S3985-118

Reported

To amend the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993 to add certain land to the Sarvis Creek Wilderness, and for other purposes.

118th Congress Introduced Mar 20, 2024

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 expands federal dam rehabilitation funding under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to include dams built under the 1894 Carey Act. These are historical irrigation dams in western states that were developed to reclaim arid lands for agriculture.

Who Benefits and How

Western states with aging Carey Act dams (primarily Idaho, Wyoming, and other western states) benefit by gaining access to federal funds for dam rehabilitation, reconstruction, or replacement. Agricultural irrigators who depend on these dams for water supply benefit from improved infrastructure reliability. Rural communities that rely on these water systems gain infrastructure investment.

Who Bears the Burden and How

No new costs or restrictions are imposed. The bill simply expands eligibility for existing appropriated funds. Federal taxpayers indirectly bear the cost through the use of already-appropriated Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funds.

Key Provisions

  • Authorizes use of IIJA Section 40901(2)(B) funds for Carey Act dam projects
  • Requires Secretary of Interior to first ensure other eligible dams have received necessary funding
  • Requires Secretary to confirm remaining funds are available before funding Carey Act projects

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

Expands Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act dam rehabilitation funding to include historical Carey Act irrigation dams in western states

Key Policy Areas

Water Resources, Infrastructure, Agriculture

Primary Purpose

Expands Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act dam rehabilitation funding to include historical Carey Act irrigation dams in western states

Policy Domains

Water Resources Infrastructure Agriculture

Section 1 - Eligibility of Carey Act Projects

Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
  • Western states with Carey Act dams
  • Agricultural irrigators
  • Rural water users
  • Dam construction/rehabilitation contractors
Model: N/A | Version: bill_summary_v2 | Source: rs

Contextual inference, no direct clause citation

Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
  • Federal taxpayers (indirect, via existing appropriations)
Model: N/A | Version: bill_summary_v2 | Source: rs

Contextual inference, no direct clause citation

Legislative Progress

Reported
Introduced Committee Passed
Nov 21, 2024

Reported by Mr. Manchin, without amendment

Mar 20, 2024

Mr. Hickenlooper (for himself and Mr. Bennet) introduced the following …

Stakeholder Effects

cui bono?

How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.

Tribal Nations
1 mention across 1 clause
+1 positive

Indian Tribes with treaty rights in the area

Government
1 mention across 1 clause
+1 positive

USDA Forest Service wilderness managers

1/4
sections analyzed
Full impact breakdown

Bill Structure & Actor Mappings

Who is "The Secretary" in each section?

Domains
Water Resources Infrastructure
Actor Mappings
"the_secretary"
→ Secretary of the Interior

Key Definitions

Terms defined in this bill

1 term
"Carey Act" §carey_act

Section 4 of the Act of August 18, 1894 (43 U.S.C. 641; 28 Stat. 422, chapter 301), which authorized western states to reclaim arid lands through irrigation projects

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