WASHINGTON – Legislation that would ensure federal funding for the Northwest Area Water Supply project was approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Wednesday, June 10, according to U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, R-ND.

Hoeven sponsored the Dakota Water Resources Act (DWRA) Amendments, a bipartisan bill that he noted would support more reliable, drought-resistant water supplies in North Dakota while helping to fulfill federal compensation that was promised to the state and tribes upon the construction of the Garrison Dam and Oahe Dam. The legislation now moves to the full Senate for consideration.

Specifically, Hoeven’s legislation would amend the DWRA of 2000 to increase authorizations under the Municipal, Rural, and Industrial (MR&I) water supply grant program for North Dakota and the five tribal nations in the state.

North Dakota reached the state MR&I authorization ceiling at the end of fiscal year 2024. An increase is necessary to complete ongoing water supply projects, including NAWS, and ensure the biota water treatment costs, which are the responsibility of the federal government, are fully accounted for.

Although the DWRA authorized funding for non-reimbursable costs related to the biota facilities, no authorization ceiling was outlined, Hoeven said. As a result, North Dakota and the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) have been forced to allocate significant MR&I resources to cover federal responsibilities under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909.

Hoeven’s legislation is cosponsored by Sens, Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. Congresswoman Julie Fedorchak, R-N.D. introduced a companion to the bill in the House of Representatives.