S. 2717 would establish two new funds in the Treasury and transfer a total of $33 million a year from the Reclamation Fund into the proposed funds through 2037. The bill would authorize the appropriation of the amounts transferred each year and any interest credited to the unspent balances in the proposed funds to, among other things, rehabilitate and maintain federally owned dams managed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). The bill also would authorize the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to carry out studies and water projects when requested by tribes and to waive up to $200,000 of a tribe’s cost-sharing obligations for certain studies or projects.
Based on information from the BIA and the Corps, CBO estimates that implementing the legislation would cost $136 million over the 2017-2021 period, subject to appropriation of the authorized amounts. Enacting S. 2717 would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply to this legislation.
CBO estimates that enacting the legislation would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2027.
S. 2717 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
