Doing Favors for the Wealthy

Rep. Lauren Boebert, courtesy of the Congressional Pictorial Directory, 2021.

Representative Lauren Boebert (R-CO) has made quite a name for herself in the U.S. Congress with a number of claims that seem untethered to reality. However, that does not prevent her from introducing bills that in reality are favored by wealthy Reclamation water service contractors.

Reclamation’s water service contractors (in Colorado and elsewhere) are interested in securing water repayment (9d) contracts, which are free from the acreage restrictions, occasional renewals, and exposure to changes in the face value of their contracts due to changes in water availability at contract renewal. This would be a fine service for corporate agribusiness, giving them access to more subsidized water on larger tracts of land, while sidestepping environmental safeguards. Of course, in the face of a drying climate, 9d conversions are exactly the wrong thing for the public interest.

The WIIN Act provided for securing such water repayment contracts (all the California water service contractors took advantage, although the conversions are subject to litigation). But the WIIN Act expired, so Rep Boebert has introduced H.R. 3675 (1), which would make permanent this provision of the WIIN Act. According to her press release, 85% of Reclamation’s water service contractors did not jump on this provision of the WIIN before the WIIN expired.

Resources

(1) Press release: Rep. Boebert Introduces HR 3675