Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

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Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program Amendment Act of 2025, which would allow the Bureau of Reclamation's Lower Colorado River Multispecies Conservation Program (LCR MSCP) account to collect interest.

In 2005, the LCR MSCP was developed through a collaborative partnership with State leaders, local stakeholders, and the Federal Government with the purpose of balancing the Lower Basin Colorado River system operations and water uses with conservation of native species and their habitats.

Covering approximately 400 miles of the lower Colorado River, the LCR MSCP is a 50-year plan to create at least 8,132 acres of new habitat and restore habitat that has become degraded in order to recover 27 species, including 7 listed under the Endangered Species Act. To date, the program has already succeeded in stocking thousands of native fish and increasing numbers of breeding migratory birds within 5,000 acres of new riparian habitat.

The Federal Government and water utility customers in Arizona, California, and Nevada each contribute funding to support program implementation.

This legislation would amend the law that created the LCR MSCP to allow for its account to collect interest.

Although the program has a budget of $626 million for its 50-year term, its value is eroded over time by inflation that results in higher costs to implement projects. In the current interest rate environment, the lack of reinvestment can cost the LCR MSCP millions annually that could be used to fund future program work.

This bicameral, bipartisan bill has previously received supportive testimony from the Bureau of Reclamation and passed through the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources by voice vote last Congress.

I would like to thank Congressman Ken Calvert for introducing this bill in the House of Representatives, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program Amendment Act of 2025 as quickly as possible. ______

By Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Ms. Duckworth, and Mr. Booker):

S. 299. A bill to establish a competitive grant program to support the establishment, expansion, or enhancement of youth mentoring programs for eligible youth, and to provide for social and emotional learning, employability skill development, career exploration, work- based learning, and other youth workforce opportunities; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

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Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, I rise to introduce the bipartisan Improving Atmospheric River Forecasts Act. This bill would require the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to establish a new program to improve prediction of these important storm systems.

This bill would direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to establish a new program within the National Weather Service to improve atmospheric river forecasts. This includes better data acquisition, like new radar systems that can track the heart of atmospheric rivers hours before storms hit. It also includes implementing a quantitative scale for events on a scale of 1 to 5 to better inform emergency managers and the public about the severity of incoming AR events. The bill also requires the Agency to report back to Congress on the plans for the program and anticipated costs.

As Scripps Institution of Oceanography's Marty Ralph said, ``Atmospheric rivers are the hurricanes of the west coast.'' Why then are we not treating them with the same attention in forecasting? Like the National Hurricane Center in Florida, the West Coast needs a central hub for atmospheric river data acquisition, modeling, prediction, and dissemination.

This bill will take a pivotal first step in bringing atmospheric rivers to the same forecasting sophistication as hurricanes by establishing a new program at NOAA to coordinate these efforts and create accurate, effective, and actionable predictions to minimize loss of life and property.

These steps are especially necessary under a changing climate. As temperatures increase, water bands in atmospheric rivers widen and storms increase in duration. By 2090, NOAA predicts that atmospheric river caused flood damages may increase to between $2.3 and $3.2 billion in annual impact.

I want to thank Senator Murkowski for introducing this important legislation with me in the Senate. I hope all of our colleagues will join us in supporting this bipartisan bill to improve our Nation's resilience to atmospheric river events.

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