Central Oregon Jobs and Water Security Act gets hearing in House committee
WASHINGTON, D.C— Rep. Greg Walden’s Central Oregon Water and Jobs Security Act received a legislative hearing today, an important step in the process of advancing the bill in the House of Representatives.
H.R. 2060 is a no-cost bill that would ensure Prineville has enough water to attract new jobs, clear the way for clean hydropower at Bowman Dam, and help spark important conservation efforts on McKay Creek. Crook County has the highest unemployment rate in the state at 15.1 percent.
The construction of the hydropower project would employ about 50 construction workers for two construction seasons and provide approximately $140,000 in annual property tax revenue to Crook County. Prineville is also courting new technology projects similar to the Facebook data center, but they need access to adequate water, which the bill provides.
Prineville City Manager Steve Forrester and Dan Gardner, a representative from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, both testified in support of the bill. Their respective testimonies are attached.
“If you want to do a no-cost, job creating, clean energy piece of legislation, this is it,” Rep. Walden said.
“There are other entities besides Facebook that has contacted this community and said, ‘We are real interested in locating there.’ It’s a bit like Lowe’s follows Home Depot,” Rep. Walden said. “Their decision is in large measure contingent upon whether or not there’s adequate water available.”
“It’s time to act,” Rep. Walden said.
The hearing today was before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power.
Click here to watch video from the hearing and Rep. Walden’s full remarks.
The Prineville Chamber of Commerce, Central Oregon Cities Organization, Oregon State Building and Construction Trades Council, IBEW Local 280, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Deschutes River Conservancy, Central Oregon Association of Realtors, PGE, National Hydropower Association, Crook County, City of Prineville, Ochoco Irrigation District, and League of Oregon Cities all back the legislation.
The legislation has three major components:
Job-supporting water for Prineville. The legislation would allow the city of Prineville to utilize 5,100 acre feet of water to meet future growth needs and allow it to attract new job-creating business opportunities similar to the Facebook servers, which recently came online in Prineville.
Prineville does not access water directly from Prineville Reservoir — it uses groundwater. The extra 5,100 acre feet credit in the bill would allow the city to mitigate an increase of groundwater use with a release of up to 5,100 acre feet from the reservoir. Currently, there is about 80,000 acre feet of un-contracted water in the Reservoir.
The extra allocation for Prineville means the minimum release of water from Bowman Dam will increase by up to 7 cubic-feet per second (cfs). In dry years, particularly in the winter, this higher release requirement could benefit fish and wildlife, including the blue-ribbon trout fishery below Bowman Dam.
The water allocation for Prineville will also help the city create jobs and improve business opportunities. The city is currently in talks with multiple technology companies that are interested in locating to Prineville, but have indicated that the availability of water is a key consideration in their final decision.
Carbon free energy and hydropower jobs at Bowman Dam. A clerical error led to the boundary line of the Crooked River Wild and Scenic Area being drawn down the middle of Bowman Dam. Correcting the error requires congressional action.
Moving the boundary line will allow a small-scale, private hydropower at the base of Bowman Dam to move forward.
The construction of the hydropower project would employ about 50 construction workers for two construction seasons and provide approximately $140,000 in annual property tax revenue to Crook County.
McKay Creek restoration and other conservation efforts. Rep. Walden’s legislation would help spur the McKay Creek restoration project — which has stalled in recent years — by allowing Ochoco Irrigation District to deliver water to upper McKay Creek patrons.
The restoration project would restore up to 11.2 cfs of water rights instream to McKay Creek. The project also improves flow during the early summer, a critical period for steelhead emergence and migration.
The legislation also allows the Ochoco Irrigation District to participate in the Conserved Water program under Oregon State law, whereby a minimum of 25 percent of the total amount of water conserved must be placed instream, forever, as part of the program. Right now, the Ochoco Irrigation District, because of limitations in its contract with the Bureau of Reclamation, is unable to participate in this program.
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