Huffman Water Infrastructure Proposal Passes in Wildfire and Drought Resiliency Package
The Future Western Water Infrastructure And Drought Resiliency Act Reflects Months Of Public Input, Will Dramatically Improve Drought Preparedness And Water Supply Reliability
July 29, 2022
Washington, D.C. – Today, House Democrats passed H.R. 5118, the Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act, which would provide much-needed investments to improve fire-adapted ecosystems, protect communities against catastrophic wildfires, enhance drought resiliency, expand science programs, modernize data and technology, and ensure a whole-of-government approach to wildfire and drought issues. It includes several bills lead by Rep. Huffman, notably his , an ambitious water infrastructure proposal that is the culmination of months of public vetting and legislative development.
“If you live in the West, wildfire and drought are very much on our minds right now. Every fire season for the past five years, people have lost homes and businesses; lives have been lost in my district. This crisis isn’t going away, so we have work to do to help our constituents get through this and be more resilient for what’s ahead,” said Rep. Huffman. “And fortunately, we have been laying the groundwork and building legislation to meet this moment. This package is full of transformative bills I’ve worked on with my colleagues and stakeholders across the board that will make a real difference, especially my FUTURE Drought Act. Democrats are putting people over politics and taking the action our country needs to secure a better water future and a healthier, more resilient, more sustainable economy for everyone.”
In addition to the FUTURE Drought Act, Rep. Huffman led several more bills in H.R. 5118, including:
- H.R. 5345, with Rep. Moore (UT-01)
- H.R. 5782, the with Rep. Lofgren (CA-19)
- H.R. 8434, Act with Rep. Susie Lee (NV-03)
As Chair of the Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Subcommittee, Rep. Huffman has held several legislative and oversight hearings on bills included in the WRDR Act:
- Legislative Hearing on H.R. 3877 & H.R. 4099
- Oversight Hearing "Building Back Better: Building Resilience for the Economy, Climate, and Ecosystems"
- Oversight Hearing "The Status of Drought Conditions Throughout the Western United States"
- Oversight Hearing "Colorado River Drought Conditions and Response Measures – Day One"
- Oversight Hearing "Colorado River Drought Conditions and Response Measures – Day Two"
- Legislative Hearing on H.R. 4832, H.R. 5001 & H.R. 5345
- Oversight Hearing "Klamath River Basin Conditions and Opportunities"
- Legislative Hearing on H.R. 5880, H.R. 6238, H.R. 7612, H.R. 7632 & H.R. 7633
- Legislative Hearing on H.R. 7792 & H.R. 7793
- Legislative Hearing on H.R. 8090
The full text for the WRDR Act is available here.
A section-by-section of the bill is available here.
A summary of the bill is available here.
A one-pager for the bill is available here.
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