Description:
As ordered reported by the House Committee on Natural Resources on September 18, 2014
H.R. 3980 would direct the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) to act as the lead agency when coordinating with state and other federal agencies to approve or deny construction of new projects for storing surface water in 17 western states. Based on information from BOR and assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 3980 would cost $5 million over the 2015-2019 period.
The bill also would allow BOR to collect and expend funds contributed by non-federal public entities to expedite the evaluation of permit applications for new projects. Because the legislation would affect direct spending, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. However, based on information from BOR, CBO estimates that amounts collected and spent for such purposes would have an insignificant net effect on the federal budget. Enacting the legislation would not affect revenues.
H.R. 3980 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.
