Rep. Gosar Bill Requiring Disclosure of Reclamation Maintenance Moves Closer to Becoming Law

Statement

Today, U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) released the following statement after the House Natural Resources Committee successfully passed the Congressman's sponsored legislation, H.R. 1107, the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) Transparency Act, by unanimous consent:

"For over a century, BOR has transformed the West into a powerhouse that feeds the nation and the world while providing renewable, emissions-free energy for millions. Unfortunately, much of the agency's now aging infrastructure was built more than 50 years ago and is in desperate need of repair. In order for BOR to effectively continue its mission, Congress needs to know what projects are most important and in need of repair so it can prioritize scarce resources to ensure their longevity. To date, this has not happened despite repeated requests from Congress and water users throughout the country.

"This commonsense, bipartisan legislation passed by the Committee today will ensure that a cost estimate and detailed list of major repairs for BOR facilities is disclosed to Congress so we can address the agency's maintenance backlog as well as ensure an abundant supply of clean water and power for future generations. American taxpayers deserve accountability from their government and oversight on how it spends their money. Letting the sunlight in on this agency is long overdue."

Just before passage of the bill Jared Huffman (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans stated, "I wanted to just commend Mr. Gosar for his leadership on the Bureau of Reclamation Transparency Act. I am pleased to be cosponsoring it. It's a good example of how we can work across the aisle, even in times of tough water shortages in the West, to find ways to better stretch our funding and do good for our water infrastructure." Click on the picture below to watch the video clip of Congressman Huffman's comments.

Source