Bureau of Reclamation Transparency Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 660) to require the Secretary of the Interior to submit to Congress a report on the efforts of the Bureau of Reclamation to manage its infrastructure assets.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

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Mr. Speaker, H.R. 660 is bipartisan legislation introduced by Representative Paul Gosar of Arizona.

For more than a century, the Bureau of Reclamation has transformed the West into a powerhouse that feeds the Nation and the world, and provides renewable and emissions-free energy for millions.

Bureau of Reclamation projects have proven to be critical to the American way of life in the West, and we must ensure their protection for future generations. This means having open and honest discussions about the challenges the Bureau of Reclamation faces maintaining and repairing these projects.

To that end, H.R. 660 is a bipartisan bill that requires the Federal Government to make public in a unified way the estimated cost of repairs for reclamation facilities. The American public has asked for and deserves laws that reflect transparency and open discussion. H.R. 660 delivers that.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Arizona for his work on this.

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