CRAMER: HOUSE PASSES TITLE TRANSFER BILL

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Kevin Cramer announced passage of the Reclamation Title Transfer and Non-Federal Infrastructure Incentivization Act (H.R. 3281) today in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill helps facilitate the transfer of Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) facilities to non-federal ownership, such as a state political subdivision or water user association. 

“Currently, no matter how big or small, transferring ownership of Reclamation facilities requires an Act of Congress which, as we know, can be futile no matter how reasonable the bill,” said Cramer. “We’re going through this process right now with the Dickinson and Jamestown recreation and cabin property, and while I’m confident on those title transfers, there are other facilities North Dakota could benefit by being transferred to non-federal entities. We can eliminate a lot of administrative paperwork, liability, and maintenance expense for the federal taxpayer and empower local users to better manage these properties through the bill passed today.”

The bill authorizes the Department of the Interior (DOI) to convey federal interest in an eligible Reclamation project to an agency of a state political subdivision, a joint action or powers agency, a water users association, or an Indian tribe or tribal utility authority which holds a water service contract for such property and has the capacity to continue to manage the property for the same purposes it has been managed under reclamation law. DOI is required to notify Congress in writing of the proposed conveyance at least 90 days in advance to give Congress the opportunity to pass a joint resolution disapproving the conveyance.  

Reclamation is the nation’s largest wholesale water supplier. The federal agency delivers irrigation water to 10 million farmland acres, 10 trillion gallons of water to more than 31 million people annually, and is the second largest domestic producer of hydropower. Reclamation’s assets include 492 dams, 1,901 buildings and over 8,000 miles of canals in the 17 western states. The Dakota Area Office manages Reclamation programs and facilities in North Dakota.    

Yesterday, the House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans held a hearing on Cramer’s bills to convey Reclamation property at the Dickinson and Jamestown Reservoirs. 

###