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HIGHLIGHTS
FY2027 Appropriations/Energy and Water Development
On May 20, the House Appropriations Committee advanced the FY27 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill (H.R. 9022) with $58.5B in discretionary funding, a $461M increase over FY26 levels. Key provisions include $9.77B for Army Corps Civil Works, $1.84B for Bureau of Reclamation water resources, and $859M in Community Project Funding directed to 71 specific USACE and USBR projects requested by 62 members of Congress, representing 7.40% of the $11.613B combined total for the two agencies
Senate Energy and Natural Resources
On June 10, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee marked up pending legislation, advancing the amended Wildfire Prevention Act (S. 140) on an 11-9 party-line vote after Senator Lee introduced a controversial substitute amendment repealing the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The committee also unanimously approved several water measures, including the Hydropower Licensing Transparency Act, the FLOWS Act, the Large-Scale Water Recycling Reauthorization Act, the Water Project Navigators Act, and the Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program Reauthorization Act.
Senate Energy and Natural Resources/Colorado River
Following the markup, the committee held an oversight hearing on Colorado River Basin management, with witnesses and lawmakers stressing the urgency of a successor agreement before the October 2026 expiration of current operating guidelines, as the system enters its 27th year of drought with total storage at roughly 34% of capacity. Interior Assistant Secretary Andrea Travnicek outlined DOI’s 10-year operational framework — built around hydrology-responsive operations tied to real-time conditions — with a record of decision targeted before mid-August and an operating agreement in place by October 1.
Western Regional Partnership
On May 28-29, the Western Regional Partnership met in Deer Valley, Utah to discuss national security issues at the intersection of water, wildfire, and airspace management across six western states. Panelists from federal, state, and tribal agencies emphasized that water availability underpins military readiness and economic stability, with discussions covering drought vulnerability, aging infrastructure, cybersecurity, the impact of data centers on water resources, and the need for accelerated basin management and stronger regional partnerships.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
WSWC Virtual Summer (210th) Meetings
The Western States Water Council will hold its 210th Meetings virtually on July 14–16, 2026. Webinars on various topics of interest will be scheduled for June, July, and August. The WSWC is hosting supplemental webinars alongside its July 13-16 Virtual Summer Meetings, offering optional technical presentations.
The Summer Series schedule is as follows:
June 16th at 1:00 pm MDT– (WestFAST) NASA’s Water Resources Program: Supporting Water
Management in the U.S. West and Beyond, Perry Oddo and Sean Fleming
July 9th at 1 pm MDT– (WestFAST) Overview of Water Rights Litigation Nation Wide, Stephen
Bartell, Department of Interior.
July 22nd at 11:00 am MDT– (WSWC) Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations: National Screening Update, Cary Talbot, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Additional agenda details and registration will be posted as they become available at the link below: