Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program Amendment Act of 2025
The Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program Amendment Act of 2025 would create an interest-bearing fund in the U.S. Treasury to hold and manage non-federal contributions to the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program (LC River MSCP). The fund would receive all pre-existing unexpended non-federal contributions and new non-federal contributions from State Parties, with the principal (the deposited amounts) able to be expended according to the program’s documents without additional appropriation. Any interest earned on the fund would also be available for MSCP expenditures, but only as appropriations allow. Investments of the fund would be limited to U.S. government securities. State Parties would not be financially liable for losses from investments. The bill clarifies transfer timing for both existing and future contributions and ties the program’s management to the 2005 MSCP Funding and Management Agreement. In short, the bill aims to secure non-federal money for the LC River MSCP in a dedicated, interest-earning Treasury account, improving preservation of contributed funds and enabling program expenditures with less administrative delay while maintaining federal oversight and risk protections.
Key Points
- 1Establishes a new Non-Federal Funding Account for the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program in the U.S. Treasury to hold non-federal contributions.
- 2Defines key terms: Agreement (MSCP Funding and Management Agreement, 2005), Fund (the new account), Non-federal contribution (state contributions to cover non-federal cost share), and State Party (as defined in the MSCP Agreement).
- 3Deposits: (a) pre-enactment unexpended non-federal contributions, and (b) all future non-federal contributions, must be deposited into the Fund under the program’s rules.
- 4Fund use: Principal deposits can be expended without further appropriation as provided in the Program Documents; interest earned is available for expenditure subject to annual appropriations and under the Program Documents.
- 5Investments: The Secretary of the Treasury may invest non-needed portions of the Fund only in U.S. government (Treasury) securities.
- 6Transfers: Existing funds must be moved to the Fund within 90 days of enactment; future contributions should be transferred to the Fund as soon as practicable after they are contributed.
- 7Risk protection: State Parties are not responsible for losses from investment of funds deposited in the Fund, per the MSCP Agreement.