Water Rights Protection Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. HUFFMAN. Madam Chair, H.R. 3189 is too broad. It would not solve the problem that it purports to address, but it would indeed impede ongoing collaborative efforts across this country.

Once again, I am afraid that the majority has ignored an opportunity for a bipartisan, solution-oriented engagement on an issue and instead chosen the same old attack-and-accuse and overreach politics.

This legislation stems from a very legitimate concern that was raised by the ski industry regarding how the Forest Service was proposing to handle water rights in public leases for ski areas. This was something that we could have worked together on. In fact, I think the House could have found a constructive bipartisan solution. We could have had this resolved by now.

Instead, the Republican leadership held a hearing on this issue during the government shutdown, meaning that we did not have the opportunity to question the Forest Service. Instead of the benefit of a dialogue and a conversation, we had an empty chair. Of course, the attacks on that empty chair ensued as part of the political theater.

Had the GOP bothered to actually talk to the Forest Service, they would have found a receptive partner in a solution to this problem. They would have found, in fact, that a solution was already in the works.

Had the Republican majority actually worked with the Forest Service, they could have influenced a proposal that is being revised right now by the Forest Service. Instead, we are dealing with a bill here today that goes far beyond the scope of the issue at hand and could affect voluntary agreements and contracts across this country.

In fact, this bill before us today could stop the Federal Government from taking the very actions that could help ensure recreational opportunities for Americans, like skiing, rafting, kayaking, and fishing. Preventing water right holders from entering into agreements with Federal agencies could put our recreational economy at risk and could impede our ability to implement important water agreements throughout the West.

We still have an opportunity to get back on a constructive track here. We have a chance to pass an amendment--the Polis amendment--that narrows the bill's scope to its original intent and would address the concerns of the ski areas.

I urge my colleagues to support the Polis amendment to address the ski area water rights issues, and I encourage my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to work with us to try to salvage this bill and focus on the real concern at hand.

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