The Rundown
- South Dakota representatives introduce three bills to authorize feasibility studies for regional water supply projects, including two Missouri River diversions.
- BLM revises its publication date for a final environmental assessment of a proposed groundwater pipeline in southwest Utah.
- White House advisory group recommends changes to FEMA’s disaster response.
- USGS researchers assess a less-toxic means of controlling a non-native, ecologically-damaging reed in the Great Lakes.
And lastly, a federal financial oversight board’s annual report notes that the Trump administration removed climate-risk guidance for large financial institutions.
“The associated mission drift can also lend itself to political ends, such as excessive focus on climate risk and the effective debanking of certain industries. Collectively, this increases distraction and compliance costs while impeding responsible lending and risk-taking.” – Excerpt from the Financial Stability Oversight Council’s 2025 annual report. The council, established after the 2007-09 financial crisis, oversees the nation’s banking system. The report argues that the council should focus on “material financial risks” instead of things like climate risk. Last year, the Trump administration retracted federal climate-risk guidance that applied to financial institutions with more than $100 billion in assets, saying it was “distracting.”
By the Numbers
11: Features that the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, and Interior should incorporate into their agreements with tribes that would strengthen tribal co-management of land and waters, according to a Government Accountability Office report. The features include clear definition of roles and goals, dispute resolution, and accountability. The three agencies signed a joint order in 2022 to collaborate with tribes on natural resources management.
News Briefs
Water Bills in Congress
Representatives in the western states introduced several water-supply bills in the last week.
- South Dakota’s delegation introduced a trio of bills in the House and Senate that would require the Interior Department to study the feasibility of new or expanded rural water supply projects in that state and its neighbors. One study, authorized at $10 million, regards a potential diversion of Missouri River water to the growing Rapid City area. This bill failed in the previous Congress. Another bill is to study a potential Missouri River diversion to a separate regional water system in eastern South Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota. Still another bill is to study an expansion of the Lewis and Clark rural water system, which extends into Iowa and Minnesota and has been under construction for more than two decades.
- Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ) is seeking to protect his state in the tussle over the Colorado River. His bill would require proportional cutbacks among Arizona, California, and Nevada, instead of relying on the Supreme Court’s decreed rights, which do not favor Arizona.
- Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) introduced a bill to establish a $15 million per year grant program for “natural water retention and release” projects that hold water in aquifers and floodplains.
Studies and Reports
Proposed FEMA Changes
A White House advisory group is preparing to recommend an overhaul in how FEMA distributes post-disaster aid, according to Politico’s E&E News.
A draft of the plan would shift post-disaster funding to a “parametric” model – paying out based on thresholds like river height and wind speed – rather than the current one that is derived from estimated loss and damage.
The change would prioritize speed over precision, disaster aid experts told the news site.
Great Lakes Phragmites Fight
Phragmites is a reedy, non-native wetland plant that has grown into dense, ecologically-damaging clusters along Great Lakes shorelines.
Weedkillers are a common management strategy, but U.S. Geological Survey researchers contributed to a study that assessed a less toxic alternative.
They found that “cut-to-drown” – cutting phragmites stems below water – was an effective way of “drowning the plant and depleting its stored resources.”
On the Radar
Senate Cybersecurity Hearing
On February 4, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works will hold a hearing on cybersecurity for America’s water infrastructure systems. Witnesses include a researcher and water utility representatives.
Southwest Utah Groundwater Pipeline
The Bureau of Land Management now expects to publish a final environmental impact statement for the Pine Valley Water Supply Project on February 27, 2026.
The initial publication date of November 2025 was delayed due to the government shutdown.
The project is a 70-mile pipeline to pump 15,000 acre-feet of water per year from wells in Beaver County to customers in neighboring Iron County.
Federal Water Tap is a weekly digest spotting trends in U.S. government water policy. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.
