Bill Summary
The Urban Canal Modernization Act seeks to amend the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 in order to allow for certain extraordinary operation and maintenance work to be performed on urban canals of concern. The Act defines an urban canal of concern as a canal reach that, if it were to fail, would put more than 100 people at risk and is classified as an urban canal. The Act authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to carry out this necessary work and provides guidelines and criteria for determining which canals are in need of this work. The Act also outlines the funding for this work, with the Secretary providing 35% of the costs on a non-reimbursable basis and the remaining costs being advanced by the Secretary and repaid by the transferred works operating entity. Additionally, any reimbursable funds provided by the Secretary will be considered a non-Federal source of funds for cost-sharing requirements.
Possible Impacts
1. Individuals living near urban canals of concern may be affected by the legislation if they require extraordinary operation and maintenance work. This could potentially result in disruptions to their daily routines as well as potential displacement if the work requires the canal to be shut down for an extended period of time.
2. Taxpayers may be affected by the legislation as they would be responsible for covering a portion of the costs of any extraordinary operation and maintenance work on urban canals of concern. This could result in an increase in taxes or a reallocation of government funding from other areas.
3. The legislation could also affect the responsibilities and duties of the Secretary of the Interior, who would be responsible for determining which urban canals are considered of concern and authorizing any necessary work. This could result in increased workload and potential disputes over the classification of certain canals.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2753 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2753
To amend the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to authorize
certain extraordinary operation and maintenance work for urban canals
of concern.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 10, 2025
Mr. Risch (for himself and Mr. Merkley) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to authorize
certain extraordinary operation and maintenance work for urban canals
of concern.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Urban Canal Modernization Act''.
SEC. 2. EXTRAORDINARY OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE WORK PERFORMED BY THE
SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR.
(a) Definitions.--Section 9601 of the Omnibus Public Land
Management Act of 2009 (43 U.S.C. 510) is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (1), (2), (3), (4), (5),
(6), and (7) as paragraphs (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), and
(1), respectively, and moving the paragraphs so as to appear in
numerical order;
(2) in paragraph (3) (as so redesignated), by striking ``et
seq.)'' and inserting ``et seq.))'';
(3) in paragraph (4) (as so redesignated), by striking
``mean'' and inserting ``means''; and
(4) by adding at the end the following:
``(8) Urban canal of concern.--The term `urban canal of
concern' means a transferred works or segment of a transferred
works that is a canal reach--
``(A) the failure of which would result in an
estimated at-risk population of more than 100
individuals, as determined by the Secretary, pursuant
to the guidelines and criteria developed under section
9602(a); and
``(B) that is determined by the Secretary to be
classified as an urban canal reach.''.
(b) Extraordinary Operation and Maintenance Work on Urban Canals of
Concern.--Section 9603 of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of
2009 (43 U.S.C. 510b) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) by striking ``(a)'' and all that follows
through ``The Secretary'' and inserting the following:
``(a) Authorization.--
``(1) Project facilities.--The Secretary''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
``(2) Urban canals of concern.--The Secretary or the
transferred works operating entity may carry out, in accordance
with subsection (b), any extraordinary operation and
maintenance work on an urban canal of concern that the
Secretary determines to be necessary pursuant to the guidelines
and criteria set forth in section 9602(a).'';
(2) in subsection (b)--
(A) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph
(4); and
(B) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
``(3) Urban canals of concern.--Except in the case of
emergency extraordinary operation and maintenance work carried
out under subsection (c), of the total costs of extraordinary
operation and maintenance work on an urban canal of concern
conducted under subsection (a)(2)--
``(A) 35 percent shall be provided by the Secretary
on a nonreimbursable basis; and
``(B) the remaining amounts shall be advanced by
the Secretary in accordance with paragraph (2), to be
repaid by the transferred works operating entity in
accordance with that paragraph.''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(e) Reimbursable Funds.--Any reimbursable funds provided under
this section shall be considered to be a non-Federal source of funds
for purposes of any cost-sharing requirement for a Federal grant.''.
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