised, and any re-
quirement established under this section may be sat-
isfied, for the conduct of an environmental review 
process for a project study, a class of project stud-
ies, or a program of project studies. 
(3) LIST OF PROJECT STUDIES.— 
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(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall an-
nually prepare, and make publicly available, a 
list of all project studies that the Secretary has 
determined— 
(i) meets the standards described in 
paragraph (1); and 
(ii) does not have adequate funding to 
make substantial progress toward the com-
pletion of the project study. 
(B) INCLUSIONS.—The Secretary shall in-
clude for each project study on the list under 
subparagraph (A) a description of the estimated 
amounts necessary to make substantial progress 
on the project study. 
(b) PROJECT REVIEW PROCESS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall develop 
and implement a coordinated environmental review 
process for the development of project studies. 
(2) COORDINATED
REVIEW.—The coordinated 
environmental review process described in paragraph 
(1) shall require that any review, analysis, opinion, 
statement, permit, license, or other approval or deci-
sion issued or made by a Federal, State, or local 
governmental agency or an Indian tribe for a project 
study described in subsection (b) be conducted, to 
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the maximum extent practicable, concurrently with 
any other applicable governmental agency or Indian 
tribe. 
(3) TIMING.—The coordinated environmental 
review process under this subsection shall be com-
pleted not later than the date on which the Sec-
retary, in consultation and concurrence with the 
agencies identified under section 5(d), establishes 
with respect to the project study. 
(c) LEAD AGENCIES.— 
(1) JOINT LEAD AGENCIES.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the require-
ments of the National Environmental Policy 
Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and the 
requirements of section 1506.8 of title 40, Code 
of Federal Regulations (or successor regula-
tions), including the concurrence of the pro-
posed joint lead agency, a project sponsor may 
serve as the joint lead agency. 
(B) PROJECT
SPONSOR
AS
JOINT
LEAD 
AGENCY.—A project sponsor that is a State or 
local governmental entity may— 
(i) with the concurrence of the Sec-
retary, serve as a joint lead agency with 
the Federal lead agency for purposes of 
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preparing any environmental document 
under the National Environmental Policy 
Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.); and 
(ii) prepare any environmental review 
process document under the National En-
vironmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 
4321 et seq.) required in support of any 
action or approval by the Secretary if— 
(I) the Secretary provides guid-
ance in the preparation process and 
independently evaluates that docu-
ment; 
(II) the project sponsor complies 
with all requirements applicable to the 
Secretary under— 
(aa) the National Environ-
mental Policy Act of 1969 (42 
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.); 
(bb) any regulation imple-
menting that Act; and 
(cc) any other applicable 
Federal law; and 
(III) the Secretary approves and 
adopts the document before the Sec-
retary takes any subsequent action or 
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makes any approval based on that 
document, regardless of whether the 
action or approval of the Secretary re-
sults in Federal funding. 
(2) DUTIES.—The Secretary shall ensure 
that— 
(A) the project sponsor complies with all 
design and mitigation commitments made joint-
ly by the Secretary and the project sponsor in 
any environmental document prepared by the 
project sponsor in accordance with this sub-
section; and 
(B) any environmental document prepared 
by the project sponsor is appropriately supple-
mented to address any changes to the project 
the Secretary determines are necessary. 
(3) ADOPTION AND USE OF DOCUMENTS.—Any 
environmental document prepared in accordance 
with this subsection shall be adopted and used by 
any Federal agency making any determination re-
lated to the project study to the same extent that 
the Federal agency could adopt or use a document 
prepared by another Federal agency under— 
(A) the National Environmental Policy Act 
of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.); and 
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(B) parts 1500 through 1508 of title 40, 
Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regu-
lations). 
(4) ROLES
AND
RESPONSIBILITY
OF
LEAD 
AGENCY.—With respect to the environmental review 
process for any project study, the Federal lead agen-
cy shall have authority and responsibility— 
(A) to take such actions as are necessary 
and proper and within the authority of the Fed-
eral lead agency to facilitate the expeditious 
resolution of the environmental review process 
for the project study; and 
(B) to prepare or ensure that any required 
environmental impact statement or other envi-
ronmental review document for a project study 
required to be completed under the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 
4321 et seq.) is completed in accordance with 
this section and applicable Federal law. 
(d) PARTICIPATING AND COOPERATING AGENCIES.— 
(1) IDENTIFICATION OF JURISDICTIONAL AGEN-
CIES.—With respect to carrying out the environ-
mental review process for a project study, the Sec-
retary shall identify, as early as practicable in the 
environmental review process, all Federal, State, and 
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local government agencies and Indian tribes that 
may— 
(A) have jurisdiction over the project; 
(B) be required by law to conduct or issue 
a review, analysis, opinion, or statement for the 
project study; or 
(C) be required to make a determination 
on issuing a permit, license, or other approval 
or decision for the project study. 
(2) STATE AUTHORITY.—If the environmental 
review process is being implemented by the Sec-
retary for a project study within the boundaries of 
a State, the State, consistent with State law, may 
choose to participate in the process and to make 
subject to the process all State agencies that— 
(A) have jurisdiction over the project; 
(B) are required to conduct or issue a re-
view, analysis, opinion, or statement for the 
project study; or 
(C) are required to make a determination 
on issuing a permit, license, or other approval 
or decision for the project study. 
(3) INVITATION.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Federal lead agen-
cy shall invite, as early as practicable in the en-
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vironmental review process, any agency identi-
fied under paragraph (1) to become a partici-
pating or cooperating agency, as applicable, in 
the environmental review process for the project 
study. 
(B) DEADLINE.—An invitation to partici-
pate issued under subparagraph (A) shall set a 
deadline by which a response to the invitation 
shall be submitted, which may be extended by 
the Federal lead agency for good cause. 
(4) PROCEDURES.—Section 1501.6 of title 40, 
Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the 
date of enactment of the Bureau of Reclamation 
Surface Water Storage Streamlining Act) shall gov-
ern the identification and the participation of a co-
operating agency. 
(5) FEDERAL
COOPERATING
AGENCIES.—Any 
Federal agency that is invited by the Federal lead 
agency to participate in the environmental review 
process for a project study shall be designated as a 
cooperating agency by the Federal lead agency un-
less the invited agency informs the Federal lead 
agency, in writing, by the deadline specified in the 
invitation that the invited agency— 
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(A)(i) has no jurisdiction or authority with 
respect to the project; 
(ii) has no expertise or information rel-
evant to the project; or 
(iii) does not have adequate funds to par-
ticipate in the project; and 
(B) does not intend to submit comments 
on the project. 
(6) ADMINISTRATION.—A participating or co-
operating agency shall comply with this section and 
any schedule established under this section. 
(7) EFFECT OF DESIGNATION.—Designation as 
a participating or cooperating agency under this 
subsection shall not imply that the participating or 
cooperating agency— 
(A) supports a proposed project; or 
(B) has any jurisdiction over, or special ex-
pertise with respect to evaluation of, the 
project. 
(8) CONCURRENT
REVIEWS.—Each partici-
pating or cooperating agency shall— 
(A) carry out the obligations of that agen-
cy under other applicable law concurrently and 
in conjunction with the required environmental 
review process, unless doing so would prevent 
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the participating or cooperating agency from 
conducting needed analysis or otherwise car-
rying out those obligations; and 
(B) formulate and implement administra-
tive, policy, and procedural mechanisms to en-
able the agency to ensure completion of the en-
vironmental review process in a timely, coordi-
nated, and environmentally responsible manner. 
(e) PROGRAMMATIC COMPLIANCE.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall issue 
guidance regarding the use of programmatic ap-
proaches to carry out the environmental review proc-
ess that— 
(A) eliminates repetitive discussions of the 
same issues; 
(B) focuses on the actual issues ripe for 
analyses at each level of review; 
(C) establishes a formal process for coordi-
nating with participating and cooperating agen-
cies, including the creation of a list of all data 
that are needed to carry out an environmental 
review process; and 
(D) complies with— 
(i) the National Environmental Policy 
Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.); and 
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