Board Metting 01/23/2007

• Board Meeting Date: 1/23/2007
• Description: CWCB Director's Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

9. What can water users do to assist in Ditch Bill easement processing or improved
communications?

Boxer Selects Deputy Staff Director for Senate Environment Committee: On Dec. 4 Sen. Barbara .
Boxer, D-Calif., incoming chairwoman of the Senate Environment Committee, named a longtime
environmental advocate as the panel's deputY staff director and general counsel.

Erik D. Olson spent the last 15 years working for the Natural Resources Defense Council, most recently
as director of the advocacy center and senior attorney. He also has worked for the National Wildlife
Federation and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Domenici's Rural Water Supply Bill Signed Into Law: On Dec 28 Legislation authored by U.S.
Senator Pete Domenici to help rural communities obtain reliable water service was been signed into law
by President Bush. The President gave final approval to Domenici's Rural Water Supply Act (S.895),
which is cosponsored by Senator Jeff Bingaman. The bill passed the Senate during the final days of the
109th Congress.

The bill directs the U.S. Department of Interior, through the Bureau of Reclamation, to establish a
program to plan, design, and construct rural water supply projects. The bill authorizes $15 million a year
for planning new water delivery infrastructure and would establish a loan guarantee program within the
Bureau of Reclamation to help communities finance new water projects and pay for maintenance on
existing water systems.

The Rural Water Supply Act establishes a federal loan guarantee program within the BOR that allows
rural communities to obtain loans at interest rates far lower than loans not guaranteed by the federal
government. The legislation also expedites the appraisal and feasibility study process to allow
communities to find the best approach to meet their needs.

Sen. Salazar's Victory For Land and Water Conservation Fund, Energy Tax Credits Made Official
with President's Signature: As the President signed The Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (S.3 711)
into law on Dec 20, United States Senator Ken Salazar's efforts to deliver permanent funding for the Land
and Water Conservation Fund (L WCF) as well as key provisions that will help lead America to energy
independence paid off.

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S. 3711 dedicates 12.5 percent of offshore drilling revenues to the LWCF - the first such dedicated
funding stream in the program's more than 40-year history. The funding for LWCF was secured through
the bipartisan efforts of Senators Ken Salazar, Lamar Alexander (R- TN) and others. The L WCF state-side
grant program has provided hundreds of millions in funding to projects in the past.

The dedicated funding will bring LWCF an average of$15 million a year in the first ten years, but will
likely increase to more than $200 million in funding in 2017 and beyond when the potential of the oil and
gas reserves can be fully realized. To compensate for the lower funding in the first ten years, Senator
Salazar and Alexander received a commitment to send an additional $100 million to the L WCF through
the appropriations process in FY 2007. Senator Salazar voted for the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act
in July. His statement in support of the bill can be accessed by clicking here.

Also included in the bill the President signed into law were several initiatives that Senator Salazar has
worked on over the last session. These include:

· An extension of tax credits for energy efficiency improvements to new or existing homes and
commercial buildings [So 2614 was introduced by Senators Salazar and Thune (R-SD)]
· An extension of tax credits for electricity produced from certain renewable resources. This
Section 45 extension for one-year is critical to continued installation of commercial electricity

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