[Pages H3497-H3498]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 FINISH THE ARKANSAS VALLEY CONDUIT ACT

  Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 131) to make certain modifications to the repayment for the 
Arkansas Valley Conduit in the State of Colorado, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 131

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Finish the Arkansas Valley 
     Conduit Act''.

     SEC. 2. ARKANSAS VALLEY CONDUIT, COLORADO.

       Public Law 87-590 (76 Stat. 389; 123 Stat. 1320) is 
     amended--
       (1) in the first section--
       (A) in subsection (c), in the second sentence, by striking 
     ``or in the case of the Arkansas Valley Conduit, payment in 
     an amount equal to 35 percent of the cost of the conduit that 
     is comprised of revenue generated by payments pursuant to a 
     repayment contract and revenue that may be derived from 
     contracts for the use of Fryingpan-Arkansas project excess 
     capacity or exchange contracts using Fryingpan-Arkansas 
     project facilities,''; and
       (B) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(d) Arkansas Valley Conduit.--
       ``(1) Repayment contract.--To provide domestic water 
     supplies to communities and households that do not have 
     reliable access to domestic water supplies, the contract for 
     the Arkansas Valley Conduit shall provide for payment in an 
     amount equal to 35 percent of the cost of the conduit, 
     notwithstanding the reclamation laws or any other provision 
     of this Act. The contract payments shall consist of--
       ``(A) funding provided during construction from any entity 
     other than the Secretary; and
       ``(B) based on a demonstration of financial hardship, as 
     determined by the Secretary, repayment of the balance not 
     covered under subparagraph (A) for a period of not more than 
     75 years with simple interest at a rate that is equal to 50 
     percent of the interest rate determined by the Secretary of 
     the Treasury under section 2(c), including revenue derived 
     from contracts for the use of excess capacity or exchange 
     contracts using Fryingpan-Arkansas project facilities.
       ``(2) Operations and maintenance.--The contract for the 
     Arkansas Valley Conduit shall provide for the assumption by 
     the contracting parties of the care, operation, maintenance, 
     and replacement of the conduit.''; and

[[Page H3498]]

       (2) in section 2(b)(3)(A), by striking ``this section'' and 
     inserting ``subsection (d) of the first section''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. Gosar) and the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Hoyle) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona.


                             General Leave

  Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on H.R. 131, the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Arizona?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 131, the Finish the Arkansas 
Valley Conduit Act, sponsored by Representative Boebert of Colorado.
  The Arkansas Valley Conduit, or AVC is a 130-mile pipeline that 
serves 39 communities and 50,000 people east of Pueblo, Colorado. Once 
completed, it will deliver water to an area of the State that faces 
severe water quality issues.
  The AVC was authorized by Congress as part of the Fryingpan-Arkansas 
Project in 1962. Over 60 years later, construction on this project has 
barely started, largely due to cost increases that have outpaced the 
community's ability to pay.
  In 2009, Congress amended the original legislation to help address 
the project's increasing price tag. Unfortunately, rising construction 
costs over the past few years have continued to delay this critical 
water project.
  The legislation before us today would further modify the repayment 
contract to ensure that these communities have reliable access to 
domestic water supplies. These communities have been waiting for over 
six decades for a reliable water source. H.R. 131 will ensure this 
project can finally be completed.
  Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Ms. HOYLE of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  H.R. 131 seeks to address a longstanding water challenge in 
southeastern Colorado. The Arkansas Valley Conduit is a 130-mile 
pipeline first authorized in 1962 to deliver water from the Pueblo 
Reservoir to communities facing ongoing water supply and quality 
issues. Despite decades of work, the project remains unfinished, 
primarily due to financial constraints.
  This bill would revise certain repayment terms to provide additional 
flexibility for local stakeholders to help finance the project and 
begin delivering clean, reliable water to rural communities.
  My Democratic colleagues and I are committed to addressing the 
barrier that rural communities face in securing clean water. That is 
why we passed historic water infrastructure investments under the 
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act.
  Since 2022, the IIJA has provided $500 million for the Arkansas 
Valley Conduit. These investments are critical for ensuring communities 
across the West have reliable access to clean drinking water, 
especially as climate change is continuing to make drought conditions 
worse.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Representative Boebert, for 
bringing this forward. I urge support for H.R. 131, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Colorado (Ms. Boebert), the lead sponsor of this bill.
  Ms. BOEBERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his support on 
this bill.
  I rise to speak in favor of my bill, H.R. 131, Finish the Arkansas 
Valley Conduit Act, to help complete construction of a critical 
infrastructure project that will provide tens of thousands of southeast 
Colorado residents with access to clean water.
  Southeast Coloradans have waited decades for the completion of the 
Arkansas Valley Conduit. While we have made a lot of progress in the 
recent years and the first two segments of the project are under 
construction, we still have a long way to go.
  This bipartisan and bicameral legislation will help the Bureau of 
Reclamation and local governments finally complete this major water 
project. Rural communities in southeastern Colorado need and deserve 
access to clean, reliable, and affordable water they can utilize on a 
daily basis.
  Once completed, the Arkansas Valley Conduit will provide 7,500-acre-
feet of water per year to as many as 50,000 Coloradans across 40 
different communities in Pueblo, Otero, Bent, Kiowa, Prowers, and Baca 
Counties.
  The Arkansas Valley Conduit was originally approved for construction 
as a part of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project that was signed into law by 
President John F. Kennedy in 1962. Congress amended this law in 2009 to 
tackle water quality concerns and make clear that 35 percent of total 
project costs would be repaid with interest from miscellaneous 
revenues.
  The original 1962 law also made clear that the costs of annual 
operation and maintenance for this important project would be paid for 
by the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District.
  Radium, uranium, and other naturally occurring elements are found in 
the surface and groundwater in southeastern Colorado, and the water 
quality is problematic year-round because of its salinity, selenium, 
sulfate, hardness, and manganese levels.
  The Bureau of Reclamation has found these contamination levels are so 
severe that local communities could see the costs of their drinking 
water triple without this legislation.
  The Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act will ease the burden of 
inflation costs that have caused the original $640 million estimate of 
construction in 2019 to rise to more than $1.3 billion. There have been 
a number of modifications to the proposed Arkansas Valley Conduit over 
the years that have reduced the cost by as much as $200 million.
  I thank the Bureau of Reclamation and the Southeastern Colorado Water 
Conservancy District for working with us in drafting this critical 
legislation. I am grateful to have their support as we work to get this 
bill signed into law.

  Access to clean water is not a luxury. It is a necessity. Southeast 
Colorado families and businesses deserve a reliable and sustainable 
water supply.
  It is time we fully and finally fulfill the promises the Federal 
Government made to the communities I represent in Colorado and finish 
the Arkansas Valley Conduit.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the chair for his support and I urge adoption.
  Ms. HOYLE of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the 
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, this bill provides increased financial 
flexibility for the construction of the long-overdue water 
infrastructure improvements in rural Colorado. I thank Ms. Boebert for 
her diligent work and attention to these issues.
  Arizona is no second citizen to this. We want to see this happen and 
help everybody.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 131, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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