HR 302 · 119th Congress · Public Lands and Natural Resources
Water Rights Protection Act
Bill Progress
✓
Introduced2
Committee3
House Vote4
Senate5
EnactedLatest: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 334.(2025-11-25)
Plain Language Summary
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Water Rights Protection Act of 2025 This bill limits the transfer of water rights from water users to the Department of the Interior or the Department of Agriculture (USDA). First, the bill prohibits Interior and USDA from conditioning the issuance or renewal of land use or occupancy agreements (e.g., permits and leases) on the transfer of any water right to the United States. Next, it prohibits Interior and USDA from requiring water users, including Indian tribes, to acquire water rights in the name of the United States as a condition of the issuance or renewal of a land use or occupancy agreement. Finally, it prohibits Interior and USDA from conditioning or withholding the issuance or renewal of land use or occupancy agreements on (1) limiting the date, time, quantity, location of diversion or pumping, or place of use of a state water right beyond any applicable limitations under state water law; or (2) modifying the terms and conditions of groundwater withdrawal, guidance and reporting procedures, or conservation and source protection measures established by a state. Interior and USDA must also ensure that federal action imp…
Summarized by Claude AI · Non-partisan · For informational purposes only
CBO Cost Estimate
Congressional Budget OfficeH.R. 302, Water Rights Protection Act
Mar 10, 2025As ordered reported by the House Committee on Natural Resources on February 12, 2025
Full CBO report ↗Official non-partisan budget analysis by the Congressional Budget Office