The U.S. Department of the Interior's (DOI) Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) is slated to receive $1.4 billion in President Joseph R. Biden's proposed Fiscal Year 2023 (FY2023) budget to improve water and hydropower reliability across the American West, DOI reported recently.
The funds will allow USBR to continue provide reliable, sustainable water and power to agriculture, industry, communities and families while addressing the disproportions in supply and demand, the USBR states in the March 28 announcement. President Biden'ts FY2023 budget was submitted to Congress at that time.
“The American West is facing growing challenges to water and power availability and ecosystems due to climate change, aging water delivery systems and competing demands that are outstripping supply,” Tanya Trujillo, assistant secretary for Water and Science, said in the report. “President Biden’s FY 2023 budget will enable Reclamation to address these challenges by developing long-term measures that build more resilient communities, protect the natural environment and modernize aging infrastructure.”
Trujillo said FY2023 budget funding would allow USBR to develop long-term plans to build climate-resilient communities, modernize infrastructure and protect the environment.
USBR petitioned for $1,414,225,000 in Federal discretionary appropriations, which is expected to be augmented by nearly $3 billion in separate Federal and non-Federal monies, the report states. Funds would be divided into the following accounts, according to USBR: $1,270,376,000 to Water and Related Resources; $65,079,000 to Policy and Administration; and $33,000,000 to California Bay Delta. A total of $45,770,000 for the Central Valley Project Restoration Fund is expected to be offset by discretionary receipts in the amounts collected during the fiscal year, according to USBR.
USBR's FY 2023 budget proposal includes also $50.3 million for the Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project (WA); $34.8 million for the Klamath Project in Oregon and Californis; and $27.4 million for the Site Security Program to cover security improvements at key facilities, including guards, anti-terrorism measures and risk assessments, according to the report.
“Reclamation manages water and power, but we serve people,” acting Commissioner David Palumbo said in the announcement.
“President Biden’s FY 2023 Budget continues his administration’s support for the people of the American West," Palumbo said, "ensuring that Tribes, farmers, ranchers, communities and businesses have the clean, affordable and reliable water and power that nurtures their lives and livelihood and protects the environment, ecosystems, and the species on which we all rely.”
