U.S. Rep. Ron Estes (R-KS) recently introduced a bill with his Republican colleagues that would prohibit the federal government from seizing waters on privately owned land.
“Kansas ranchers and farmers depend on the Sunflower State’s rivers and waterways and know how to steward them appropriately,” Rep. Estes said on March 7.
The Water Rights Protection Act, H.R. 7544, would prevent the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture from mandating water users transfer water rights to the United States or purchase water rights in the name of the United States as a condition of any permit, lease, or other use agreement, according to a summary of the bill. It would also prevent unlawful seizures of groundwater, recognize state water laws, and require coordination with states.
The bill was sponsored by U.S. Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-UT) and cosponsored by Rep. Estes and three other Republicans. It is under consideration in the House Natural Resources Committee and House Agriculture Committee.
“The Water Rights Protection Act is an important step to ensure control of water rights stays in the states, blocking D.C. bureaucrats from the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior from seizing those privately held rights,” Rep. Estes said.
Federal agencies have a history of undermining water laws by requiring co-ownership of water rights as a condition for permit agreements on federal lands.
“I’m proud to lead my colleagues in sponsoring this bill, which clarifies that states have the power to allocate water rights, and the federal government can’t infringe on that ability,” said Rep. Maloy.