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WOW Act

10/28/2022, 1:46 AM

Congressional Summary of HR 5217

Water Optimization for the West Act or the WOW Act

This bill addresses issues related to water projects in the Western States. Among other things, the bill

  • makes the Bureau of Reclamation the lead agency for coordinating permitting activities required for the construction of certain new surface-water storage projects,
  • directs the bureau to convey certain facilities and easements to the Kennewick Irrigation District in Washington State,
  • redirects Department of Transportation funds previously intended for high-speed rail development in California to the Department of the Interior for certain water-related programs,
  • gives the Fish and Wildlife Service the sole authority to protect endangered or threatened fish species that are anadromous species or catadromous species,
  • authorizes the use of certain bureau facilities to convey water to recharge certain aquifers, and
  • prohibits Interior or the Department of Agriculture from requiring a water user to apply for or acquire a water right in order to obtain certain permits or licenses.

Read the Full Bill

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Current Status of Bill HR 5217

Bill HR 5217 is currently in the status of Bill Introduced since November 21, 2019. Bill HR 5217 was introduced during Congress 116 and was introduced to the House on November 21, 2019.  Bill HR 5217's most recent activity was Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry. as of December 11, 2019

Bipartisan Support of Bill HR 5217

Total Number of Sponsors
1
Democrat Sponsors
0
Republican Sponsors
1
Unaffiliated Sponsors
0
Total Number of Cosponsors
11
Democrat Cosponsors
0
Republican Cosponsors
11
Unaffiliated Cosponsors
0

Policy Area and Potential Impact of Bill HR 5217

Primary Policy Focus

Water Resources Development

Potential Impact Areas

- Administrative law and regulatory procedures
- Advisory bodies
- California
- Civil actions and liability
- Congressional oversight
- Dams and canals
- Department of Agriculture
- Department of Commerce
- Department of the Interior
- Disaster relief and insurance
- Endangered and threatened species
- Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
- Environmental regulatory procedures
- Executive agency funding and structure
- Farmland
- Federal-Indian relations
- Fishes
- Government information and archives
- Government studies and investigations
- Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
- Hydrology and hydrography
- Indian lands and resources rights
- Intergovernmental relations
- Judicial review and appeals
- Lakes and rivers
- Land transfers
- Land use and conservation
- Licensing and registrations
- Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
- Parks, recreation areas, trails
- Performance measurement
- Pest management
- Pipelines
- Public contracts and procurement
- Railroads
- Rural conditions and development
- State and local government operations
- Transportation programs funding
- User charges and fees
- Utah
- Washington State
- Water quality
- Water resources funding
- Water storage
- Water use and supply
- Wetlands
- Wildlife conservation and habitat protection

Alternate Title(s) of Bill HR 5217

WOW Act
To provide for western water security, reliability, modernization, and abundance, and for other purposes.
WOW Act
Water Optimization for the West Act

Comments

Sponsors and Cosponsors of HR 5217

Tom McClintock
Tom McClintock
CaliforniaRepublican
Scott R. Tipton
Scott R. Tipton
ColoradoRepublican
Dan Newhouse
Dan Newhouse
WashingtonRepublican
Kevin McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy
CaliforniaRepublican
Doug LaMalfa
Doug LaMalfa
CaliforniaRepublican

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