Bill > HR1830

This bill, titled the Water Rights Protection Act, aims to prevent the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture from using their authority over permits, leases, and other land use agreements to control or acquire water rights. Specifically, it prohibits these departments from conditioning or withholding such agreements based on the limitation, encumbrance, or transfer of any water right to the United States or another entity, or any other action that impairs a water right recognized under state law. The bill also prevents these departments from requiring water users, including federally recognized Indian tribes, to obtain water rights in the name of the United States as a condition for these agreements. Furthermore, it restricts federal jurisdiction over groundwater withdrawals and impacts, mandating that any such actions must be consistent with and no more restrictive than state groundwater laws and policies. The bill emphasizes that federal agencies should not infringe upon a state's rights and responsibilities in managing, allocating, and adjudicating its water resources, even when those waters originate on or flow from federal lands.