As ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on May 16, 2013
S. 659 would extend the authority of the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation, to assist states, tribes, and local governments with conservation, management, and construction activities to mitigate the effects of drought. For the 2005-2012 period, $90 million was authorized to be appropriated for this program. The Congress appropriated about $75 million before the authority expired in 2012. S. 659 would extend the authority to appropriate funds through 2018. CBO assumes that the remaining $15 million would be appropriated in equal amounts over the next five years.
Based on information from the Bureau of Reclamation, CBO estimates that implementing the legislation would cost $14 million over the 2014-2018 period. Pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply to this legislation because it would not affect direct spending or revenues.
S. 659 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.
