Agency: Department of the Interior-Bureau of Reclamation
Description:
Grants, contracts, or financial assistance agreements to complete short-term bridging actions and longer-term durable actions to protect the Colorado River and the 40 million people it serves and possibly other basins experiencing a comparable level of long-term drought, such as the Sacramento-San Joaquin, Klamath, and Rio Grande Basins.
Bill Section:
50233
New or Existing:
Existing
Potential Cost:
$4,000,000,000
Timeline:
FY22-26
Implementation Status/Rulemaking:
In October 2022, DOI announced the creation of the new Lower Colorado River Basin System Conservation and Efficiency Program, funded with $50 million through the Inflation Reduction Act. Two of the three components are open for proposal submissions from Oct. 12 to Nov. 21, 2022: Source
In November 2022, DOE announced $22 million in new funding through the Inflation Reduction Act in fiscal year 2023 to mitigate impacts from the worsening drought crisis impacting the Salton Sea in Southern California: Source
In February 2023, DOE announced up to $125 million in funding from the Inflation Reduction Act will enable Reclamation, in partnership with the Upper Colorado River Commission, to immediately move forward to implement the System Conservation Pilot Program: Source
In May 2023, DOI announced a consensus-based system conservation proposal from the seven Colorado River Basin states: Source
Other TCS Resources:
TCS Testifies at House Natural Resources Hearing on Western Water