The House has passed the Water Rights Protection Act. The measure limits the jurisdiction of federal agencies on water. It prohibits the Secretary’s of Interior or Agriculture from requiring the transfer of water rights without adequate and just compensation.  Public Lands Council Executive Director Dustin Van Liew says the bill came about partly because the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management has been seizing water rights in exchange for land use permits.

Van Liew says his group is pleased with the House passage and says it’ll be a tougher fight to get it through the Senate, especially during an election year.

He says the legislation also points to the need for States to manage water rights and not the federal government.