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1 [1] (April 2, 2019)

handle is hein.crs/govyze0001 and id is 1 raw text is: L Con ressional Reseah Service April 2, 2019 Bureau of Reclamation: FY2020 Appropriations Overview Most of the large dams and water diversion structures in the 17 states west of the Mississippi River were built by, or with the assistance of, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), part of the Department of the Interior. Reclamation's original mission was to develop water supplies, primarily for irrigation to reclaim arid lands in the West. Today, its mission includes management, development, and protection of water and related resources. Reclamation's mission areas and geographic scope are generally narrower than those of the other principal federal water resource agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Today, Reclamation manages hundreds of water storage and conveyance projects. These projects provide water to approximately 10 million acres of farmland and 31 million people. Reclamation is the largest wholesale supplier of water in these 17 western states and the second-largest hydroelectric power producer in the nation. Operations of Reclamation facilities can be controversial, particularly in relation to effects on fish and wildlife species and conflicts among competing water users. Reclamation's role has evolved, and its focus has gradually shifted from construction of new water storage projects to operation and maintenance of existing projects. Reclamation also has expanded into new areas, including funding for water supply projects on tribal lands and in rural areas under congressionally authorized Indian water rights settlements and rural water supply projects, respectively. Congress has also authorized Reclamation grants to nonfederal projects, including those for water reuse and recycling, conservation and efficiency, and desalination. Reclamation's Water and Related Resources account funds most agency activities, including construction, operation and maintenance, dam safety, and ecosystem restoration. It also funds Indian water rights settlements and most Reclamation programmatic and grant authorities. Reclamation also typically requests funding for three smaller accounts: California Bay-Delta Restoration, the Central Valley Project Restoration Fund (the latter of which is offset by customer receipts), and the Policy and Administration account. FY2020 Budget The President's budget request for FY2020 proposed $1.11 billion in gross current authority for Reclamation. The final FY2019 enacted level was $1.57 billion. Figure 1 shows recent appropriations levels for Reclamation compared to the FY2020 President's budget request. Figure I. Bureau of Reclamation Accounts and Appropriations, FY20 I 3-FY2020 Request (nominal $ in millions) $1,500 $1,200 $300 P.1 Y4 FIS F1 FY17 Y1 FY19 YI a California Bay-Delta ~ VPRF - Policy and Administration E Water and Related Resources Fiscal Year Source: CRS, based on Reclamation budget request and enacted appropriations data. Notes: Does not reflect offsetting receipts for the Central Valley Project Restoration Fund (CVPRF). Earmarks and Reclamation The Water and Related Resources account is made up largely of individual project funding lines. These projects have been subject to recent earmark moratoriums that restrict the addition of funding for geographically specific project line-items that the Administration did not request. In lieu of these additions, since FY2014 Congress has included additional funding beyond the President's budget request for selected categories of Reclamation projects. These funds typically are allocated in work plans produced by the Administration and made available several months after appropriations bills have been enacted (these plans are available at http://www.usbr.gov/budget/). FY2019 enacted appropriations continued the practice of providing additional funds to be allocated in a work plan. Congress appropriated $387 million in addition to the President's FY2019 budget request to fund projects in the following categories: rural water ($99 million); water conservation and delivery ($244 million); environmental restoration or compliance ($40 million); and facilities operation, maintenance, and rehabilitation ($4 million). Additional funding amounts for Reclamation in recent enacted Energy and Water appropriations bills are shown in Figure 2. The lack of funding for these projects in the President's Budget Request for FY2020 accounts for 83% of the reduction compared to the FY2019 enacted amount. https://crsreports.congress.go NFCS

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