To direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain water distribution facilities to the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 8, 2006, at 2:30 p.m., to receive testimony on the Department of Defense Quadrennial Defense Review.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on Wednesday, March 8 at 10:00 a.m. to consider pending calender business.

Agenda

Agenda Item 3: S. 476--To authorize the Boy Scouts of America to exchange certain land in the State of Utah acquired under the Recreation and Public Purposes Act.

Agenda Item 8: S. 1131--To authorize the exchange of certain Federal land within the State of Idaho, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 9: S. 1288--To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into cooperative agreements to protect natural resources of units of the National Park System through collaborative efforts on land inside and outside of units of the National Park System.

Agenda Item 10: S. 1346--To direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of maritime sites in the State of Michigan.

Agenda Item 11: S. 1378--To amend the National Historic Preservation Act to provide appropriation authorization and improve the operations of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.

Agenda Item 13: S. 1913--To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to lease a portion of the Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitor Center for use as a visitor center for the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 14: S. 1970--To amend the National Trails System Act to update the feasibility and suitability study originally prepared for the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail and provide for the inclusion of new trail segments, land components, and campgrounds associated with that trail, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 15: S. 2197--To improve the global competitiveness of the United States in science and energy technology, to strengthen basic research programs at the Department of Energy, and to provide support for mathematics and science education at all levels through the resources available through the Department of Energy, including at the National Laboratories.

Agenda Item 16: S. 2253--To require the Secretary of the Interior to offer the 181 Area of the Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas leasing.

Agenda Item 17: S. Con. Res. 60--Designating the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, MO, as America's National Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

Agenda Item 18: S.J. Res. 28--Approving the location of the commemorative work in the District of Columbia honoring former President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Agenda Item 19: H.R. 318--To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of designating Castle Nugent Farms located on St. Croix, Virgin Islands, as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 20: H.R. 326 (S. 505)--To amend the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area Act of 2000 to adjust the boundary of the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area.

Agenda Item 21: H.R. 409 (S. 179)--To provide for the exchange of land within the Sierra National Forest, CA, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 23: H.R. 1129 (S. 100)--To authorize the exchange of certain land in the State of Colorado.

Agenda Item 24: H.R. 1728 (S. 323)--To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of designating the French Colonial Heritage Area in the State of Missouri as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 25: H.R. 2107--To amend Public Law 104-329 to modify authorities for the use of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Maintenance Fund, and for other purposes.

Agenda Item 26: H.R. 3443 (S. 1498)--To direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain water distribution facilities to the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District.

In addition, the Committee may turn to any other measures that are ready for consideration.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on

Finance be authorized to meet during the session on Wednesday, March 8, 2006, at 10 a.m., in 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building, to hear testimony on ``Taking a checkup on the nation's health care tax policy: a prognosis''.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 8, 2006, at 10 a.m. to hold a hearing on Nominations.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations' Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps, and Narcotics Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 8, 2006, at 2:30 p.m. to hold a hearing on The Impact on Latin America of the American Servicemembers' Protection Act.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions meet in executive session during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 8, 2006, at 10 a.m. in SD-430.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet on Wednesday, March 8, 2006, at 9:30 a.m. for a hearing titled, ``Hurricane Katrina: Recommendations for Reform.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet on Wednesday, March 8, 2006, at 9:30 a.m. in Room 485 of the Russell Senate Office Building to conduct a hearing on S. 2078, Indian Gaming Regulatory Act Amendments of 2005.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet to conduct a markup on Wednesday, March 8, 2006, at 9:30 a.m. in Senate Dirksen Building Room 226.

Agenda

I. Nominations: Steven G. Bradbury to be an Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel; John F. Clark to be Director of the United States Marshals Service; Donald J. DeGabrielle, Jr. to be U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas; John Charles Richter to be U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma; Amul R. Thapar to be U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Mauricio J. Tamargo to be Chairman of the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission of the United States.

II. Bills: S. , Comprehensive Immigration Reform [Chairman's Mark]; S. 1768, a bill to permit the televising of Supreme Court proceedings; Specter, Leahy, Cornyn, Grassley, Schumer, Feingold, Durbin; S. 829, Sunshine in the Courtroom Act of 2005; Grassley, Schumer, Cornyn, Leahy, Feingold, Durbin, Graham, DeWine, Specter; S. 489, Federal Consent Decree Fairness Act; Alexander, Kyl, Cornyn, Graham, Hatch; S. 2039, Prosecutors and Defenders Incentive Act of 2005; Durbin, Specter, DeWine, Leahy, Kennedy, Feinstein, Feingold; S. 2292, A bill to provide relief for the Federal judiciary from excessive rent charges; Specter, Leahy, Cornyn, Feinstein, Biden.

III. Matters: S.J. Res. 1, Marriage Protection Amendment; Allard, Sessions, Kyl, Hatch, Cornyn, Coburn, Brownback.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 8, 2006 at 2:30 p.m. to hold a closed briefing.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, and International Security be authorized to meet on Wednesday, March 8, 2006, at 2:30 p.m. for a hearing regarding ``Crime Victims Fund Rescission: Real Savings or Budget Gimmick?''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on International Trade and Finance be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 8, 2006, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing on ``Reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank of the United States.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the subcommittee on Trade, Tourism, and Economic Development be authorized to meet on Wednesday, March 8, 2006, at 2:30 p.m., on the ``Impact of Piracy and Counterfeiting of American Goods and Intellectual Property in China.''

Mr. Speaker, in July of this year, I introduced H.R. 3443, a bill authorizing the transfer of title of three Colorado-Big Thompson projects single-purpose water conveyance facilities from the United States to the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District.

The Colorado-Big Thompson project is one of the largest and most complex natural resource developments undertaken by the Bureau of Reclamation. The transmountain water diversion system consists of over 100 integrated structures and provides multiple benefits to the people of my district. This project spreads over approximately 250 miles in the State of Colorado. It stores, regulates and diverts water from the Colorado River on the western slope of the Continental Divide to the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains.

The project diverts approximately 260,000-acre feet of water annually from the Colorado River headwaters on the western slope to the Big Thompson River, a South Platte River tributary on the eastern slope, for distribution to farming and communities.

The water system is vital to the people of my district. It provides drinking, irrigation and recreational waters. Without this water system, many cities and towns in my district could not exist.

The water that the Colorado-Big Thompson project diverts from the western slope travels through a series of storage reservoirs, pumping plants, tunnels and hydroelectric generating plants until it enters one of the two eastern slope terminal storage reservoirs, Horsetooth and Carter Lake Reservoirs.

From these terminal storage reservoirs, the water is delivered to water users through distribution facilities. These distribution facilities consist of single-purpose water conveyance facilities located downstream from the two terminal storage facilities.

The Northern Colorado Water Conservation District has been responsible for these facilities since the project was operational in 1957. The District has proven to be a faithful steward of operation, maintenance and administration of the conveyance facilities. The three facilities that would be conveyed to the District by this legislation are the St. Vrain Supply Canal, the Boulder Creek Supply Canal and the South Platte Supply Canal.

This bill is very similar to legislation passed by my predecessor, Representative Bob Schaffer, in 2000, which transferred four single- purpose water conveyance facilities of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project located downstream of the Horsetooth Reservoir. This legislation would complete the transfer of all the single-purpose water conveyance facilities within the project. This transfer would allow the District to more cost-effectively manage the facility and reduce the burdensome bureaucracy of the Federal Government. The District has met its financial obligation of repayment of capital costs, and the title transfer is now appropriate. I believe that this transfer is in the best interest of the constituents of my district.

I would like to thank Chairman Pombo and his staff for moving this bill so quickly through the Resources Committee, with special thanks to Kiel Weaver for his assistance on this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the passage of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill and commend my Colorado colleague, Mrs. Musgrave, for its introduction.

The bill would direct the Interior Department to convey to the Northern Colorado Water Conservation District wants the title to some of the water-distribution facilities that are part of the Bureau of Reclamation's Colorado-Big Thompson project.

That project, authorized by Congress in 1937 to provide water for agricultural and other uses, consists of dams, dikes, reservoirs, powerplants, pumping plants, pipelines, tunnels, and substations spread over approximately 250 miles. The Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, the project's local government sponsor, operates and maintains all of the water conveyance facilities.

H.R. 3443 directs the Secretary of the Interior to transfer 58 miles of the Project's water conveyance facilities (the St. Vrain Supply Canal, Boulder Creek Supply Canal, and South Platte Supply Canal) to the District. The transfer will allow the District to more cost- effectively manage the facilities, reduce paperwork requirements, provide for local ownership and reduce the federal government's liability. The District, which has operated and maintained these water conveyance facilities since 1957, has repaid the appropriate capital costs associated with the facilities. Despite this repayment, the title of the facilities remains in the Bureau of Reclamation. This bill directs the transfer of this title with no conditions. It is modeled on the successful transfer (Public Law 106-376) of other single purpose water conveyance facilities associated with the Colorado Big-Thompson Project.

None of the affected facilities are used to generate electricity. However, payments by electricity customers have been contributing to the repayment for the overall project, and the electricity customers still owe something under that repayment contract. To reflect that, the bill provides for transfer of funds from electricity-sale collections to complete repayment of the amount the electricity customers owe toward repayment of the facilities to be transferred.

The bill includes language to make clear that it will not lessen the existing responsibilities of the district or affect the rights of two ditch companies whose ditches have been part of the distribution system for water from the Colorado-Big Thompson project. And, to stimulate prompt implementation, the bill says that if the transfer isn't completed within a year Interior must send a written report to Congress explaining why it hadn't done so and to keep reporting annually until the transfer is complete.

I joined as a cosponsor of this legislation because I think it will be beneficial both for the Northern Colorado Water Conservation District and for the federal government. I urge its approval.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3443) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to convey certain water distribution facilities to the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

H.R. 3443, introduced by the gentlewoman from Colorado (Mrs. Musgrave), will transfer ownership of three Bureau of Reclamation water distribution facilities within the Big Thompson project in Colorado to the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District.

This local water district has operated and maintained these canals since 1957 and has repaid all capital costs associated with the facilities. Transfer of these single-purpose projects creates a win-win situation by decreasing Federal liability, allowing more cost-effective and efficient management by the water district and fostering local ownership. In light of these benefits, the Bureau of Reclamation should be more proactive in working with local water users to ensure that more transfers take place.

I commend Mrs. Musgrave for introducing this legislation and urge support for this bipartisan noncontroversial bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Colorado (Mrs. Musgrave).

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3443 would authorize the title transfer of specific features of the Colorado-Big Thompson project from the United States to the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District. This proposed title transfer will be similar to a bill that was enacted in the 106th Congress, transferring other Bureau of Reclamation facilities to this water district.

We have no objection to this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.