Us Congress 2025-2026 Regular Session

Us Congress House Bill HB302 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	I
2	2	119THCONGRESS
3	3	1
4	4	STSESSION H. R. 302
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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
9	9	JANUARY9, 2025
10	10	Ms. M
11	11	ALOY(for herself, Mr. MOOREof Utah, Mr. FULCHER, Mr. BIGGSof
12	12	Arizona, and Mr. E
13	13	STES) introduced the following bill; which was referred
14	14	to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Com-
15	15	mittee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
16	16	Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within
17	17	the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
18	18	A BILL
19	19	To prohibit the conditioning of any permit, lease, or other
20	20	use agreement on the transfer of any water right to
21	21	the United States by the Secretary of the Interior and
22	22	the Secretary of Agriculture, and for other purposes.
23	23	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-1
24	24	tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2
25	25	SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3
26	26	This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Water Rights Protec-4
27	27	tion Act of 2025’’. 5
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30	30	•HR 302 IH
31	31	SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 1
32	32	In this Act: 2
33	33	(1) S
34	34	ECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ 3
35	35	means, as applicable— 4
36	36	(A) the Secretary of Agriculture; or 5
37	37	(B) the Secretary of the Interior. 6
38	38	(2) W
39	39	ATER RIGHT.—The term ‘‘water right’’ 7
40	40	means any surface water, groundwater, or water 8
41	41	storage use filed, permitted, certificated, confirmed, 9
42	42	decreed, adjudicated, or otherwise recognized by a 10
43	43	judicial proceeding or by the State, in which the user 11
44	44	acquires possession of the water or puts the water 12
45	45	to beneficial use, including water rights of federally 13
46	46	recognized Indian Tribes. 14
47	47	SEC. 3. POLICY DEVELOPMENT. 15
48	48	In developing any rule, policy, directive, management 16
49	49	plan, or similar Federal action relating to the issuance, 17
50	50	renewal, amendment, or extension of any permit, approval, 18
51	51	license, lease, allotment, easement, right-of-way, or other 19
52	52	land use or occupancy agreement, the Secretary— 20
53	53	(1) shall— 21
54	54	(A) recognize the longstanding authority of 22
55	55	the States relating to evaluating, protecting, al-23
56	56	locating, regulating, permitting, and adjudi-24
57	57	cating water use; and 25
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60	60	•HR 302 IH
61	61	(B) coordinate with the States to ensure 1
62	62	that any rule, policy, directive, management 2
63	63	plan, or similar Federal action is consistent 3
64	64	with, and imposes no greater restriction or reg-4
65	65	ulatory requirement, than applicable State 5
66	66	water law; and 6
67	67	(2) shall not— 7
68	68	(A) assert any connection between surface 8
69	69	water and groundwater that is inconsistent with 9
70	70	such a connection recognized by State water 10
71	71	law; or 11
72	72	(B) take any action that adversely af-12
73	73	fects— 13
74	74	(i) the authority of a State in— 14
75	75	(I) permitting the beneficial use 15
76	76	of water; or 16
77	77	(II) adjudicating water rights; 17
78	78	(ii) any definition established by a 18
79	79	State with respect to the term ‘‘beneficial 19
80	80	use’’, ‘‘priority of water rights’’, or ‘‘terms 20
81	81	of use’’; or 21
82	82	(iii) any other right or obligation of a 22
83	83	State established under State law. 23
84	84	SEC. 4. TREATMENT OF WATER RIGHTS. 24
85	85	The Secretary shall not— 25
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88	88	•HR 302 IH
89	89	(1) condition the issuance, renewal, amendment, 1
90	90	or extension of any permit, approval, license, lease, 2
91	91	allotment, easement, right-of-way, or other land use 3
92	92	or occupancy agreement on the transfer of any water 4
93	93	right (including joint and sole ownership) directly or 5
94	94	indirectly to the United States, or on any impair-6
95	95	ment of title or interest, in whole or in part, granted 7
96	96	or otherwise recognized under State law, by Federal 8
97	97	or State adjudication, decree, or other judgment, or 9
98	98	pursuant to any interstate water compact; 10
99	99	(2) require any water user (including any feder-11
100	100	ally recognized Indian Tribe) to apply for or acquire 12
101	101	a water right in the name of the United States 13
102	102	under State law as a condition of the issuance, re-14
103	103	newal, amendment, or extension of any permit, ap-15
104	104	proval, license, lease, allotment, easement, right-of- 16
105	105	way, or other land use or occupancy agreement; or 17
106	106	(3) condition or withhold the issuance, renewal, 18
107	107	amendment, or extension of any permit, approval, li-19
108	108	cense, lease, allotment, easement, right-of-way, or 20
109	109	other land use or occupancy agreement, in whole or 21
110	110	in part, on— 22
111	111	(A) limiting the date, time, quantity, loca-23
112	112	tion of diversion or pumping, or place of use of 24
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115	115	•HR 302 IH
116	116	a State water right beyond any applicable limi-1
117	117	tations under State water law; or 2
118	118	(B) the modification of the terms and con-3
119	119	ditions of groundwater withdrawal, guidance 4
120	120	and reporting procedures, or conservation and 5
121	121	source protection measures established by a 6
122	122	State. 7
123	123	SEC. 5. EFFECT. 8
124	124	(a) R
125	125	ECLAMATIONCONTRACTS.—Nothing in this Act 9
126	126	in any way interferes with any existing or future Bureau 10
127	127	of Reclamation contract entered into pursuant to Federal 11
128	128	reclamation law (the Act of June 17, 1902 (32 Stat. 388, 12
129	129	chapter 1093), and Acts supplemental to and amendatory 13
130	130	of that Act). 14
131	131	(b) E
132	132	NDANGERED SPECIESACT.—Nothing in this 15
133	133	Act affects the implementation of the Endangered Species 16
134	134	Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). 17
135	135	(c) F
136	136	EDERALRESERVEDWATERRIGHTS.—Nothing 18
137	137	in this Act limits or expands any existing or future re-19
138	138	served water rights of the Federal Government on land 20
139	139	administered by the Secretary. 21
140	140	(d) F
141	141	EDERALPOWERACT.—Nothing in this Act lim-22
142	142	its or expands authorities pursuant to sections 4(e), 10(j), 23
143	143	or 18 of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 797(e), 803(j), 24
144	144	811). 25
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147	147	•HR 302 IH
148	148	(e) INDIANWATERRIGHTS.—Nothing in this Act 1
149	149	limits or expands any existing or future reserved water 2
150	150	right or treaty right of any federally recognized Indian 3
151	151	Tribe. 4
152	152	(f) F
153	153	EDERALLYHELDSTATEWATERRIGHTS.— 5
154	154	Nothing in this Act limits the ability of the Secretary, 6
155	155	through applicable State procedures, to acquire, use, en-7
156	156	force, or protect a State water right owned by the United 8
157	157	States. 9
158	158	(g) I
159	159	NTERSTATECOMPACTS.—Nothing in this Act af-10
160	160	fects an allocation contained in, or limitations and require-11
161	161	ments of, any interstate water compact or decree of the 12
162	162	Supreme Court of the United States interpreting or en-13
163	163	forcing an interstate water compact. 14
164	164	Æ
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