Keeping them secure is costly, but well worth it.
Bill caps dam security cost
House deal sets expense of anti-terror patrols for local water, power users.
By Michael Doyle - mdoyle@mcclatchydc.com
Published 12:00 am PST Wednesday, December 5, 2007
WASHINGTON – The House on Tuesday limited how much local water and power customers might have to pay to protect the state's dams from terrorists and trespassers.
In a case study of Capitol Hill compromise, lawmakers quickly approved a cap on local payments for federal dam security throughout the nation. The bill could shield the water and power districts from some higher costs, but it doesn't go nearly as far as some lawmakers originally wanted.
"This bill ... reflects the reality that these dams are national treasures that provide national benefits," said Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash.
The House bill seeks to settle a dam cost-sharing dispute that's percolated since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. It also marks the latest round in a decades-long tussle over who should pay for Western water projects.
Lawmakers usually protect their local constituents by spreading water project costs nationwide. Administrations usually try to make local beneficiaries pay. The revised Reclamation Safety of Dams Act amendments strike a middle path, of sorts.
The legislation limits to $18.9 million the total amount local water agencies nationwide would have to pay annually for higher security costs. This reflects what the Bureau of Reclamation anticipates spending. If security costs rise higher, the bureau must shoulder the difference.
