To require to Comptroller General to submit to Congress a report on the status of dams in the USDA watershed program.

Bill: 118-hr-4959
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Van Orden, Derrick [R-WI-3]
Introduced: 2023-07-27
Policy area: Water Resources Development
Subjects: Congressional oversight

Dams and canals

Environmental assessment, monitoring, research

Infrastructure development

Watersheds
Latest action: action_date: 2023-08-28
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology.

Summaries:
action_date: 2023-07-27
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>This bill directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report on dams in watershed programs of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Specifically, GAO must report on dams that receive assistance under (1) the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act, (2) the Act of December 22, 1944, (3) the Pilot Watershed Program, and (4) the Resource Conservation and Development program. The report must include the status of the dams, including information related to</p><ul><li>the location, ownership, and structural conditions of the dams;</li><li>their compliance with certain environmental requirements;</li><li>their hazard classification assessments; and</li><li>whether the dams have exceeded their life expectancies.</li></ul>

tv_txt: I 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 4959 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.

1. Report on dams in USDA watershed program (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 on the status of covered dams, including, with respect to each covered dam— (1) the location, ownership, and structural conditions of the dam, including any need for repairs; (2) whether the dam is in compliance with the principles and requirements described in the document 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 assessment 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 decommissioning because— (A) the dam is not meeting, or not cost-effectively meeting, its intended purpose; (B) the dam is a safety hazard and has deferred maintenance; (C) the environmental benefits of decommissioning and removal of the dam outweigh the benefits provided by the dam; or (D) the owner of the dam is requesting decommissioning; and (6) whether the dam has exceeded its life expectancy, 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 Prevention 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 Appropriation Act, 1954 ( Public Law 83–156 ); and (4) the Resource Conservation and Development Program carried out pursuant to the Food and Agriculture Act of 1962 ( Public Law 87–703 ).