Sponsors (6)
The bill enables local governments and utilities to use recovered funds to improve Hoover Dam operations, safety, and reliability, but it risks diverting limited federal resources, enabling discretionary allocations, and crowding out environmental or recreational priorities.
Local governments and utilities can use recovered non-reimbursable funds to pay for Hoover Dam operations, maintenance, cleanup, and capital upgrades.
Downstream communities and urban water users will see improved water-resource reliability and dam safety from better maintenance and capital improvements at Hoover Dam.
Boulder Canyon Project contractors and power customers will be consulted on the use of funds, improving coordination and helping ensure spending addresses priority operational needs.
Taxpayers may face reduced funding availability for other Bureau of Reclamation or Interior priorities because recovered funds are redirected to Hoover Dam tasks.
Environmental remediation and public recreation projects could be deprioritized if funds are concentrated on power-related capital improvements, reducing environmental and community benefits.
Broad allowable uses for the recovered funds could enable discretionary spending without additional congressional oversight, increasing the risk of misallocation.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Allows Interior to spend recovered Boulder Canyon Project fund money for operations, maintenance, cleanup, and capital improvements at Hoover Dam in consultation with project contractors.
Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to use recovered, non‑reimbursable funds held in the Boulder Canyon Project fund for activities at Hoover Dam and on lands used for its construction or operation. Permitted uses include operations, maintenance, investigations and cleanup, and capital improvements, and expenditures must be made in consultation with the Boulder Canyon Project contractors identified under the Hoover Power Allocation Act of 2011. The change does not create a new appropriation from general Treasury funds; it expands how existing recovered funds in the project fund may be spent to support dam operations and related work.
Introduced May 1, 2025 by Catherine Marie Cortez Masto · Last progress May 1, 2025