Basin Fund Preservation Act

Bill: 119-s-887
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Lee, Mike [R-UT]
Introduced: 2025-03-06
Policy area: Water Resources Development
Subjects: Arizona

California

Dams and canals

Environmental assessment, monitoring, research

Fishes

Government trust funds

Lakes and rivers

Nevada

Wildlife conservation and habitat protection
Latest action: action_date: 2025-03-06
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Summaries:
action_date: 2025-03-06
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><strong>Basin Fund Preservation Act</strong></p><p>This bill directs the Bureau of Reclamation and the Western Area Power Administration, in consultation with the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Work Group, to enter into a memorandum of understanding to explore and address the impact that the 2024 record of decision entitled&nbsp;<em>Supplement to the 2016 Glen Canyon Dam Long-Term Experimental and Management Plan Record of Decision </em>has on the Upper Colorado River Basin Fund. The memorandum of understanding must include a plan to (1) address the effects that the decision may have on the fund's obligations, (2) address the impact that the decision has on hydropower production at Glen Canyon Dam, and (3) identify impacts that the decision has had on species listed as threatened or endangered species.</p><p>By way of background, Reclamation published a Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 for the Glen Canyon Dam Long-Term Experimental and Management Plan (LTEMP) in 2024. The SEIS revises the 2016 LTEMP Record of Decision to address two issues: (1) responding to the threat of the invasive smallmouth bass&nbsp;below Glen Canyon Dam, and (2) incorporating the latest sediment science to assess when high-flow experiments should be conducted in order to protect the endangered humpback&nbsp;chub.</p>

tv_txt: II 119th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 887 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 6, 2025 Mr. Lee (for himself and Mr. Curtis ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources A BILL To provide for a memorandum of understanding to address the impacts of a certain record of decision on the Upper Colorado River Basin Fund.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Basin Fund Preservation Act . 2. Memorandum of understanding to address potential impacts of a certain record of decision on the Upper Colorado River Basin Fund (a) In general As soon as practicable after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation, and the Secretary of Energy, acting through the Administrator of the Western Area Power Administration, in consultation with the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Work Group, shall enter into a memorandum of understanding to explore and address the impact that the record of decision entitled the Supplement to the 2016 Glen Canyon Dam Long-Term Experimental and Management Plan Record of Decision and dated July 2024 (referred to in this section as the record of decision ) has on the Upper Colorado River Basin Fund (referred to in this section as the Fund ). (b) Required plan The memorandum of understanding entered into under subsection (a) shall, using information derived from existing hydropower contracts, include the establishment of a plan to— (1) address the effects that the record of decision may have on Fund obligations including routine operations, maintenance, and replacement of critical infrastructure; (2) address the impact that the record of decision has on hydropower production at Glen Canyon Dam, including costs to replace hydropower resources and grid reliability; and (3) identify impacts that the record of decision has had on species listed as a threatened species or an endangered species under section 4 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 ( 16 U.S.C. 1533 ). (c) Savings clause Nothing in this Act preempts any rights or obligations under subchapter II of chapter 5, and chapter 7, of title 5, United States Code (commonly known as the Administrative Procedure Act ).