To amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to provide exemptions from the consultation requirements required under that Act for agency actions that fulfill critical human water needs, and for other purposes.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The bill defines critical human water need as water required for municipal drinking water, emergency firefighting, public health and safety, or food security; and defines water management agency as any Federal, State, or local, authorizes the Secretary to grant temporary exemptions from Endangered Species Act Section 7(a)(2) consultation requirements when critical human water needs conflict with ESA protections, if water agencies have, and sets initial exemption duration at 180 days maximum, with renewable 180-day periods if conditions persist and agencies resubmit required documentation. It relies on exemptions, reporting requirements, definition changes, and liability protections. The main policy areas are Environment, Energy, and Agriculture.
Who Benefits and How
Municipal water utilities and districts seeking ESA exemptions could face lower compliance burdens, State and local water management agencies could face lower compliance burdens, and Agricultural irrigation districts and water users could face lower compliance burdens.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Water management agencies operating under exemptions would take on compliance duties, Secretary of Interior/Commerce preparing annual reports would take on compliance duties, and Secretary of Interior/Commerce developing regulations would take on compliance duties.
Key Provisions
- Defines critical human water need as water required for municipal drinking water, emergency firefighting, public health and safety, or food security; and defines water management agency as any Federal, State, or local...
- Authorizes the Secretary to grant temporary exemptions from Endangered Species Act Section 7(a)(2) consultation requirements when critical human water needs conflict with ESA protections, if water agencies have...
- Sets initial exemption duration at 180 days maximum, with renewable 180-day periods if conditions persist and agencies resubmit required documentation.
- Requires water management agencies operating under exemptions to submit monthly reports on water needs, alternative source development, species impacts, and mitigation measures.
- Requires the Secretary to submit annual reports to Congress on all exemptions granted, cumulative species impacts, and recommendations for balancing water needs with species protection.
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
The bill defines critical human water need as water required for municipal drinking water, emergency firefighting, public health and safety, or food security; and defines water management agency as any Federal, State, or local, authorizes the Secretary to grant temporary exemptions from Endangered Species Act Section 7(a)(2) consultation requirements when critical human water needs conflict with ESA protections, if water agencies have, and sets initial exemption duration at 180 days maximum, with renewable 180-day periods if conditions persist and agencies resubmit required documentation.
Key Policy Areas
Environment, Energy, Agriculture
Primary Purpose
The bill defines critical human water need as water required for municipal drinking water, emergency firefighting, public health and safety, or food security; and defines water management agency as any Federal, State, or local, authorizes the Secretary to grant temporary exemptions from Endangered Species Act Section 7(a)(2) consultation requirements when critical human water needs conflict with ESA protections, if water agencies have, and sets initial exemption duration at 180 days maximum, with renewable 180-day periods if conditions persist and agencies resubmit required documentation.
Policy Domains
Section 1 - Short Title
Identified Gains
- Municipal water utilities and districts seeking ESA exemptions
- State and local water management agencies
- Agricultural irrigation districts and water users
- Water utilities and irrigation districts during extended droughts
- Water management agencies operating under exemptions
Identified Costs
- Water management agencies operating under exemptions
- Secretary of Interior/Commerce preparing annual reports
- Secretary of Interior/Commerce developing regulations
- Environmental advocacy organizations filing ESA lawsuits
- Endangered and threatened species affected by water diversions
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMs. Lummis (for herself, Mr. Barrasso, and Mr. Sheehy) introduced …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Congressional oversight committees, Federal agencies granting exemptions, Federal wildlife agencies (USFWS, NOAA Fisheries) processing exemptions
Positive-direction: Federal agencies granting exemptions, State and local water management agencies
Negative-direction: Federal wildlife agencies (USFWS, NOAA Fisheries) processing exemptions, Federal wildlife agencies receiving monthly reports, Secretary of Interior/Commerce developing regulations, Secretary of Interior/Commerce preparing annual reports
Municipal water utilities and districts seeking ESA exemptions, Water management agencies operating under exemptions, Water utilities and irrigation districts during extended droughts
Water management agencies operating under exemptions faces effects in multiple directions
Endangered and threatened species affected by water diversions, Endangered species in regions with chronic water scarcity, Environmental advocacy organizations filing ESA lawsuits
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior or Secretary of Commerce (as defined in ESA Section 3)
- "water_management_agency"
- → Any Federal, State, or local agency with authority to manage or allocate water resources
Note: The Secretary refers to either Secretary of Interior or Secretary of Commerce, as defined in ESA Section 3 (16 U.S.C. 1532), depending on which species is at issue
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Water required for: (i) municipal drinking water supply; (ii) emergency services, including firefighting; (iii) public health and safety; or (iv) food security
Any Federal, State, or local agency with authority to manage or allocate water resources
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