Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program Amendment Act of 2025
Latest Action
Received in the Senate.
Official Summary
Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program Amendment Act of 2025 This bill establishes an interest-bearing account for the nonfederal contributions for the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program, a cooperative effort between federal and nonfederal entities in Arizona, California, and Nevada. The program works to recover multiple species listed under the Endangered Species Act. Currently, the pace of funding exceeds the pace of work. The bill allows the nonfederal contributions deposited in the fund to be made available, without further appropriation, for the program in the future. However, amounts derived from interest earned on amounts in the fund are subject to the availability of appropriations.
GovScope Watchdog™
AI Government Intelligence™The Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program Amendment Act of 2025 establishes an interest-bearing account to hold nonfederal contributions for the conservation program. This program is a cooperative effort involving federal and nonfederal entities in Arizona, California, and Nevada aimed at recovering multiple species listed under the Endangered Species Act. The bill addresses the current mismatch between the pace of funding and the pace of work by allowing nonfederal contributions deposited in the fund to be available for future program use without requiring further appropriations. However, interest earned on these funds remains subject to annual appropriations.
This bill creates a dedicated fund to better manage nonfederal contributions for species conservation along the Lower Colorado River, enabling more flexible use of those funds while maintaining congressional control over interest earnings.
- Establishes an interest-bearing account specifically for nonfederal contributions to the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program.
- Allows deposited nonfederal funds to be used for the program without additional appropriations, improving funding flexibility.
- Interest earned on the fund is still subject to congressional appropriations, maintaining legislative oversight of those earnings.
['Federal and nonfederal entities involved in the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program', 'State governments of Arizona, California, and Nevada', 'Conservation organizations focused on endangered species recovery', 'Species listed under the Endangered Species Act in the Lower Colorado River region']
['The availability of interest earnings depends on future appropriations, which may affect program funding stability.', 'The bill shifts some funding availability without further appropriation, which could reduce congressional control over nonfederal funds once deposited.', 'Implementation requires coordination among multiple federal and nonfederal stakeholders to manage the new fund effectively.']
The bill reflects ongoing cooperative conservation efforts among federal and nonfederal partners in the Lower Colorado River basin, addressing funding timing issues to support species recovery under the Endangered Species Act. It was introduced and passed the House and is currently received in the Senate as of March 2026.
Hidden impact flags detected: 2
GovScope reviewed 2 policy-risk categories. Hover for a quick definition. Click detected flags for bill-specific details.
['Improved fund management may lead to more consistent and timely conservation activities for endangered species in the Lower Colorado River region.', 'The establishment of an interest-bearing account could incentivize increased nonfederal contributions due to clearer fund management.', 'Potential delays or uncertainties in appropriations for interest earnings could impact long-term program planning.']
Transparency and oversight considerations include monitoring the use of nonfederal funds once deposited without further appropriation, ensuring that interest earnings subject to appropriations are tracked and reported, and maintaining clear coordination among federal and nonfederal stakeholders managing the fund. The absence of full bill text limits detailed analysis of enforcement or reporting requirements.
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