S-438 : Still Just a Bill

Irrigation Rehabilitation and Renovation for Indian Tribal Governments and Their Economies Act or the IRRIGATE Act

Establishes the Indian Irrigation Fund from which the Commissioner of Reclamation may make expenditures to carry out this Act. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to deposit into such Fund for each of FY2015-FY2036 specified amounts of revenues that would otherwise be deposited in the reclamation fund established by the Reclamation Act of 1902. Terminates the Fund on September 30, 2036, and requires the unexpended and unobligated balance to be transferred to the reclamation fund.

Directs the Commissioner to establish a program to address the deferred maintenance needs of Indian irrigation projects that: (1) create risks to public or employee safety or natural or cultural resources, and (2) unduly impede the management and efficiency of the Indian irrigation program.

Requires the Commissioner to use or transfer specified amounts in the Fund to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) for each of FY2015-FY2036 to carry out maintenance, repair, and replacement activities for Indian irrigation projects in the western United States that are owned by the federal government and managed by BIA and that have deferred maintenance documented.

Requires the Commissioner to submit to Congress: (1) programmatic goals to carry out this Act that would enable the completion of repairing, replacing, improving, or performing maintenance on projects as expeditiously as possible, facilitate or improve BIA's ability to carry out its mission in operating a project, and ensure that the results of government-to-government consultation with the Indian tribe that has jurisdiction over the land on which an eligible project is located are addressed; and (2) funding prioritization criteria to serve as a methodology for distributing funds under this Act. Requires such criteria to take into account:

• the extent to which deferred maintenance of projects threatens public or employee safety or health, natural or cultural resources, or BIA's ability to operate the project;
• the methodology of the rehabilitation priority index;
• the potential economic benefits of the expenditures on job creation and general economic development in the affected tribal communities; and
• the ability of the qualifying project to address tribal, regional, and watershed level water supply needs.

Requires the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs to complete a study that evaluates options for improving programmatic and project management and performance of irrigation projects managed and operated by BIA.

Requires the Commissioner to ensure that, for each of FY2015-FY2036, each eligible Indian irrigation project that has critical maintenance needs receives funding.