Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 2567 - Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1989

(House)
(Thomas (R) Wyoming)

The Administration opposes enactment of H.R. 2567 unless it is amended to modify or delete the following objectionable provisions.

—  Title III, which would authorize the Meredith Salinity Control Project, should be amended to require all design and construction services provided by the Bureau of Reclamation to be fully reimbursable within three years at current interest rates. This is consistent with the Administration's policy on the repayment of municipal and industrial water projects.

—  Title V, pertaining to the Central Valley Project, should be deleted in its entirety. Section 501, which would provide for the extension of the service area of the Tehama-Colusa Canal, may not be consistent with current negotiations for water allocations under the Coordinated Operating Agreement. Section 502, which would authorize a long-term water contract with the Toulumne Regional Water District, would override an Environmental Impact Statement on water marketing for the Central Valley Project which is now being developed.

—  Title VI, the Federal Government has no responsibility for cleaning up polluted irrigation return flows. The Federal Government's financial involvement in the Salton Sea project must be strictly limited to research, on a 50/50 cost shared basis, which furthers the development of new methods or cheaper methods of removing contaminants that occur as a result of irrigation practices. The Administration would oppose any Federal funding for follow-on projects. These are a state, local, or private responsibility.

—  Title XII should be modified to delete the authorization for construction of the McDowell County, West Virginia, fish hatchery. This provision would supersede Congress' own mandated fish hatchery feasibility study which is currently underway.

The Administration also recommends a modification of Section 206, which would authorize a fish and wildlife restoration program in the area of the Leadville Mine, Colorado. Specifically, the Federal responsibility for restoration should be limited to the effluent discharged from the mine.