Lower Yellowstone River Native Fish Conservation Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 6568 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 6568 To reaffirm that the Bureau of Reclamation retains exclusive ownership, operational control, and financial responsibility for the Lower Yellowstone Fish Bypass Channel, ensuring long-term conservation of the endangered pallid sturgeon and other native aquatic species in the Yellowstone River while protecting the Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project and District from undue financial and operational burdens, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES December 10, 2025 Mr. Downing introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To reaffirm that the Bureau of Reclamation retains exclusive ownership, operational control, and financial responsibility for the Lower Yellowstone Fish Bypass Channel, ensuring long-term conservation of the endangered pallid sturgeon and other native aquatic species in the Yellowstone River while protecting the Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project and District from undue financial and operational burdens, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Lower Yellowstone River Native Fish Conservation Act''. SEC. 2. FINDINGS. Congress finds that-- (1) the Lower Yellowstone Fish Bypass Channel-- (A) was authorized under section 3109 of the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-114; 121 Stat. 1135) as a Federal mitigation measure for impacts on the pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.); (B) was designed and constructed by the Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of R