S. 2966: Idaho Wilderness Water Facilities Act

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S. 2966: Idaho Wilderness Water Facilities Act

111th Congress · introduced 2010-01-28 · Public Lands and Natural Resources · Latest: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests. Hearings held. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 111-565.

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Official title

Idaho Wilderness Water Facilities Act

Plain summary

Idaho Wilderness Water Facilities Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to issue a special use authorization to each of the 20 owners of a water storage, transport, or diversion facility located on National Forest System land in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness and the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness in Idaho for continued operation, maintenance, and reconstruction of such facility if it is determined that: (1) the facility was in existence on the date on which the land upon which it is located was designated as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System; (2) the facility has been in continuous use to deliver water for beneficial use on the owner's non-federal land since the date of designation; (3) the owner holds a valid water right for use of the water on such land under Idaho state law, with a priority date that predates such date; and (4) it is not practicable or feasible to relocate the facility to land outside of the wilderness and continue the beneficial use of water on the non-federal land. Authorizes the Secretary, in a special use authorization under this Act, to: (1) allow the use of motorized equipment and mechanized transport for operation, maintenance, or reconstruction of a facility, if it is determined that the use is necessary to continue delivery of water to the non-federal land for beneficial uses and, after conducting a minimum tool analysis for a facility, that the use of nonmotorized equipment and nonmechanized transport is impracticable or infeasible; and (2) preclude use of the facility for the storage, diversion, or transport of water in excess of the water right. Authorizes the Secretary, in such an authorization, to: (1) require or allow modification or relocation of a facility in the wilderness, as determined necessary, to reduce impacts to wilderness values if the beneficial use of water on the non-federal land is not diminished; and (2) require that the owner provide a reciprocal right of access across the non-federal property, in which case the owner shall receive market value for any right-of-way or other interest in real property conveyed to the United States. Permits the market value to be paid by the Secretary, in whole or in part, by the grant of a reciprocal right-of-way or by reduction of fees or other costs that may accrue to the owner in obtaining an authorization for water facilities.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID] · 1 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Mike Crapo (R-ID)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID] reported raising $3.9 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Sources

• Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
• Congress.gov
• Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-111s2966.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/111/s>

Record fed-us-cong111-s2966 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong111 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong111