House Approves Legislation Authorizing Phase III of Yakima Basin Integrated Plan, February 27, 2019
February 26, 2019
Press Release
Legislation now heads to President Trump for signature into law
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) released the following statement after the House of Representatives approved a legislative package that includes H.R. 1048, the Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project Phase III Act, on a vote of 363 to 62. H.R. 1048 authorizes Phase III of the Yakima River Basin Integrated Water Resource Management Plan, an initiative to better accommodate the water needs of the agricultural community, conservationists, residents, and other stakeholders in the Yakima River Basin region. The Senate approved the legislation on February 12, so it will now head to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law.
“I commend my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for approving this legislation to authorize the next phase of the Yakima Basin Project,” said Rep. Newhouse. “This has been a years-long bipartisan, bicameral effort, and the credit belongs to the state and local stakeholders, agriculture community, irrigators, conservationists, and tribes of the Yakima Integrated Plan Workgroup and Implementation Committee who worked together and compromised to find solutions. Their collaboration offers a national model for water resource management solutions, and it opened the door for Congress to act to support the state and local efforts in meeting the diverse water needs of the Yakima Basin. Because this project involves federal land, Congress must pass this legislation to allow implementation to continue, and I thank my colleagues for their strong support of this bill. The bill now heads to President Trump’s desk for his signature into law.”