Johnson Announces $5.2 Million In Additional Funding for Lewis and Clark

Press Release

U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) today announced that the Lewis and Clark Regional Water System will receive an additional $5.2 million in funding from the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), bringing total funding to $8.4 million for Fiscal Year 2014.

"This additional $5.2 million in funding for Lewis and Clark is welcome news," said Johnson. "With more than $8 million in total funding for the year, the project will be able to make forward progress in a very difficult budgetary climate. As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I worked hard to secure additional funds for rural water projects like Lewis and Clark that contribute to economic development and the quality of life for so many."

"Senator Johnson has been a long-time champion for Lewis and Clark, and we greatly appreciate the key role he played in increasing funding for rural water projects," said Troy Larson, Executive Director of the Lewis & Clark Regional Water System. "While we still have a long way to go and had hoped that Bureau of Reclamation would put more towards Lewis and Clark, the additional $5.2 million will allow us to construct about five miles of additional pipeline that we otherwise would not have been able to complete."

The Fiscal Year 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act provided $3.2 million for Lewis and Clark directly and provided the BOR with an additional $27 million to distribute among six congressionally authorized rural water projects, including Lewis and Clark. The Senate Appropriations Committee first included a pot of additional funding for congressionally authorized rural water projects in its version of the Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill in June 2013.

The House of Representatives followed suit in July, adopting an amendment to create a similar fund in its version of the bill. The final Fiscal Year 2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act that was signed into law on January 17, 2014 boosted that funding slightly to $27.098 million. The additional funding for Lewis and Clark came from this BOR account.

In January, Senator Johnson led a letter from the tri-state congressional delegation to then BOR Commissioner Michael Connor highlighting the merits of Lewis and Clark and why it deserved additional funding. Senator Johnson also spoke directly with Commissioner Connor about the importance of providing additional funding for Lewis and Clark.

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