S 887119th CongressIn Committee

Basin Fund Preservation Act

Introduced: Mar 6, 2025

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

Basin Fund Preservation Act would require a formal interagency agreement to study and address how a July 2024 supplement to the Glen Canyon Dam long-term plan record of decision (the “record of decision”) could affect the Upper Colorado River Basin Fund. Specifically, the bill directs the Secretary of the Interior (through the Bureau of Reclamation) and the Secretary of Energy (through the Western Area Power Administration), in consultation with the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Work Group, to enter into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) and develop a plan. The plan must consider impacts on Fund obligations (such as routine operations, maintenance, and replacement of infrastructure), effects on hydropower production and related costs or grid reliability, and potential implications for species listed under the Endangered Species Act. The act also preserves existing Administrative Procedure Act rights and obligations. In short, the bill creates a structured interagency planning effort to anticipate and address how a specific 2024 decision could affect the financial and operational framework of the Upper Colorado River Basin Fund, with particular attention to infrastructure, power generation, and endangered species protections.

Key Points

1Short title: This act is known as the Basin Fund Preservation Act.
2Interagency memorandum of understanding: Within a practicable timeframe after enactment, the Secretary of the Interior (via Reclamation), the Secretary of Energy (via WAPA), and the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Work Group must enter into an MOU to explore and address the impacts of the July 2024 record of decision on the Upper Colorado River Basin Fund.
3Plan requirements: The MOU must lead to a plan that uses information from existing hydropower contracts and addresses:
4Information basis: The plan should be informed by information in existing hydropower contracts.
5Savings clause: The act does not preempt rights or obligations under the Administrative Procedure Act, preserving existing procedural rights and processes.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected- The Upper Colorado River Basin Fund and its governing/operating agencies (Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation and the Department of Energy’s Western Area Power Administration), along with the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Work Group; implications for how funds are used to operate, maintain, and replace critical infrastructure, and to support hydropower at Glen Canyon Dam.Secondary group/area affected- Hydropower customers and grid operators relying on Glen Canyon Dam output, since the plan considers costs to replace hydropower resources and grid reliability.Additional impacts- Environmental and wildlife considerations related to Endangered Species Act-listed species, as the plan must identify relevant impacts.- Potential financial and operational implications for infrastructure replacement and long-term maintenance funded by the Upper Colorado River Basin Fund.- Administrative/procedural considerations tied to the Administrative Procedure Act, ensuring that existing rights and processes are preserved.

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