To amend the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991 to facilitate the transfer of water from the Orland Project to the Central Valley Project.
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
This bill amends federal drought relief law to allow water transfers from the Orland Project in Northern California to the Central Valley Project. The Secretary of the Interior can approve these transfers at any time, regardless of drought conditions, when the Orland Unit Water Users Association requests it.
Who Benefits and How
Central Valley Project water users, particularly agricultural operations in California's Central Valley, gain access to additional water supplies during shortages. The Orland Unit Water Users Association gains flexibility to share unused water resources. Agricultural producers benefit from reduced water supply uncertainty.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Orland Project's existing water users are protected by explicit provisions preventing redirected impacts from these transfers. No new regulatory burdens are created, and existing water rights are preserved.
Key Provisions
- Authorizes water transfers from Orland Project to Sacramento Canal Unit of Central Valley Project
- Removes water year type restrictions on transfer timing
- Protects existing and pending water rights from being affected
- Prevents the transfer from creating new supplemental benefits under the Reclamation Reform Act
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
Amends the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991 to allow the Secretary of the Interior to transfer water from the Orland Project to the Central Valley Project upon request, providing drought relief flexibility for California water users.
Key Policy Areas
Water Resources, Agriculture, Federal Lands
Primary Purpose
Amends the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991 to allow the Secretary of the Interior to transfer water from the Orland Project to the Central Valley Project upon request, providing drought relief flexibility for California water users.
Policy Domains
Section 2 - Amendment to Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Central Valley Project water users
- Agricultural operations in Central Valley
- Orland Unit Water Users Association
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. LaMalfa introduced the following bill; which was referred to …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Agricultural operations in California Central Valley, Central Valley Project water users
Existing water rights holders in Orland Project, Orland Unit Water Users Association
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A Bureau of Reclamation water project in Northern California managed by the Orland Unit Water Users Association
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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