Hoeven: Senate ENR Committee Approves Legislation to Reauthorize, Expand Water Supply Funding for North Dakota

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today secured approval by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee of his Dakota Water Resources Act (DWRA) Amendments legislation. Hoeven’s bipartisan bill would support more reliable, drought-resistant water supplies in North Dakota, while helping to fulfill federal compensation that was promised to the state and tribes upon the construction of the Garrison Dam and Oahe Dam. The legislation now moves to the full Senate for consideration. Specifically, Hoeven’s legislation would: Amend the DWRA of 2000 to increase authorizations under the Municipal, Rural, and Industrial (MR&I) water supply grant program for North Dakota and the five Tribal Nations in the state. North Dakota reached the state MR&I authorization ceiling at the end of fiscal year (FY) 2024. An increase is necessary to complete ongoing water supply projects, including the Northwest Area Water Supply Project (NAWS) and the Eastern North Dakota Alternate Water Supply Project (ENDAWS). Ensure that biota water treatment (BWT) costs are fully accounted for, which are rightly the responsibility of the federal government. Although the DWRA authorized funding for non-reimbursable costs related to BWT facilities, no authorization ceiling was outlined. As a result, North Dakota and the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) have been forced to allocate significant MR&I resources to cover federal responsibilities under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909. The bill comes as part of Hoeven’s ongoing efforts to fully fund ENDAWS, which uses existing federal infrastructure to save North Dakota taxpayers $200 million in construction costs and $4 million in annual operating costs for the Red River Valley Water Supply Project. Earlier this year, Hoeven secured $50 million and authorization for ENDAWS in the FY2026 appropriations legislation and an additional $108 million in funding for the project from a BOR water account he worked to shape and include in the One Big Beautiful Bill . “I appreciate my fellow members of the Senate Energy Committee for working with me to approve this legislation once again, as we did in the 118th Congress. By securing committee approval with bipartisan support, we are putting this bill in a strong position for passage. That’s key, as North Dakota has hit its funding cap for the MR&I grant program, constraining our state’s ability to advance needed water supply projects like ENDAWS. Our legislation will reauthorize and expand the DWRA funding, giving North Dakota the resources it needs to build more reliable, drought-resistant water supplies for communities across our state,” said Senator Hoeven. Hoeven’s legislation is cosponsored by Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.). Representative Julie Fedorchak (R-N.D.) introduced a companion to the bill in the House of Representatives. The full text and a summary of Hoeven’s legislation can be found here and here , respectively. -###-