The Water Rights Protection Act, which was incorporated as part of the Energy Policy Modernization Act, aims to uphold state water law and protect the private water rights of individuals. The energy bill was approved Wednesday by the House.
Tipton introduced the water bill in April 2015. It is meant to protect individuals from losing their privately held water rights to the federal government without just compensation.
“Repeated attempts by federal land management agencies to interfere with private water rights, and circumvent state law, have put the ski community, grazers, municipalities and local businesses at risk of losing – without any compensation – the property they have developed, invested as much as hundreds of millions of dollars in, and rely on to survive,” Tipton said in a statement.
The bill was passed by the House last July as part of the Western Water and Food Security Act, making this the second time that the legislation has been passed by this Congress. It has received broad support from local stakeholders as well as bipartisan support in Congress, according to Tipton spokesman Josh Green.
Green said that the bill provides an extra level of protection to water users to ensure their private water investments and use will not be interfered with by a federal administration or agency.
The Energy Policy Modernization Act heads to conference negotiations between the House and Senate, and passage of the legislation looks promising, Green said.
Kate Magill is a student at American University in Washington, D.C., and an intern with The Durango Herald. Reach her at kmagill@durangoherald.com.
