On the recordDecember 9, 2024
I am placing a hold on S. 4996, the Dakota Water Resources Act Amendments of 2024. This bill authorizes the appropriation of more than $1.5 billion to further the construction of projects that directly and indirectly facilitate the diversion of water outside of the Missouri River basin. Despite the precedent this will set and the impacts these projects will have on the future of water supply for downstream States along the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, the Bureau of Reclamation has only held two meetings with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, one in 2010 and the other in 2015. The Bureau has not engaged with any other downstream States or impacted interests, which includes municipal water supply users, navigators, and electric utilities. ____________________
