Sloan Canyon Conservation and Lateral Pipeline Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their kind words of support. I, too, am rising today in support of this bill, H.R. 972, that I brought before you. It is the Sloan Canyon Conservation and Lateral Pipeline Act.

As we barrel toward record low water projections at Lake Mead and the increasing risk of prolonged drought due to climate change, there is no time to waste in securing water reliability for southern Nevadans.

My bill would allow a portion of the Southern Nevada Water Authority's Horizon Lateral water pipeline project to tunnel beneath Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area. This pipeline will increase water reliability for over a million southern Nevadans. It will fortify the region's water infrastructure against potential outages, and it will minimize disruptions and impacts to the surrounding communities.

The proposed underground route beneath the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area is estimated to save southern Nevadans at least $200 million, while minimizing disturbances to both residents and the local environment.

This route for the Horizon Lateral water pipeline also ensures the water delivery system's redundancy in emergency situations, and it offers flexibility to accommodate the needs of a growing community.

Finally, this legislation expands the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area by 9,290 acres to enhance the preservation of the desert landscapes and habitat unique to southern Nevada.

I call that a win-win-win. It is no wonder that my legislation received bipartisan support in the House Natural Resources Committee, and I thank my colleagues for that. It is also supported by businesses, conservationists, and the Southern Nevada Water Authority.

Mr. Speaker, I thank you for your attention to this, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' today on this critical legislation for southern Nevada's water future.

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