Statement of the Department of the Interior

 

The Water Resources Research Act of 1984 (WRRA), as amended (42 USC 10301 et seq.), authorizes a water resources research program and the establishment of research institutes in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marina Islands, and American Samoa. There are currently 54 institutes which are eligible for an allotment grant, and each provides an annual report on its activities under its received grant. The WRRA program encourages regional cooperation among institutes on research into areas of water management, development, and conservation that have a regional or national character. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been designated as the administrator of the provisions of the Act.

 

H.R. 7889 would reauthorize the WRRA through 2029. The bill would also direct the Secretary to use 20 percent of the appropriations authorized by the WRRA through 2029 for the reimbursement of direct expenses of research on interstate issues.

 

The Department notes that the President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2026 did not request funding for the WRRA. The USGS would like to work with the Subcommittee to continue aligning water research activities with nationwide needs and priorities.