Members of the House Natural Resources Committee debated Wednesday whether to give local water contractors input into Endangered Species Act reviews, as shrinking water supplies across the West increasingly put agricultural and environmental needs at odds.
The Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries reviewed H.R.8259, the “Federal Water Projects Consultation Improvement Act,” which would require federal agencies to involve local contractors during ESA biological assessments, which can dictate when and how much water flows.
The bill, introduced by Rep. Cliff Bentz (R-Ore.), focuses on the Bureau of Reclamation which operates across 17 western states. That includes the Klamath Basin in Oregon, where Reclamation is rewriting the endangered species rules that govern its dams and pumps.
“This bill does not change the Endangered Species Act or change consultation requirements,” said Bentz who has argued that existing ESA rules do not give irrigation districts and farmers consideration. “This bill would improve the ESA consultation process and nothing more.”
