Smith, Wyden Advocate Deschutes River Conservancy in Water and Power Subcommittee

Smith, Wyden Advocate Deschutes River Conservancy in Water and Power Subcommittee

Senators Gordon Smith and Ron Wyden advanced their legislation (S.166) that reauthorizes participation by the Bureau of Reclamation in the Deschutes River Conservancy for an additional ten years during a Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power today. The Deschutes River Conservancy, formerly known as the Deschutes Resources Conservancy, is designed to achieve local consensus for on-the-ground projects to improve ecosystem health in the Deschutes River Basin.

"The Deschutes River Conservancy is an impressive partnership for economic growth and breathtaking natural beauty." Smith said. "This consortium of business and environmental interests is a shining example of a local community coming together to make a difference, and it deserves to be effectively funded."

"The Deschutes River Conservancy is a prime example of the work that can be accomplished by local communities when they put their heads together to solve a problem," said Wyden. "The conservancy has been a success when it comes to promoting responsible environmental stewardship through business-friendly, cooperative solutions, and I continue to support the funding of this important project."

The former Deschutes Resources Conservancy was originally authorized in 1996 as a pilot project and was so successful it was reauthorized in the 106th Congress. During the past eight years, the Conservancy has successfully found cooperative, market-based solutions to enhance the ecosystem, and restore over ninety cubic-feet-per-second of stream-flow in the Deschutes Basin. It has improved fish habitat and water quality along one hundred miles of the Deschutes River and its tributaries by planting over 100,000 trees, installing miles of riparian fencing, removing berms and reconstructing stream beds.

The existing authorization provides as much as two million dollars each year for projects. The Smith bill would continue the annual authorization ceiling for ten years. Those funds will be provided through the Bureau of Reclamation, the group's lead federal agency.

Currently, there is no scheduled consideration of the bill before the full Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

http://gsmith.senate.gov/press/2004/04-19-05.htm