Padilla, Calvert Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Support the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Representative Ken Calvert (R-Calif.-41) introduced bipartisan legislation to support Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program (LCR MSCP) activities.
The bill would increase the funding available for species conservation by creating an interest-bearing account at the Department of the Treasury for funds that the Colorado River Lower Basin states and the federal government contribute to the LCR MSCP. Currently, the Bureau of Reclamation holds the funding that states, including California, Arizona, and Nevada, contribute in an account that does not collect interest.
The legislation advanced out of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources by voice vote last Congress. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) are cosponsoring the legislation.
“The Lower Colorado River Multispecies Conservation Program is critical to balancing our water needs and hydropower production with the conservation of native species in the Lower Colorado River,” said Senator Padilla. “As ongoing drought threatens the Colorado River’s water resources and increases project costs, allowing the program’s account to accrue interest is a simple, bipartisan solution to ensure that California’s contributions to this program go even further.”
“Providing additional resources for the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program at no cost to taxpayers will support one of our most important natural resources in the Southwest,” said Representative Calvert. “This bipartisan bill is a common-sense step that allows excess funds in the LCR MSCP to earn interest and maintain their effectiveness.”
“The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is proud to participate in the Lower Colorado River Multispecies Conservation Program (LCR MSCP), an incredibly successful collaboration between the federal government, states, and other stakeholders to create habitat for 28 native species,” said Deven Upadhyay, the Interim General Manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. “This bill will enable the funds provided by the States for LCR MSCP projects to be held in an interest-bearing account. The interest collected on this non-federal funding will be reinvested in MSCP projects. Metropolitan appreciates Representative Calvert and Senator Padilla for introducing this bi-partisan legislation and looks forward to its passage.”
“The Multi-Species Conservation Program has improved degraded river habitat conditions to create a more resilient Lower Colorado River—a vital part of the ecosystem and essential for birds, other wildlife, and the people that depend upon it,” said Jennifer Pitt, National Audubon Society’s Colorado River Program Director. “Allowing for smarter investment of the program’s funding will allow Colorado River partners to better protect water and habitat for threatened and endangered species and prevent new species from needing to be listed. We thank the bill sponsors for moving quickly to introduce this bill to generate additional funding for the MSCP into the future.”
The Lower Colorado River provides critical water and power supplies across the Southwest. The LCR MSCP was authorized by Congress in 2009 and is supported by agencies within the federal government, as well as state, tribal, and local water, power, and wildlife agencies. Within the geographic scope of the LCR MSCP from Lake Mead to the Mexican border, the program will establish over 8,000 acres of native riparian and aquatic habitat. It includes additional science-based research and management efforts focused on expanding knowledge of the local wildlife and the quality of the habitat restoration efforts. The program has already achieved success in stocking thousands of native fish and increasing numbers of breeding migratory birds within 5,000 acres of new riparian habitat.
The LCR MSCP has a budget of $626 million for its 50-year term. The funding is shared among the program participants on the basis of 50 percent federal, 25 percent California, and 12.5 percent each from Arizona and Nevada. Through the LCR MSCP agreements, the Lower Basin states committed to make quarterly payments to cover the program costs based on the initial budget estimates established in 2005. For Fiscal Year 2024, the program budget calls for funding of $38.8 million, with the state participants paying $19.4 million.
Over time, the pace of funding has exceeded work expenditures, and the Bureau of Reclamation has accumulated over $60 million in contributed funds for future costs. However, the accounts in which Reclamation holds the contributed funds do not earn interest or any investment return. Multiple funds established by congressional action in the U.S. Treasury are directed to be invested or to earn interest. This legislation simply allows the LCR MSCP to do the same.
Full text of the bill is available here.
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