Hickenlooper Water Conservation Bills Pass Committee

Two of Hickenlooper's bills addressing the Colorado River crisis next head to a full Senate vote

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper, member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, celebrated committee passage of his bipartisan Drought Preparedness Act and Colorado River Basin System Conservation Extension Act. The bills next head to the Senate floor for a full vote.

View Hickenlooper's remarks at today's vote HERE.

"We can't address the Colorado River crisis without working together," said Hickenlooper. "Our bipartisan bills support on-the-ground approaches to conserving water and investing in better strategies to fight this historic drought."

Hickenlooper introduced the Drought Preparedness Act in May to extend existing water management programs that address long-term drought trends in the West.

Specifically this legislation would:

• Reauthorize the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act through 2028
• Continue authorities for Department of Interior (DOI) to prepare drought contingency plans and provide technical assistance to State, local, and Tribal governments on their drought contingency plans
• Maintain authorities for DOI loans to water users for drought mitigation projects
• Support emergency response actions to minimize damages from drought

The bipartisan Colorado River Basin System Conservation Extension Act would extend the System Conservation Pilot Program, which was created to test voluntary water conservation measures to manage severe drought in the Colorado River Basin. The legislation supports the current pilot program through 2026 as Colorado River Basin states, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and stakeholders continue discussions on potential long-term water management once operational rules expire in 2026.

Hickenlooper and Barrasso's Colorado River Basin Conservation Act, which reauthorized the System Conservation Pilot Program through 2024, was signed into law in the fiscal year 2023 omnibus government funding bill. Last year, the System Conservation Pilot Program received $125 million, made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, to enable the Bureau of Reclamation, in partnership with the Upper Colorado River Commission, to implement the System Conservation Pilot Program.

As governor, Hickenlooper helped negotiate the 2019 Colorado River Basin Drought Contingency Plan which helped protect critical levels at Lake Powell and Lake Mead, for the benefit of the entire Colorado River system.

The bills now head to the Senate floor for a full vote. For full video of the Hickenlooper's remarks, click HERE.

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