Sen. Jeff Bingaman Holds a Hearing On S. 2156, the Secure Water Act

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Sen. Jeff Bingaman Holds a Hearing On S. 2156, the Secure Water Act

U.S. SENATE COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES HOLDS A HEARING ON S. 2156, THE SECURE WATER ACT

DECEMBER 11, 2007

SPEAKERS: SEN. JEFF BINGAMAN, D-N.M. CHAIRMAN SEN. DANIEL K. AKAKA, D-HAWAII SEN. BYRON L. DORGAN, D-N.D. SEN. RON WYDEN, D-ORE. SEN. TIM JOHNSON, D-S.D. SEN. MARY L. LANDRIEU, D-LA. SEN. MARIA CANTWELL, D-WASH. SEN. KEN SALAZAR, D-COLO. SEN. ROBERT MENENDEZ, D-N.J. SEN. BLANCHE LINCOLN, D-ARK. SEN. JON TESTER, D-MONT.

SEN. BERNARD SANDERS, I-VT.

SEN. PETE V. DOMENICI, R-N.M. RANKING MEMBER SEN. LARRY E. CRAIG, R-IDAHO SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI, R-ALASKA SEN. RICHARD M. BURR, R-N.C. SEN. JIM DEMINT, R-S.C. SEN. BOB CORKER, R-TENN. SEN. JEFF SESSIONS, R-ALA. SEN. JIM BUNNING, R-KY. SEN. GORDON H. SMITH, R-ORE. SEN. MEL MARTINEZ, R-FLA.

WITNESSES: ROBERT JOHNSON, COMMISSIONER, BUREAU OF RECLAMATION

ROBERT HIRSCH, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, WATER, U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

JOHN D'ANTONIO, REPRESENTING THE WESTERN STATES WATER COUNCIL

PATRICK O'TOOLE, FAMILY FARM ALLIANCE

JON LAMBECK, METROPOLITAN WATER DISTRICT OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

BRIAN RICHTER, NATURE CONSERVANCY

DAVID WUNSCH, REPRESENTING THE NATIONAL GROUNDWATER ASSOCIATION

[*] BINGAMAN: OK. Good afternoon. It's a pleasure to welcome everyone to this afternoon's hearing.

We're lucky to have some very well qualified witnesses here to discuss water-related challenges facing the nation. The committee appreciates everyone's effort to be here and to testify.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on S. 2156, which is entitled the SECURE Water Act. This is a bill that I'm sponsoring, along with Senator Domenici, Senators Cantwell, Johnson, Salazar and Tester.

The bill would initiate a range of federal actions to help address water resource issues across the country. While states and local communities bear the primary responsibilities for allocating and managing water, the federal government has a responsibility to be a worthy partner in that effort, and the SECURE Water Act was drafted in order to accomplish that objective.

Water has always been a priority in the West. Nonetheless, the stakes are higher now than ever before, as the confluence of drought and climate change and population increases and environmental needs are testing water managers in unprecedented ways.

Added to the mix is the increasing reliance on water resources to help produce electricity and fuel. Almost daily, we're seeing disturbing news reports describing conflicts over water. These conflicts continue in the West, as they have since the West was settled, but we're also seeing them spread to other areas, such as the Southeast, where drought has resulted in a heated dispute between Georgia and Alabama and Florida over flows in the Chattahoochee River.

The news is also filled with dire predictions about water supply. For example, there are reports now forecasting significant reductions in snowpack. Snowpack is the source of 80 percent of stream flows in the West.

Perhaps more alarming, USGS testified before this committee in June that a majority of climate models are in agreement that the Southwest -- which is the fastest-growing region in the country -- will likely face a 20 percent to 40 percent reduction in overall water supply as a result of global warming.

In light of these conflicts and projected uncertainty over future water supplies, it's alarming that the funding available for water resource programs has fallen significantly in recent years. Accounting for inflation, total appropriations for water infrastructure, management, restoration and monitoring programs at the Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Reclamation, EPA, USDA and the U.S. Geological Survey fell by 11 percent, or $1.2 billion between 2001 and 2007.

If the president's 2008 budget were to be implemented, the reduction would be 19 percent, or $2.2 billion. In my view, these cuts have been ill-advised. They have left many communities vulnerable.

Water issues are complicated, and the...

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