,i  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #aifc  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,may #ad1 #bjac ,mr4 
,daines introduced the following bill2  
which was referred to the ,committee on 
,natural ,resources  ,a ,,bill  ,to     
amend the ,water ,conservation and      
,utilization ,act to authorize the      
development of non-,federal hydropower  
and issuance of leases of power         
privileges at projects constructed      
pursuant to the authority of the ,water 
,conservation and ,utilization ,act1 and
 for other purposes4  #a4 ,short title  
,this ,act may be cited as the ,bureau  
of ,reclamation ,conduit ,hydropower    
,development ,equity and ,jobs ,act4    
#b4 ,amendment ,section #i of the ,act  
entitled ,an ,act authorizing           
construction of water conservation and  
utilization projects in the ,great      
,plains and arid semiarid areas of the  
,united ,states1 approved ,august #aa1  
#aici 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #eijz-#g2 commonly 
known as the ,water ,conservation and   

,utilization ,act71 is amended--  7#a7  
by striking ,in connection with and     
inserting 7a7 ,in connection with2  7#b7
 by striking ,all right1 title1 and     
interest in the facilities provided for 
such municipal or miscellaneous water   
supplies or surplus power and the       
revenues derived therefrom shall be and 
remain in the ,united ,states42 and     
7#c7 by adding at the end the following3
  7b7 ,the ,secretary is authorized to  
enter into leases of power privileges   
for electric power generation in        
connection with any project constructed 
under this ,act1 and shall have         
authority in addition to and alternative
 to any authority in existing laws      
related to particular projects1         
including small conduit hydropower      
development1 consistent with the terms  
of this ,act1 the ,reclamation ,project 
,act of #aici 7#dc ,u4,s4,c4 #dhe;h71   
and other ,federal reclamation laws4    
7c7 ,when carrying out this section1 the
 ,secretary shall first offer the lease 

of power privilege to an irrigation     
district or water users association     
operating the applicable transferred    
conduit1 or to the irrigation district  
or water users association receiving    
water from the applicable reserved      
conduit4 ,the ,secretary shall determine
 a reasonable timeframe for the         
irrigation district or water users      
association to accept or reject a lease 
of power privilege offer4 ,if the       
irrigation district or water users      
association elects not to accept a lease
 of power privilege offer under         
paragraph 7#a71 the ,secretary shall    
offer the lease of power privilege to   
other parties in accordance with this   
section4  7d7 ,the ,bureau of           
,reclamation shall apply its categorical
 exclusion process under the ,national  
,environmental ,policy ,act of #aifi    
7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #dcba et seq47 to small  
conduit hydropower development under    
this section1 excluding siting of       
associated transmission facilities on   

,federal lands4  7e7 ,nothing in this   
section shall obligate the ,western     
,area ,power ,administration or the     
,bonneville ,power ,administration to   
purchase or market any of the power     
produced by the facilities covered under
 this section and none of the costs     
associated with production or delivery  
of such power shall be assigned to      
project purposes for inclusion in       
project rates4  7f7 ,nothing in this    
section shall alter or impede the       
delivery and management of water by     
,bureau of ,reclamation facilities1 as  
water used for conduit hydropower       
generation shall be deemed incidental to
 use of water for the original project  
purposes4 ,lease of power privilege     
shall be made only when1 in the judgment
 of the ,secretary1 the exercise of the 
lease will not be incompatible with the 
purposes of the project or division     
involved and shall not create any       
unmitigated financial or physical       
impacts to the project or division      

involved4 ,the ,secretary shall notify  
and consult with the irrigation district
 or legally organized water users       
association operating the transferred   
conduit in advance of offering the lease
 of power privilege and shall prescribe 
such terms and conditions necessary to  
adequately protect the planning1 design1
 construction1 operation1 maintenance1  
and other interests of the ,united      
,states and the project or division     
involved4  7g7 ,nothing in this section 
shall alter or affect any agreements in 
effect on the date of the enactment of  
the ,bureau of ,reclamation ,conduit    
,hydropower ,development ,equity and    
,jobs ,act for the development of       
conduit hydropower projects or          
disposition of revenues4  7h7 ,in this  
section3  7#a7 ,conduit ,the term       
conduit means any ,bureau of            
,reclamation tunnel1 canal1 pipeline1   
aqueduct1 flume1 ditch1 or similar      
manmade water conveyance that is        
operated for the distribution of water  

for agricultural1 municipal1 or         
industrial consumption and not primarily
 for the generation of electricity4     
7#b7 ,irrigation district ,the term     
irrigation district means any           
irrigation1 water conservation or       
conservancy1 multi-county water         
conservation or conservancy district1 or
 any separate public entity composed of 
two or more such districts and jointly  
exercising powers of its member         
districts4  7#c7 ,reserved conduit ,the 
term reserved conduit means any conduit 
that is included in project works the   
care1 operation1 and maintenance of     
which has been reserved by the          
,secretary1 through the ,commissioner of
 the ,bureau of ,reclamation4  7#d7     
,transferred conduit ,the term          
transferred conduit means any conduit   
that is included in project works the   
care1 operation1 and maintenance of     
which has been transferred to a legally 
organized water users association or    
irrigation district4  7#e7 ,small       

conduit hydropower ,the term small      
conduit hydropower means a facility     
capable of producing #e megawatts or    
less of electric capacity4  4