Build Now Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Build Now Act creates a firm environmental-review timeline for Central Valley Project enhancement projects. If a federally issued permit for a CVP enhancement project requires environmental review, the review must be completed within one year after the permit application is submitted. If the responsible agency cannot meet the deadline, the head of the permitting agency must either grant an extension with the applicant approval or deny the permit. A denied applicant may reapply at any time. When a new application follows such a denial, the agency responsible for the previous review must give the applicant, to the extent permitted by law, information gathered during or related to the prior review to support expedited review. Covered CVP enhancement projects include groundwater recharge, aquifer storage, and water source substitution projects that support, enhance, or maintain the Central Valley Project and related infrastructure.
Who Benefits and How
Central Valley Project enhancement applicants benefit from a one-year federal review deadline and the ability to reuse prior review information after denial. Water districts and project sponsors benefit if recharge, aquifer storage, and water-source substitution projects move through review faster. Agricultural water users and communities served by CVP infrastructure may benefit from quicker projects that improve storage and water reliability. Federal permitting agencies benefit from a clear statutory timeline for covered reviews.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Federal agencies conducting NEPA and ESA reviews must complete work within one year or deny the permit unless the applicant agrees to an extension. Agency heads must make extension or denial decisions when timelines slip. Environmental-review staff must organize prior-review information for reapplicants. Applicants risk denial if the agency cannot complete review within the deadline and no extension is approved. Environmental stakeholders may face compressed review schedules for covered projects.
Key Provisions
- Requires environmental reviews for covered CVP enhancement permits to be completed within one year after application submission.
- Requires extension only with applicant approval or denial if the responsible agency cannot meet the deadline.
- Allows denied applicants to reapply at any time after denial.
- Requires agencies to provide prior review information to facilitate expedited review of a reapplication.
- Defines CVP enhancement projects to include groundwater recharge, aquifer storage, and water source substitution projects.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Sets a one-year deadline for NEPA and ESA environmental reviews of Central Valley Project enhancement permits, requires extension only with applicant approval or denial, and requires agencies to share prior review information if a denied applicant reapplies.
Key Policy Areas
Water Infrastructure, California, Permitting, Central Valley Project
Primary Purpose
Sets a one-year deadline for NEPA and ESA environmental reviews of Central Valley Project enhancement permits, requires extension only with applicant approval or denial, and requires agencies to share prior review information if a denied applicant reapplies.
Policy Domains
Substantive provisions
Identified Gains
- Central Valley Project applicants
- Water districts
- Project sponsors
- Agricultural water users
- CVP communities
Identified Costs
- Federal permitting agencies
- Environmental-review staff
- Agency heads
- Permit applicants
- Environmental stakeholders
Sponsors
Adam Gray
D-CA | Primary Sponsor
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Gray (for himself and Mr. Costa) introduced the following …
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Central Valley Project applicants, Permit applicants, Water districts
Positive-direction: Central Valley Project applicants, Water districts
Negative-direction: Permit applicants
Environmental-review staff, Federal permitting agencies
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "CVP"
- → Central Valley Project
- "ESA"
- → Endangered Species Act
- "NEPA"
- → National Environmental Policy Act
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.
Learn more about our methodology