Rural Water Projects: Federal Assistance Criteria Related to the Lewis and Clark Rural Water Project: T-RCED-98-231.

This testimony discusses legislation pending before Congress that would authorize the Bureau of Reclamation as the designated source of funding for the Lewis and Clark Rural Water Project. In the past, legislation has tasked the Bureau with specific rural water projects. However, the Bureau's backlog of authorized but unbuilt projects, the significant constraints on available funding, and concern that passage of such legislation would further erode the Bureau's basic responsibilities prompted a GAO review of selected rural water projects, including the Lewis and Clark Project. This testimony draws on the findings of a May 1998 GAO report (GAO/RCED-98-204R) on the characteristics of the projects and the criteria that selected federal programs apply when considering applications for assistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]