Today, the Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries held a legislative hearing on four bills focused on western water infrastructure and the Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design program. Subcommittee Chairman Cliff Bentz (R-Ore.) issued the following statement in response:

"Today, the Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee considered four important bills three that will continue Republican efforts to promote the importance of maintaining and modernizing western water management and one that continues a successful Jr. Duck Stamp Conservation and Design program. These bills, if enacted, will protect our communities, strengthen local economies, protect the environment, and connect next generation to the outdoors."

Background

H.R. 9514, the Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), will eliminate burdensome interest payments by water users for nonfederal costs of the Arkansas Valley Conduit pipelines to promote the completion of the critical water infrastructure project.

H.R. 9515, the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program Amendment Act of 2024, introduced by U.S. Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), will allow the non-federal portion of the available funds for the program to be placed into an interest-bearing account. Placing these funds into an interest-bearing account could provide approximately $2 million annually in revenue, defraying costs that would otherwise be the burden of the lower basin states.

H.R. 9969, introduced by U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.), will allow the Western Area Power Administration to address the impacts of the recent record of decision to allow flow experiments at Glen Canyon Dam on the Upper Colorado River Basin Fund. 

H.R. 7642, to reauthorize the Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program Act of 1994, introduced by U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.), will reauthorize the Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program through 2030. This program encourages children to learn about conservation practices and provides an opportunity for increased youth participation in outdoor activities.

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