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Week Ending April 28, 2006

S. 592 An act to amend the Irrigation Project Contract Extension Act of 1998 to extend certain contracts between the Bureau of Reclamation and certain irrigation water contractors in the States of Wyoming and Nebraska.

The reoccurring bill extends again the contract rights, rules and regulations governing operation of the Glendo Unit of the Missouri River Basin Project that spans Wyoming, Nebraska and Colorado.

The Department of Interior described the project this way: “The Glendo Unit is a multiple-purpose natural resource development. It consists of Glendo Dam, Reservoir and Powerplant, Fremont Canyon Powerplant, and Gray Reef Dam and its reregulating reservoir. The unit features, which are located on the North Platte River in eastern and central Wyoming, are adjacent to and work in conjunction with other units of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program, as well as the Kendrick and North Platte Projects.

The unit furnishes a maximum of 40,000 acre-feet of water annually from Glendo Reservoir for irrigation in Wyoming and Nebraska, and electrical power is supplied to Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska by Glendo and Fremont Canyon Powerplants, which have installed capacities of 38,000 and 66,800 kilowatts, respectively.

“The Glendo Unit is operated in conformity with the North Platte River Decree of 1945. It provides irrigation, power generation, flood control, fish and wildlife enhancement, recreation, sediment retention, pollution abatement, and improvement of the quality of municipal and industrial water supply in the North Platte River Valley between Gray Reef Dam and Glendo Reservoir.”

The extension expire December 31 2007.

Sponsor: Senator Thomas Craig (WY)

Vote: Passed Senate by Unanimous Consent. Passed House April 26, 2006 by voice vote.

Cost to the taxpayers: CBO estimates that enacting S. 592 would have no significant impact on the federal budget. Based on information provided by the Bureau of Reclamation, CBO estimates that enacting S. 592 would allow the bureau to avoid costs of less than $500,000 in 2006 and smaller amounts in future years. Those costs are subject to the availability of appropriated funds, but the agency is reimbursed by individuals contracting for water and the reimbursements are deposited in the Treasury as offsetting receipts (a form of direct spending).

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