Urban Canal Modernization Act

Summary#

This bill amends the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to allow the Secretary of the Interior and transferred works operating entities to carry out extraordinary operation and maintenance work on specified urban canal reaches.

The bill adds a new definition for “urban canal of concern.” An urban canal of concern is a transferred works or segment that the Secretary determines (1) would put an estimated at-risk population of more than 100 people if it failed and (2) is classified by the Secretary as an urban canal reach. The bill makes small technical edits to section 9601.

Under the amended section 9603, the Secretary or the transferred works operating entity may perform extraordinary operation and maintenance on these urban canals of concern in line with the guidelines already required by section 9602(a). For non-emergency work, 35 percent of the total cost must be provided by the Secretary on a nonreimbursable basis. The Secretary will advance the remaining costs, and those advances must be repaid by the transferred works operating entity under existing repayment rules. Emergency extraordinary operation and maintenance work under subsection (c) is treated separately. The bill also states that any reimbursable funds provided under this section count as a non-Federal source for meeting cost-share requirements for Federal grants.

What it means for you#

• The bill targets specific canal reaches that the Secretary calls "urban canals of concern," which are reaches whose failure would put more than 100 people at risk.
• The Secretary of the Interior and local transferred works operating entities are the parties authorized to carry out the work described.
• For non-emergency repairs or maintenance on these reaches, the federal role includes paying part of the cost (35% nonreimbursable) and advancing the rest to be repaid by the local operator.
• No publicly available information on direct effects for individual residents or local governments beyond the text of the bill.

Expenses#

• For non-emergency extraordinary operation and maintenance on an urban canal of concern: 35% of total costs paid by the Secretary on a nonreimbursable basis; the Secretary advances the remaining costs, which the transferred works operating entity must repay under existing rules.
• Reimbursable funds provided under this section count as non-Federal funds for Federal grant cost-sharing purposes.
• No publicly available information on total dollar costs, budget estimates, or funding sources beyond the percentage and repayment structure in the bill text.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.