[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},"mediaId",6084757,"mediaKeyId","2907874-b631fba0c345d30f90b80bd20669d0f2","parentId",2907874,"title","Costa presses for funding of reservoir forecasting, Reclamation canal repairs and San Joaquin restoration","audioSeconds",467,"startMs",1612000,"endMs",2079000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2907874-b631fba0c345d30f90b80bd20669d0f2&start=1612&end=2079","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2907874-b631fba0c345d30f90b80bd20669d0f2/thumbnail_1612000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6084757/Costa-presses-for-funding-of-reservoir-forecasting-Reclamation-canal-repairs-and-San-Joaquin-restoration","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6084757-ea4c1315025ca84d37dfbd7a05aa333f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770506892&Signature=k64YvMidQYorVEikgd06PiUJxYTAVSUgwrocUhWB12G6myPY0QWFzwz4fdWRssPJAEK85NI3vhakM8fKaw~E2QT3yHDw-Pz38k8Y1W7gfxeKwD3KuwwAE4laVzBek7Z1V~T2BgaQ~pLAXHw59AkzrgvBlpZp3u2xgFnDLCu7Ea~-wSQxRZRbPU2W~dDvYx-LklTlDlGeChLJ-jE1BxfMYOaNcKfBRfK6ccg~5bohRtLf8cO9GVF4T4I5XJff1~kljDtI64-P2V6lJLlsJZBRN7cT9lC7nD61vPkri3HBgndrpLPDIitSmbrnFFSDRToobo8zDeMXpB6-h7HW73wU8Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","U.S. House Committee on Appropriations","date","2025-04-09T09:23:52.593Z","article","Representative Jim Costa, D‑Calif., testified to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water during a member day hearing that Congress should fund reservoir forecasting and management tools, repair aging Bureau of Reclamation canals and continue support for the San Joaquin River Restoration Program.

Costa told the subcommittee that changing precipitation patterns, including a larger share of runoff delivered by atmospheric rivers, mean reservoir operations must adapt. He urged funding for the Army Corps and Bureau of Reclamation to adopt seasonal and forecast‑informed reservoir management tools to retain water when it arrives and reduce releases that cannot be captured downstream.

Costa requested $15,000,000 for the Army Corps’ operations technical support program and $15,000,000 for the forecast‑informed reservoir operations (FIRO) program for fiscal year 2026. He also urged full funding of a $134,000,000 water infrastructure investment program and requested up to $30,000,000 in report language to repair Bureau of Reclamation canals, which he said have been impaired by age and land subsidence. Separately, Costa requested $7,800,000 to complete two fish‑screen projects on the Sacramento River that he said will protect threatened species and support water conveyance to the San Joaquin Valley.

Costa emphasized the connection between federal and state projects in California and said the San Joaquin River Restoration Program, enacted in 2008 to implement a court settlement, must be preserved to avoid water‑supply disruption for farmers and to support fish populations. \"We need to provide additional support to restore the capability of these canals,\" Costa said, arguing that canal impairments jeopardize the Bureau of Reclamation’s ability to meet obligations to water users in the San Joaquin Valley.

Members followed with questions about groundwater recharge, reservoir operations and long‑term water reliability in the West. Costa described efforts to recharge groundwater in wet years — including using atmospheric river events to flood fields and replenish aquifers — and said recharge work in the past 18 months has returned significant volumes to underground storage (he cited an aggregate recharged volume figure during the hearing). He said California must balance surface storage, groundwater and reuse to maintain reliable supplies for agriculture and communities.

Costa urged continued collaboration among the Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Reclamation and California’s State Water Project but did not request a formal committee vote during his testimony. The subcommittee did not take any appropriations decisions on the items Costa raised during the hearing.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Energy and Water Development - Member Day","oneSentenceSummary","Rep. Jim Costa urged the Appropriations subcommittee to fund forecast‑informed reservoir operations, technical support and repairs to aging Bureau of Reclamation canals, and requested specific dollar amounts for water infrastructure programs and fish screens.","taxTitle","Appropriations: House Committee, Standing Committees - House & Senate, Congressional Hearings Compilation, Legislative, Federal","taxId",1832,"location","","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6084762,"Weber urges funding to deepen Sabine waterway, modernize Gulf ports and back nuclear demonstration projects",321,493000,814000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2907874-b631fba0c345d30f90b80bd20669d0f2&start=493&end=814","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2907874-b631fba0c345d30f90b80bd20669d0f2/thumbnail_493000.jpg","/articles/6084762/Weber-urges-funding-to-deepen-Sabine-waterway-modernize-Gulf-ports-and-back-nuclear-demonstration-projects","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6084762-e85a5f3aa1148cadf0d6a8a7b9dd1937/orig.mp4?Expires=1770506893&Signature=LBX-MMUxjz~jDVhDvob1LUIhquODSXVEi3btfewESOm058lnb-k~2~qABBVb-WiAvr66~UmRu4Yeai0QDvAkzV-YDiTseQY1-zBfdLFHFb07STgiOqS0IYg-yzJ6X85O3NT1-3Y2RE3g3jRjigfqk0UCUFP9rIpkcet6XxvkUodT~2YY3XSmvMEZHSVl1mgAx4CrAICB76WmdJVsqiq5JxQGFPSz8hf6hulOFzFHUn~XYEpdspgnkhFAUb~3ElHXbTvOImFvmrD2X2jRpv54aWh53Fg01FMLwcCU~2HEaskY-jYSXuWyP9uiIBThPRJ7-1nGTSTEecopPt17vLQKgw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Randy Weber, R-Texas, told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water during a member day hearing that Congress should fund deepening and other upgrades to Gulf Coast navigation channels, modernize harbor infrastructure at Port of Galveston and advance small modular nuclear demonstration projects.

Weber said those improvements are necessary to move the region’s energy and military exports efficiently and to maintain what he described as “American energy dominance.” He asked the subcommittee to consider federal funding for the Sabine-Neches waterway channel improvement project, deeper channels at Galveston and upgrades to Brazos River floodgates, and to support coastal protection work for storm surge risk reduction.

Weber said the Sabine Neches waterway moves large volumes of cargo and energy exports and has not seen major improvements in more than four decades. He told the panel the project would deepen a channel he described as roughly 40 feet today to about 48 feet to allow larger vessels to transit farther upriver. Weber said the local navigation district and county sponsors had agreed to contribute a larger share of project costs than typical, and that engineering work has already begun.

\"If we're going to talk about we need to be be energy dominant and the leader in the world, let's not fail to fund the very arteries that make it possible,\" Weber said.

Weber provided several quantitative details during his remarks. He told the subcommittee the waterway moves about 194,000,000 tons of cargo per year and called it \"the largest crude oil and LNG exporter in the nation.\" He said the local sponsor had offered to contribute about 40 percent of the project cost, higher than the more typical 25 percent local share. Weber described the overall project cost in the hearing record as on the order of $1.1 billion to $2.0 billion (as stated during the hearing). He also said Port of Galveston moves roughly 4,000,000 tons of cargo annually and handles about 1,000,000 cruise passengers a year.

Weber asked the Corps of Engineers to accept state and local contributions so dredging and related work can proceed, and he urged continued federal support for small modular reactor technology and demonstration projects in Southeast Texas. He linked harbor and channel improvements to both commercial and military logistics, saying deeper channels would let very large crude carriers call closer to terminals rather than offloading offshore to smaller vessels.

Subcommittee members asked procedural and status questions. Representative Mike Simpson, R‑Idaho, asked whether Weber planned to request a community project funding item; Weber said he was pursuing the matter with the administration and that local sponsors had already started engineering work and offered an above‑normal local contribution. The subcommittee chair and ranking member did not record votes or take formal action during the hearing segment on Weber’s testimony.

The witness requested congressional funding and administrative approval steps so the Army Corps of Engineers can proceed with dredging and other port improvements; he said local sponsors have begun engineering and pledged increased cost share. No appropriation or formal committee decision on the projects was recorded during the hearing.","Rep. Randy Weber told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water that channel deepening, harbor improvements and floodgate upgrades are needed to keep Gulf Coast energy and military logistics moving; local sponsors have offered a larger-than-usual share of project costs, he said.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Costa presses for funding of reservoir forecasting, Reclamation canal repairs and San Joaquin restoration

Weber urges funding to deepen Sabine waterway, modernize Gulf ports and back nuclear demonstration projects