This year is the end of the 118th Congress’s two-year-long existence, and they usually save the best (or worst) for last. The Congress is likely to finish up early to go campaigning, but a lame-duck session could also be in the works. Here’s a few things we are keeping an eye on...

U.S. Congressmen Valadao and McCarthy’s latest effort to drown more of the McCloud River under Shasta Reservoir was enshrined in the House-passed Energy & Water Appropriations bill (H.R. 4394). Luckily, the U.S. Senate version did not do so. There was some indication that California’s Senators played a positive role. This is critical since they will need to continue to do so even though the odds favor them being in the minority party next year — and the previous President may return…

Republican California Governor Ronald Reagan signed the legislation creating the California wild & scenic river system in 1972. In 1989, California Governor George Deukmejian (the Duke), also a Republican, signed legislation providing similar protection for the McCloud River under the state Wild & Scenic Rivers Act. Current House Republicans are working to dismantle these protections…

H.R. 4821, the Interior Appropriations bill, proposes to substitute what should be a scientific conclusion — that the Central Valley Improvement Act (CVPIA) is “complete” — for a Congressional “expert” political opinion. Among CVPIA’s goals were the doubling of natural stocks of salmonid fish…

The Smith River is the largest entirely free-flowing river in California. Unfortunately, the Smith River National Recreation Area and wild & scenic river designations exclude the North Fork Smith River watershed in Oregon. Although relatively small in area, the northern headwaters of the Smith River supports a unique landscape, miles of pristine rivers and streams, and priceless recreation opportunities…

As might be expected with Republican control of the U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee, several Wild and Scenic bills have not moved forward. But each Congress meets for two years, so the deadline to pass these bills is still one year out…

In addition Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s desire for the federal and state taxpayers to rebuild, expand, and build more infrastructure to supply water to his Congressional District (he is achieving some success there), he wants to help the giant Westlands Water District expand Shasta Reservoir…

I am pleased to report that the Congressional sponsors of California-related wild & scenic river bills show no signs of growing weary. Three bills have been reintroduced in the House to grant federal protection for rivers in California and Oregon…

Getting dams built nowadays requires taxpayer subsidies — and easing the regulatory path to getting them built also seems to be necessary. Needless to say, this is an interest of the speaker of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy…

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…

From bad bills to bad rhetoric, there’s the “traditional bad stuff” happening in Congress right now…

We’ve been talking about the importance of the Clean Water Act in Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) hydropower dam licensing for years. The Clean Water Act gives states and certain tribes substantial influence related to operations of hydroelectric dams…

A group of environmental organizations active in hydropower relicensing (including Friends of the River) in collaboration with hydro industry players (collectively, the “Uncommon Dialogue”) have arrived at a set of reforms to the Federal Power Act…