Washington, D.C. – On Friday, the Department of the Interior transmitted a proposal to Congress to expedite the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) title transfer process. The proposal mirrors language of H.R. 3281, the “Reclamation Title Transfer and Non-Federal Infrastructure Incentivization Act” (Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-CO), which passed the Committee in July 2017, and is included in the Trump administration’s infrastructure plan released today.

“I’m encouraged by the title transfer proposal that was released by the Administration today.  Like my bill, H.R. 3281, today’s announcement recognizes that benefits of empowering local water users to take greater control of their operations.  We need to get creative in how we address our nation’s aging infrastructure, and I look forward to continuing to work with the Administration to implement these much needed reforms,” Rep. Lamborn stated.

“As long as the federal government holds title to these facilities, water users are stuck under the heavy hand of federal bureaucracy,” Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) stated. “I am encouraged by the Administration’s acknowledgement of the need for a better approach to managing western water infrastructure, and we look forward to working with the Department, state and private partners to streamline and improve this process.”  

Background:

H.R. 3281 streamlines the process of transferring select BOR projects or facilities to local water users in order to incentivize new non-federal investment in water infrastructure and afford more efficient management of water and water-related facilities.