Western South Dakota Water Supply Project Feasibility Study Act
Download PDFSponsored by
Rep. Johnson, Dusty [R-SD-At Large]
ID: J000301
Bill's Journey to Becoming a Law
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Latest Action
Subcommittee Hearings Held
April 15, 2026
Introduced
Committee Review
📍 Current Status
Next: The bill moves to the floor for full chamber debate and voting.
Floor Action
Passed House
Senate Review
Passed Congress
Presidential Action
Became Law
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1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.
2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.
3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.
4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.
5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.
6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.
7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!
Bill Summary
Another masterpiece of legislative theater, courtesy of the intellectually bankrupt inhabitants of Congress. Let's dissect this farce, shall we?
**Main Purpose & Objectives:** The Western South Dakota Water Supply Project Feasibility Study Act (HR 7288) is a $10 million exercise in bureaucratic navel-gazing, masquerading as a serious attempt to address water supply issues in western South Dakota. Its primary objective? To conduct a feasibility study on constructing a project to supply municipal, rural, and industrial water from the Missouri River to the Western Dakota Regional Water System. How quaint.
**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law:** The bill mandates the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study (because, clearly, they have nothing better to do) in coordination with the non-Federal project entity, aka the Western Dakota Regional Water System, Inc. – a nonprofit corporation that's probably salivating at the prospect of getting its hands on some sweet, sweet federal funding. The Secretary will then develop a feasibility report, which will undoubtedly be a thrilling read, and submit it to Congress. Oh, and there's a cost-sharing agreement, because who doesn't love a good game of financial musical chairs?
**Affected Parties & Stakeholders:** The usual suspects are involved: the Western Dakota Regional Water System, Inc., various federal, state, tribal, regional, and local authorities, and – of course – the taxpayers, who will be footing the bill for this $10 million boondoggle. One can only assume that the good people of western South Dakota are just thrilled to have their water supply issues used as a pretext for yet another example of congressional pork-barrel politics.
**Potential Impact & Implications:** The potential impact of this bill? Zilch. Zero. Nada. It's a feasibility study, folks! The ultimate exercise in bureaucratic busywork. The real implication here is that Congress is more interested in throwing money at problems than actually solving them. This bill is a symptom of a deeper disease: the chronic inability of our elected officials to address real issues, instead opting for token gestures and PR stunts.
In conclusion, HR 7288 is a masterclass in legislative obfuscation, designed to create the illusion of progress while accomplishing precisely nothing. It's a testament to the boundless creativity of politicians when it comes to wasting taxpayer money and pretending to care about the issues that matter. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have better things to do – like watching paint dry.
Related Topics
💰 Campaign Finance Network
No campaign finance data available for Rep. Johnson, Dusty [R-SD-At Large]
Industry Impact
Which industries are materially affected by specific provisions in this bill. 3 helped.
- +Construction & Engineering confidence 0.80
Section 3(a) mentions a study to determine the feasibility of constructing a project, which could lead to construction contracts and business for the industry, cited in subsection (a)(1)
- +Pipelines & Energy Infrastructure confidence 0.70
The proposed rural water supply project may require the construction of pipelines or other energy infrastructure, as implied by Section 3(a)(2)(A)(i)
- +Commercial Banks confidence 0.60
Section 3(b) mentions a cost-sharing agreement, which may involve financing and banking services for the non-Federal project entity
Who funds the sponsor on these industries
For each industry this bill affects, here's what the sponsor (Rep. Johnson, Dusty [R-SD-At Large]) received from donors associated with that industry during the 2022–present cycles. Donations are not proof of intent — they are a record of who funds the people writing the law.
Industries this bill HELPS
- Commercial Banks$5,250from 5contributions
- VEENIS, JON$3,000
- DOLD, MINDY$2,000
- HEWITT, CHARLES$250
Project 2025 Policy Matches
This bill shows semantic similarity to the following sections of the Project 2025 policy document. AI-enhanced analysis provides detailed alignment ratings.
Introduction
AI Analysis:
"The bill and Project 2025 policy are tangentially related through their focus on water supply issues, but the bill's primary objective of conducting a feasibility study does not directly align with the policy's goals of reducing bureaucratic inefficiencies or implementing specific actions for improving water availability forecasts. The policy's emphasis on consolidating federal water working groups and adopting improvements to forecast-informed reservoir operations is not reflected in the bill."
— 536 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise 2. Engaging in real-time monitoring of operations. l Reduce bureaucratic inefficiencies by consolidating federal water working groups. l Implement actions identified in the Federal Action Plan for Improving Fore- casts of Water Availability,93 especially by adopting improvements related to: 1. Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations; and 2. Arial Snow Observation Systems. l Clarify the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act94 to ensure consistent application with other federal infrastructure loan programs under the Federal Credit Reform Act. This should be done to foster opportunities for locally led investment in water infrastructure. l Reinstate Presidential Memorandum on Promoting the Reliable Supply and Delivery of Water in the West.95 AMERICAN INDIANS AND U.S. TRUST RESPONSIBILITY The Biden Administration has breached its federal trust responsibilities to American Indians. This is unconscionable. Specifically, the Biden Administra- tion’s war on domestically available fossil fuels and mineral sources has been devastating. To wit: l The ability of American Indians and tribal governments to develop their abundant oil and gas resources has been severely hampered, depriving them of the revenue and profits to which they are entitled during a time of increasing worldwide energy prices, forcing American Indians—who are among the poorest Americans—to choose between food and fuel. l Indian nations with significant coal resources have some of the highest quality and cleanest-burning coal in the world, but the Biden Administration has sought to destroy the market for their coal by eliminating coal-fired electricity in the country and to prevent the transport of their coal for sale internationally. Meanwhile, the Biden Administration, at great public expense, artificially boosted the demand for electric vehicles, which, because of their remote locations, the absence of increased electricity demands for charging electric vehicles nearby, and the distances to be traveled, are not a choice for Indian communities.
Introduction
AI Analysis:
"The bill's focus on water supply issues in western South Dakota and the Project 2025 policy's emphasis on water infrastructure and management are tangentially related, but the bill does not directly address the policy's specific objectives, such as reducing bureaucratic inefficiencies or implementing forecast-informed reservoir operations. The alignment is weak due to the lack of direct overlap in objectives."
— 536 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise 2. Engaging in real-time monitoring of operations. l Reduce bureaucratic inefficiencies by consolidating federal water working groups. l Implement actions identified in the Federal Action Plan for Improving Fore- casts of Water Availability,93 especially by adopting improvements related to: 1. Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations; and 2. Arial Snow Observation Systems. l Clarify the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act94 to ensure consistent application with other federal infrastructure loan programs under the Federal Credit Reform Act. This should be done to foster opportunities for locally led investment in water infrastructure. l Reinstate Presidential Memorandum on Promoting the Reliable Supply and Delivery of Water in the West.95 AMERICAN INDIANS AND U.S. TRUST RESPONSIBILITY The Biden Administration has breached its federal trust responsibilities to American Indians. This is unconscionable. Specifically, the Biden Administra- tion’s war on domestically available fossil fuels and mineral sources has been devastating. To wit: l The ability of American Indians and tribal governments to develop their abundant oil and gas resources has been severely hampered, depriving them of the revenue and profits to which they are entitled during a time of increasing worldwide energy prices, forcing American Indians—who are among the poorest Americans—to choose between food and fuel. l Indian nations with significant coal resources have some of the highest quality and cleanest-burning coal in the world, but the Biden Administration has sought to destroy the market for their coal by eliminating coal-fired electricity in the country and to prevent the transport of their coal for sale internationally. Meanwhile, the Biden Administration, at great public expense, artificially boosted the demand for electric vehicles, which, because of their remote locations, the absence of increased electricity demands for charging electric vehicles nearby, and the distances to be traveled, are not a choice for Indian communities. — 537 — Department of the Interior l A significant percentage of critical minerals needed by the United States is on Indian lands, but the Biden Administration has actively discouraged development of critical mineral mining projects on Indian lands rather than assisting in their advancement. l Despite Indian nations having primary responsibility for their lands and environment and responsibility for the safety of their communities, the Biden Administration is reversing efforts to put Indian nations in charge of environmental regulation on their own lands. Moreover, Biden Administration policies, including those of the DOI, have dis- proportionately impacted American Indians and Indian nations. l By its failure to secure the border, the Biden Administration has robbed Indian nations on or near the Mexican border of safe and secure communities while permitting them to be swamped by a tide of illegal drugs, particularly fentanyl. l When ending COVID protocols at Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools, Biden’s DOI failed to ensure an accurate accounting of students returning from school shutdowns, which presents a significant danger to the families that trust their children to that federal agency. l The BIE is not reporting student academic assessment data to ensure parents and the larger tribal communities know their children are learning and are receiving a quality education. The new Administration must take the following actions to fulfill the nation’s trust responsibilities to American Indians and Indian nations: l End the war on fossil fuels and domestically available minerals and facilitate their development on lands owned by Indians and Indian nations. l End federal mandates and subsidies of electric vehicles. l Restore the right of tribal governments to enforce environmental regulation on their lands. l Secure the nation’s border to protect the sovereignty and safety of tribal lands.
About These Correlations
Policy matches are calculated using a hybrid approach: initial candidates are found using semantic similarity between bill summaries and Project 2025 policy text, then an AI model (Llama 3.1 70B) provides detailed alignment ratings and analysis. Ratings range from 1 (minimal alignment) to 5 (very strong alignment). This analysis does not imply direct causation or intent.