Daines Fights for Montana Rural Water Projects

Press Release

Representative Steve Daines is fighting to strengthen Montana's rural water infrastructure by introducing legislation that would secure funding for Montana rural water projects and calling on Congress to prioritize funding for the completion of rural water projects as the House finalizes FY 2015 Appropriations.

Daines today introduced H.R. 4420, the Authorized Rural Water Projects Completion Act, which works to provide rural communities the support necessary to finally complete rural water projects that have been underfunded for several years.

"It is imperative that the federal government fulfill its obligations and promises to Montana's rural communities and provides needed funding to ensure our rural water projects are completed," Daines stated. "The Authorized Rural Water Projects Completion Act will provide our rural communities with the resources necessary to finish these projects and will ensure that taxpayer dollars are best put to use as we work to improve our water infrastructure in Montana's rural and tribal communities."

H.R. 4420, which is comparable to legislation authored by former Senator Max Baucus, establishes the "Reclamation Rural Water Construction Fund" to enable the completion of construction of Congressionally authorized rural water projects as expeditiously as possible.

Daines' bill would ensure adequate funding is directed to projects in rural communities in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, New Mexico, Minnesota, and Iowa that would provide much needed access to water supplies.

Fort Peck Sioux and Assiniboine Chairman A. T. Stafne commended Daines' introduction of H.R. 4420, noting its importance to the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.

"The Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes support the Congressman Daines bill as a crucial step to completing the rural water system on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation and within Dry Prairie," Chairman Stafne stated. "The companion bill in the Senate, introduced by Senator Baucus and co-sponsored by Senators Tester and Walsh, and 8 other senators, and the House bill, introduced by Representative Daines, will ensure completion of our invaluable project and six other authorized projects in Montana, the Dakotas and New Mexico within a reasonable time frame. Without the House and Senate bills, the projects will linger for decades, and inflation will increase the cost to the taxpayers unnecessarily. The Congressman's bill is essential and greatly appreciated."

Rick Knick, Chairman of the Dry Prairie Rural Water Authority Board, also commended Daines' efforts.

"On behalf of the Dry Prairie Rural Water Authority, and the more than 30,000 people of Northeast Montana who are depending upon us to deliver clean and safe water to their homes, farms and businesses, we would like to commend Representative Steve Daines for introducing legislation that will help us complete our joint water project with the Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes," Knick stated. "This bill, which is similar to legislation introduced by former Senator Max Baucus last year, and co-sponsored by Senators Jon Tester and John Walsh, will help ensure that adequate funding is provided to the Fort Peck/Dry Prairie project as well as other authorized rural water projects throughout the country which are taking far too long to complete. We look forward to working with Representative Daines and Senators Tester and Walsh so that this important bill becomes law."

Larry Bonderud, President of the North Central Montana Rural Water Authority, added: "Water supplies will be the key to the future of northern Montana, and we are deeply appreciative of Representative Steve Daines' efforts to introduce this legislation that will ensure the Rocky Boy's/North Central Montana Rural Water System is completed at a much sooner rate than under current funding. Representative Daines has traveled our area extensively and has a good understanding of the needs of Northern Montanans."

In recent letters to House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Chairman Michael Simpson and Ranking Member Marcy Kaptur, Daines also called on the federal government to fulfill commitments made to rural regions and prioritize funding for Congressionally authorized rural water projects.

"Year after year, these projects have gone underfunded and the cost to taxpayers only increases with inflation and delayed completion," Daines stated. "The Bureau of Reclamation has the responsibility to complete these Congressionally authorized projects that impact rural communities. The funding will allow these projects to make meaningful progress and bring much-needed water to the United States."

In recent years, delays in the construction of authorized Montana rural water projects have resulted in millions of dollars in added costs and increased barriers to quality water accessibility for rural communities in Montana.

The Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes and Dry Prairie Rural Water Project was authorized more than fourteen years ago. The authorization has sinced been extended twice by Congress and has nearly doubled the overall cost of construction, from $190 million to $320 million. Overhead is anticipated to consume $11 million in projected savings on the project due to date and encroach upon the authorized construction ceiling.

The Rocky Boy's Chippewa Cree Tribe and North-Central Regional Water project was originally authorized in 2002 and shares similar challenges of increasing construction costs, wasted projected savings and poor accessibility to quality water due ot the lack of adequate funding to complete the project.

A third project, the Dry-Redwater Regional Water System in eastern Montana, is nearing completion of its feasibility study and could face similar difficulties once authorized.

In recent years, the President's budget request has included less and less money for critical rural water projects. In FY 2013, the request was a total of $69.578 million. In FY 2014, it dropped to $40.041 million and down to $34.1 million for the FY 2015 request.

Last year, the House passed an amendment that successfully added an additional $27 million for rural water projects, which included the following five authorized rural water projects:

* Lewis & Clark Regional Water System in South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa
* Garrison Diversion Unit (Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program) in North Dakota
* Rocky Boy's/North Central Montana Rural Water System in Montana
* Fort Peck Reservation/Dry Prairie Rural Water System in Montana
* Eastern New Mexico Water Supply Project in New Mexico

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