To amend the Central Utah Project Completion Act to authorize expenditures for the conduct of certain water conservation measures in the Great Salt Lake basin, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Great Salt Lake Stewardship Act allows the Secretary of the Interior to redirect unused federal water project funding to conservation efforts in the Great Salt Lake basin. The lake has been experiencing a severe ecological crisis due to declining water levels, and this bill enables existing funds from the Central Utah Project to be used to address this emergency without requiring new appropriations.
Who Benefits and How
The primary beneficiaries are Utah state and local water districts, which gain access to federal funding for water conservation projects in the Great Salt Lake basin. Environmental conservation organizations and agricultural water users in Utah also benefit, as the bill creates new funding opportunities for projects that could help restore water levels to the shrinking lake. The Bureau of Reclamation benefits from reduced compliance burdens, as conservation measures conducted under this bill are automatically deemed compliant with existing plan requirements.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The original intended beneficiaries of the Central Utah Project may face reduced funding availability if funds are redirected to Great Salt Lake conservation. Federal taxpayers bear an indirect opportunity cost, as funds originally designated for other purposes are reallocated. However, since this uses unexpended budget authority rather than new appropriations, the fiscal impact is limited.
Key Provisions
- Authorizes use of unexpended Central Utah Project budget authority (from sections 202(a)(2) and 202(c)) for water conservation in the Great Salt Lake basin
- Conservation measures must follow the compliance requirements of section 207 of the Central Utah Project Completion Act
- Automatically deems such conservation measures compliant with the Definite Plan Report requirements, streamlining project approval
- Adds a new Section 213 to the Central Utah Project Completion Act (Public Law 102-575)
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to use unexpended Central Utah Project funding for water conservation measures in the Great Salt Lake basin to address the lake's critical water level decline.
Who Benefits
- Utah state government
- Great Salt Lake ecosystem
- Local agricultural water users
Who Bears Costs
- Original Central Utah Project water beneficiaries (if funds are redirected)
- Federal taxpayers (opportunity cost)
Key Policy Areas
Water Conservation, Public Lands, Environmental Protection
Primary Purpose
Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to use unexpended Central Utah Project funding for water conservation measures in the Great Salt Lake basin to address the lake's critical water level decline.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Repurpose existing federal water project funds to address the Great Salt Lake ecological crisis without requiring new appropriations"
Identified Gains
- Utah state government
- Great Salt Lake ecosystem
- Local agricultural water users
- Environmental conservation groups
- Bureau of Reclamation
Identified Costs
- Original Central Utah Project water beneficiaries (if funds are redirected)
- Federal taxpayers (opportunity cost)
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedReceived; read twice and placed on the calendar
Additional sponsor: Ms. Maloy
Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the …
Mr. Curtis (for himself, Mr. Owens, Mr. Moore of Utah, …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Utah state government and local water districts
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
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