Armed Services Committee Passes Carbajal Amendment to Strengthen Water Sustainability on Military Bases

Press Release

Today, an amendment authored by Representative Salud Carbajal (CA-24) to strengthen water sustainability and operations readiness on American military installations, was adopted unanimously by the House Armed Services Committee (HASC). The amendment directs the Secretary of Defense to report on innovative ways to reduce water use across installations and to identify opportunities to replicate the successful water-saving tactics currently deployed at our installations strengthen base readiness.

"Our military installations are not isolated from the impacts of climate change and it is critical that our military is adequately prepared to address water scarcity threats, both in drought-impacted states like California and on bases around the world," said Carbajal. "Some installations including California's Army bases, are already doing great work to address water shortages, such as planting more native species and increasing use of gray water systems. By looking at ways our military can maximize strategic use of water resources, the Department can reduce costs. I'm pleased that the Committee has taken steps today to improve our water security. As we continue to focus on readiness, we must also look at strengthening the resiliency of the military's water infrastructure."

The House Armed Services NDAA legislation will now head to the full House of Representatives for a vote.

The annual NDAA covers the breadth of the operations of the Department of Defense as well as the national security functions of the Department of Energy and other related areas. The annual national defense budget involves millions of military and civilian personnel, thousands of facilities, and hundreds of agencies, departments, and commands located around the world.

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