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H.R. 1654: Water Supply Permitting Coordination Act

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H.R. 1654: Water Supply Permitting Coordination Act

115th Congress · introduced 2017-03-21 · Water Resources Development · Latest: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2017-03-21 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. McClintock, Tom [R-CA-4] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: 2 recorded votes in our records. Latest: House roll call 318 (2017): On Agreeing to the Amendment, HR1654 (2017-06-22), Failed. See all
  4. Where it stands now: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Water Supply Permitting Coordination Act

Plain summary

Water Supply Permitting Coordination Act (Sec. 3) This bill establishes the Bureau of Reclamation as the lead agency for purposes of coordinating all reviews, permits, licenses, or other approvals or decisions (reviews) required under federal law to construct new surface water storage projects in the states covered under the Reclamation Act on lands administered by the Department of the Interior or the Department of Agriculture, including state-led projects, exclusive of any easement, right-of-way, lease, or any private holding, unless the project applicant elects not to participate in the process authorized by this bill (qualifying projects). The Bureau: (1) upon receipt of an application for a qualifying project, shall identify any federal agency that may have jurisdiction over a required review; and (2) shall notify such agency that it has been designated as a cooperating agency unless specified conditions apply. A state in which a qualifying project is being considered may choose to: (1) participate as a cooperating agency; and (2) make subject to the processes of this bill all state agencies that have jurisdiction over the project, are required to conduct or issue a review, or are required to make a determination on issuing a permit, license, or approval for the qualifying project. (Sec. 4) The principal responsibilities of the Bureau are to: (1) serve as the point of contact for applicants, state agencies, Indian tribes, and others regarding qualifying projects; (2) coordinate preparation of unified environmental documentation that will serve as the basis for all federal decisions necessary to authorize the use of federal lands for qualifying projects; and (3) coordinate all federal agency reviews necessary for the development and construction of qualifying projects. The Bureau shall notify cooperating agencies of proposed qualifying projects by 30 days after receipt of a proposal and facilitate a pre-application meeting for prospective applicants, relevant federal and state agencies, and Indian tribes to: (1) explain applicable processes, data requirements, and applicant submissions necessary to complete the required federal agency reviews within the time frame established; and (2) establish the schedule for the qualifying project. The Bureau shall work with the qualifying project applicant and cooperating agencies to establish a project schedule. In establishing the schedule, it shall consider: the responsibilities of cooperating agencies under applicable laws and regulations; the resources available to such agencies and the non-federal qualifying project sponsor; the overall size, complexity, schedule for, and cost of the qualifying project; and the sensitivity of the natural and historic resources that may be affected. The Bureau must: prepare a unified environmental review document on which all cooperating agencies shall base project approval decisions; help ensure that cooperating agencies make necessary decisions regarding environmental compliance in accordance with specified time lines; maintain a consolidated administrative record of the information assembled and used by the cooperating agencies as the basis for agency decisions; ensure that all project data is submitted and maintained in generally accessible electronic format and make such project data available to cooperating agencies, the qualifying project applicant, and the public; and appoint a project manager for each qualifying project. (Sec. 5) Each cooperating agency must submit to the Bureau: (1) a time frame for completing the agency's authorizing responsibilities, (2) all environmental review material produced in the course of carrying out activities required under federal law, consistent with the project schedule, and (3) all relevant project data in a generally accessible electronic format. (Sec. 6) The Department of the Interior, after public notice, may accept and expend funds contributed by a non-federal public entity to expedite the evaluation of a permit of that entity related to a qualifying project. Interior must ensure that all final permit decisions are made available to the public, including on the Internet.

Congressional Research Service summary (Passed House amended), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Water Supply Permitting Coordination Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Passed House amended)

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The strongest published arguments

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. McClintock, Tom [R-CA-4] · 8 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: H.R. 1654, Water Supply Permitting Coordination Act (2017-05-11)

Cosponsors on this site

Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Paul A. Gosar (R-AZ), Darrell Issa (R-CA)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. McClintock, Tom [R-CA-4] reported raising $1.3 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

Recorded votes

Words on this page, explained (4)
Authorization
A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Bill
A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Jurisdiction
The area or the matters a government or court has authority over.
Rulemaking
The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong115-hr1654 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115