WASHINGTON – Legislation to reauthorize and amend the Dakota Water Resources Act (DWRA) has secured committee passage, according to U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, R-ND, the legislation’s sponsor and member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

The legislation will now go to the full Senate for consideration.

“North Dakota was promised over a million acres of irrigation as compensation for the loss of approximately 550,000 acres of prime farmland permanently flooded by the creation of the Garrison and Oahe reservoirs, and this legislation will ensure that promise is kept,” Hoeven said.

Specifically, Hoeven’s bill would:

– Increase authorizations under the Municipal, Rural, and Industrial (MR&I) water supply grant program for North Dakota and the five tribal nations in the state. An increase is necessary to complete ongoing water supply projects, including the Northwest Area Water Supply Project and the Eastern North Dakota Alternate Water Supply Project, which both would utilize water from the Missouri River.

– Ensure biota water treatment costs are fully accounted for, which are rightly the responsibility of the federal government. Although the DWRA authorized funding for non-reimbursable costs related to such facilities, no authorization ceiling was outlined. As a result, North Dakota and the Bureau of Reclamation have been forced to allocate significant MR&I resources to cover federal responsibilities under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909.

Hoeven has secured the support of Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton for the measure, according to a news release from Hoeven’s office. Hoeven’s legislation is cosponsored by Sens. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Kevin Cramer, R-ND. Congressman Kelly Armstrong has introduced a companion to the bill in the House of Representatives.