Maria Cantwell: “I support S. 2605 and believe it codifies a fair and equitable settlement of Snake River Basin water rights in Idaho.…”

“I support S. 2605 and believe it codifies a fair and equitable settlement of Snake River Basin water rights in Idaho. However, I am concerned that the bill currently pending before the Senate may have inadvertently altered the rights of my constituents and obligations of the downstream States of Washington and Oregon in the application and implementation of Federal environmental laws. Therefore, I have a few questions to ask regarding the effect of section 4 of S. 2605 and the agreement, as expressed in the Mediator's Term Sheet, that S. 2605 would approve. Specifically, I am concerned about (1) whether some inference might be drawn from the language in section 4(a) of the act that, by approving, ratifying and confirming the agreement, Congress has in effect altered the obligation of Federal agencies to consult under section 7 of the Endangered Species Act; (2) whether the act might be interpreted to require that Federal agencies implement the agreement without taking into consideration the interests of other affected States; and (3) whether the act or the agreement might be construed to alter any obligations that the parties might have under the Clean Water Act, particularly in relation to the protection of federally approved State water quality standards of downstream States.”