Legislation makes water more affordable for rural Colorado

Congressman Ken Buck (CO-04) has introduced H.R. 519, the Water and Agriculture Tax Reform Act of 2017 (WATER Act), a key legislative priority that Buck shepherded through committee last year and hopes to see on the House Floor in the 115^th Congress. The legislation permits mutual water and storage delivery companies to retain their non-profit status even if they receive more than 15% of their revenue from non-member sources. The additional non-member revenue raised under the act must be used for maintenance, operations, and infrastructure improvements. By allowing these companies to raise additional revenue from non-members, they can invest in infrastructure improvements that allow them to offer more affordable water resources to their members.

“Farmers and ranchers around the Fourth Congressional District support this legislation because they need affordable water,” Congressman Ken Buck stated. “We worked hard on this legislation last year and I’m hopeful that this year we’ll see it pass the House and Senate and signed into law.”