Bureau of Reclamation Backs Four Bills to Enhance Western Waterway Operations and Hydropower Infrastructure Funding.

The Bureau of Reclamation supports four bills moving through the House Natural Resources Committee to shore up operations of major Western waterways, including the Colorado and Klamath river basins. The bills, which target hydropower and aging water infrastructure, were met with approval from the Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee. Reclamation’s deputy commissioner of operations, David Palumbo, also supported Rep. Susie Lee’s H.R. 7776, which would provide an additional $45 million in operating funds for the Hoover Dam, would use a “stranded” account to cover shortfalls in retirement accounts of Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) and Bureau of Regulatory Employees.