H.R. 7287 — Lewis and Clark Regional Water System Expansion Feasibility Study Act

This section defines key terms for purposes of the Act, including (1) “non-Federal project entity” as the Lewis and Clark Regional Water System, Inc., or any nonprofit successor entity; (2) “proposed rural water supply project” as the proposed project to supply municipal, rural, and industrial water to expand the capacity and reach of the Lewis and Clark Regional Water System in Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota; and (3) “Secretary” as the Secretary of the Interior.

This section directs the Secretary of the Interior, in coordination with the non-Federal project entity, to conduct a feasibility study for the proposed expansion of the Lewis and Clark Regional Water Supply System—a Bureau of Reclamation rural water supply project serving communities in South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana—and to develop and submit a feasibility report to specified congressional committees with a recommendation on construction authorization and the appropriate non-Federal share of construction costs (at least 25 percent, based on financial capability). The Secretary must enter into a cost-sharing agreement for the study (complying with Reclamation feasibility standards), with the federal share not exceeding 50 percent of study costs; authorizes $10 million for the study; and terminates the authority 10 years after enactment.