Us Congress 2023-2024 Regular Session

Us Congress Senate Bill SB64 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	II
2	2	118THCONGRESS
3	3	1
4	4	STSESSION S. 64
5	5	To prohibit the conditioning of any permit, lease, or other use agreement
6	6	on the transfer of any water right to the United States by the Secretary
7	7	of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture, and for other purposes.
8	8	IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
9	9	JANUARY25, 2023
10	10	Mr. B
11	11	ARRASSO(for himself, Mr. RISCH, and Mr. CRAPO) introduced the fol-
12	12	lowing bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on En-
13	13	ergy and Natural Resources
14	14	A BILL
15	15	To prohibit the conditioning of any permit, lease, or other
16	16	use agreement on the transfer of any water right to
17	17	the United States by the Secretary of the Interior and
18	18	the Secretary of Agriculture, and for other purposes.
19	19	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-1
20	20	tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2
21	21	SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3
22	22	This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Water Rights Protec-4
23	23	tion Act of 2023’’. 5
24	24	SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 6
25	25	In this Act: 7
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28	28	•S 64 IS
29	29	(1) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ 1
30	30	means, as applicable— 2
31	31	(A) the Secretary of Agriculture; or 3
32	32	(B) the Secretary of the Interior. 4
33	33	(2) W
34	34	ATER RIGHT.—The term ‘‘water right’’ 5
35	35	means any surface water, groundwater, or water 6
36	36	storage use filed, permitted, certificated, confirmed, 7
37	37	decreed, adjudicated, or otherwise recognized by a 8
38	38	judicial proceeding or by the State, in which the user 9
39	39	acquires possession of the water or puts the water 10
40	40	to beneficial use, including water rights of federally 11
41	41	recognized Indian Tribes. 12
42	42	SEC. 3. POLICY DEVELOPMENT. 13
43	43	In developing any rule, policy, directive, management 14
44	44	plan, or similar Federal action relating to the issuance, 15
45	45	renewal, amendment, or extension of any permit, approval, 16
46	46	license, lease, allotment, easement, right-of-way, or other 17
47	47	land use or occupancy agreement, the Secretary— 18
48	48	(1) shall— 19
49	49	(A) recognize the longstanding authority of 20
50	50	the States relating to evaluating, protecting, al-21
51	51	locating, regulating, permitting, and adjudi-22
52	52	cating water use; and 23
53	53	(B) coordinate with the States to ensure 24
54	54	that any rule, policy, directive, management 25
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57	57	•S 64 IS
58	58	plan, or similar Federal action is consistent 1
59	59	with, and imposes no greater restriction or reg-2
60	60	ulatory requirement, than applicable State 3
61	61	water law; and 4
62	62	(2) shall not— 5
63	63	(A) assert any connection between surface 6
64	64	water and groundwater that is inconsistent with 7
65	65	such a connection recognized by State water 8
66	66	law; or 9
67	67	(B) take any action that adversely af-10
68	68	fects— 11
69	69	(i) the authority of a State in— 12
70	70	(I) permitting the beneficial use 13
71	71	of water; or 14
72	72	(II) adjudicating water rights; 15
73	73	(ii) any definition established by a 16
74	74	State with respect to the term ‘‘beneficial 17
75	75	use’’, ‘‘priority of water rights’’, or ‘‘terms 18
76	76	of use’’; or 19
77	77	(iii) any other right or obligation of a 20
78	78	State established under State law. 21
79	79	SEC. 4. TREATMENT OF WATER RIGHTS. 22
80	80	The Secretary shall not— 23
81	81	(1) condition the issuance, renewal, amendment, 24
82	82	or extension of any permit, approval, license, lease, 25
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85	85	•S 64 IS
86	86	allotment, easement, right-of-way, or other land use 1
87	87	or occupancy agreement on the transfer of any water 2
88	88	right (including joint and sole ownership) directly or 3
89	89	indirectly to the United States, or on any impair-4
90	90	ment of title or interest, in whole or in part, granted 5
91	91	or otherwise recognized under State law, by Federal 6
92	92	or State adjudication, decree, or other judgment, or 7
93	93	pursuant to any interstate water compact; 8
94	94	(2) require any water user (including any feder-9
95	95	ally recognized Indian Tribe) to apply for or acquire 10
96	96	a water right in the name of the United States 11
97	97	under State law as a condition of the issuance, re-12
98	98	newal, amendment, or extension of any permit, ap-13
99	99	proval, license, lease, allotment, easement, right-of- 14
100	100	way, or other land use or occupancy agreement; or 15
101	101	(3) condition or withhold the issuance, renewal, 16
102	102	amendment, or extension of any permit, approval, li-17
103	103	cense, lease, allotment, easement, right-of-way, or 18
104	104	other land use or occupancy agreement, in whole or 19
105	105	in part, on— 20
106	106	(A) limiting the date, time, quantity, loca-21
107	107	tion of diversion or pumping, or place of use of 22
108	108	a State water right beyond any applicable limi-23
109	109	tations under State water law; or 24
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112	112	•S 64 IS
113	113	(B) the modification of the terms and con-1
114	114	ditions of groundwater withdrawal, guidance 2
115	115	and reporting procedures, or conservation and 3
116	116	source protection measures established by a 4
117	117	State. 5
118	118	SEC. 5. EFFECT. 6
119	119	(a) R
120	120	ECLAMATIONCONTRACTS.—Nothing in this Act 7
121	121	in any way interferes with any existing or future Bureau 8
122	122	of Reclamation contract entered into pursuant to Federal 9
123	123	reclamation law (the Act of June 17, 1902 (32 Stat. 388, 10
124	124	chapter 1093), and Acts supplemental to and amendatory 11
125	125	of that Act). 12
126	126	(b) E
127	127	NDANGERED SPECIESACT.—Nothing in this 13
128	128	Act affects the implementation of the Endangered Species 14
129	129	Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). 15
130	130	(c) F
131	131	EDERALRESERVEDWATERRIGHTS.—Nothing 16
132	132	in this Act limits or expands any existing or future re-17
133	133	served water rights of the Federal Government on land 18
134	134	administered by the Secretary. 19
135	135	(d) F
136	136	EDERALPOWERACT.—Nothing in this Act lim-20
137	137	its or expands authorities pursuant to sections 4(e), 10(j), 21
138	138	or 18 of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 797(e), 803(j), 22
139	139	811). 23
140	140	(e) I
141	141	NDIANWATERRIGHTS.—Nothing in this Act 24
142	142	limits or expands any existing or future reserved water 25
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145	145	•S 64 IS
146	146	right or treaty right of any federally recognized Indian 1
147	147	Tribe. 2
148	148	(f) F
149	149	EDERALLYHELDSTATEWATERRIGHTS.— 3
150	150	Nothing in this Act limits the ability of the Secretary, 4
151	151	through applicable State procedures, to acquire, use, en-5
152	152	force, or protect a State water right owned by the United 6
153	153	States. 7
154	154	(g) I
155	155	NTERSTATECOMPACTS.—Nothing in this Act af-8
156	156	fects an allocation contained in, or limitations and require-9
157	157	ments of, any interstate water compact or decree of the 10
158	158	Supreme Court of the United States interpreting or en-11
159	159	forcing an interstate water compact. 12
160	160	Æ
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