Sen. Lummis’s bills on drought preparedness, water scarcity in Wyoming head to president’s desk

CASPER, Wyo. — Sen. Cynthia Lummis’s (R-WY) legislation to shore up drought preparedness measures and address water scarcity in Wyoming and the west passed the Senate last week. The bills now head to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature.

Lummis headed to the Senate floor to seek support for the bipartisan Water Data Improvement Act and the Drought Preparedness Act, and the bills were passed by unanimous consent, a news release from Lummis’s office said.

“The west’s ability to continue leading our nation in cutting-edge water conservation and management hinges on preserving proven policies that mitigate drought threats,” Lummis said. “We must act urgently to ensure our state, local and Tribal governments are adequately prepared to deal with droughts and shore up our water infrastructure across Wyoming and western states.”

The Water Data Improvement Act will:

• Support the National Groundwater Resources Monitoring Network, which promotes collaborative groundwater monitoring between federal, state and local programs, by reauthorizing the program at $4 million annually.
• Reauthorize the National Streamflow Information Program at $10 million annually to help monitor water levels.
• Improve water estimation and monitoring technologies by reauthorizing the grant programs for agencies, academic institutions and private entities to develop and implement new methodologies and technologies.
• Improve collaboration between the Department of Interior and other federal and state agencies to streamline and centralize water data collection systems and water supply forecasting techniques.

The Drought Preparedness Act will:

• Reauthorize the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act through 2028.
• Continue authorities for DOI to prepare drought contingency plans and provide technical assistance to state, local and Tribal governments on their drought contingency plans.
• Maintain authorities for DOI loans to water users for drought mitigation projects.
• Support emergency response actions to minimize damages from drought.