On July 29, 2026, the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources advanced, by voice vote, two bills introduced by Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA). The MORE WATER Act would reauthorize expiring Bureau of Reclamation programs that fund water recycling projects and an environmental restoration program, including salmon habitat improvements in the Sacramento Valley, while extending federal authorities set to expire later this year. The Monterey Bay National Heritage Study Act would direct the National Park Service to study whether communities around the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary qualify as a National Heritage Area. Both measures now head to the full Senate for consideration.
For more information, contact RCRC Policy Advocate Eric Will.