S.Amdt. 6047

SA 6047, submitted by Mr. Padilla, aims to add a new section (Section 201A) to the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991. The purpose of this addition is to allow the Secretary to provide technical and financial assistance for planning voluntary projects that use innovative ways to prepare for and respond to drought.

The amendment seeks to add the following to the bill:

• Support for Innovative Projects: It provides assistance for projects that keep agricultural land in production and support rural employment and income. These projects must focus on providing affordable or redundant water supplies and rely on non-Federal funding for long-term implementation.

• Innovative Approaches: The amendment defines innovative approaches as those that are new or lack a track record. This includes:

  • Voluntary water sharing agreements between agricultural entities and parties such as municipal water providers, industrial entities (like data centers), State agencies, or nonprofit conservation organizations.
  • The use of water-saving commodities or practices, such as hydroponics, agroforestry, agrovoltaics, and specific high-efficiency irrigation technologies.
  • Regenerative agricultural practices that lower water consumption.

• Qualified Applicants: Assistance is generally for voluntary partnerships between agricultural entities or irrigation districts and other community or industrial water providers. However, the Secretary can award funds to individual States, Indian Tribes, or agricultural entities that are not in a partnership if the project uses an innovative approach or helps reverse declining groundwater and freshwater inflows.

• Funding and Costs: The Federal government's share of project costs cannot exceed 75 percent, though this can be waived for Tribal entities. Funding will come from up to 10 percent of amounts from the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, plus an authorized appropriation of $5,000,000 for each fiscal year from 2028 through 2034.