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Federal Issues

Federal issues

Federal Water Legislation

Part of the Water Congress role as the principal voice of Colorado's water community is to stay on top of federal issues and legislation that may affect Colorado and are important to our members.

We accomplish this in large part through our active membership in the National Water Resource Association (NWRA), a federation of state water organizations concerned with appropriate management, conservation and use of water resources. The Water Congress Federal Affairs Committee works closely with NWRA, enabling us to provide our members greater access to federal water actions and breaking news that may impact our state. Christine Arbogast, Federal Liaison on the CWC Board of Directors, is also the President of NWRA.

Federal Legislation CWC Supports

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Watershed Protection

H.R. 695, the Healthy Forest Management and Wildfire Prevention Act is designed to protect against the bark beetle epidemic, drought, deteriorating forest conditions, and high risk of wildfires on USFS land under BLM jurisdiction.

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Endangered Species

S. 1036, the Sage Grouse Protection and Conservation Act allows states to create and implement state-specific conservation and management plans that will protect and restore the sage grouse in lieu of listing under the Endangered Species Act.

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Colorado Forest and ​Water Alliance

The Colorado Forest and Health Alliance's letter of support for full funding of the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program in the Fiscal Year 2020 Federal Appropriations Bill.

​H.R. 2647 the Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2015 which could expedite under the National Environmental Policy Act and improve forest management activities in regions of the National Forest System derived from the public domain, on public lands under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management, and on tribal lands to return resilience to overgrown, fire-prone forested lands, etc.

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Ski Area Water Rights

H.R. 1830, the Water Rights Protection Act was introduced to protect Colorado's ski area's water rights. Safeguarding privately held water rights is a top priority for the Colorado Water Congress and is vital to the western economy and culture.

H.R. 2647

​H.R. 2647 the Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2015 which could expedite under the National Environmental Policy Act and improve forest management activities in regions of the National Forest System derived from the public domain, on public lands under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management, and on tribal lands to return resilience to overgrown, fire-prone forested lands, etc.

Streamlining Permitting

H.R. 1654 the Water Supply Permitting Coordination Act, which passed the House on June 22, 2017,

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Waters of the U.S.

S. 1140 is drafted to to revise the definition of the term “waters of the United States”, defined in the Federal Register in April 2014. The bill also provides an explanation of the hydrologic cycle that is crucial to Colorado's prior appropriation system.

Water Resource Development

S. 2848, the Water Resources Development Act, as passed by the Senate, provides funding for drinking water infrastructure programs, including $220 million to support repair of the lead-tainted drinking water system in Flint, Michigan.

Specifically, the Senate version of WRDA is important to Colorado because it contains the following provisions:
  • Aquatic nuisance species language,
  • Innovative Water Technology Grant Program, and;
  • Gold King Mine provision.

Water Conservation Rebate Tax Parity Acts

H.R. 448 is drafted to create a system where rebates for water conservation programs are treated the same as energy efficiency rebates under the federal tax code. Water and energy flow hand-in-hand and should be treated the same. Congress declared energy efficiency rebates non-taxable in the tax code in 1992. Water conservation rebates should not be treated as reportable income, but instead encouraged as non-taxable investments in our water future.