Newhouse Statement on Water Resources Legislation and Yakima Basin Project

Statement

Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) released the following statement after the House of Representatives approved America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 (S. 3021) by a voice-vote yesterday. The conference legislation is the product of negotiations between House and Senate committees with jurisdiction over various water resources and energy infrastructure issues. S. 3021 includes a provision from Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) to promote early action, infrastructure, and improvements at non-federal dams, including necessary additions to dams such as fish-friendly turbines and critical maintenance.

"This legislation invests in the nation's water resources infrastructure and encourages the use of clean, renewable hydropower by streamlining the regulatory permitting process," said Rep. Newhouse. "While this bill makes positive changes and provides for maintenance and expedited licensing, it represents a lost opportunity for Central Washington. I am grateful that House negotiators worked during negotiations to try to include my language authorizing the next phase of the Yakima Basin Project, and I am disappointed that Senate Democrats chose to decline this opportunity to include that language in the conference agreement. I am hopeful that before the end of the 115th Congress, there will be another legislative vehicle in which to include this legislation to provide water resources that are vital for Central Washington's future. I will continue to work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to fulfill the federal government's role in authorizing the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan."

Source