NWRA 2026 Federal Water Issues Conference

Federal water policy is moving quickly. Budgets are constrained. Regulatory lines are shifting. Implementation decisions are happening now.

This spring in Washington, NWRA’s Federal Water Issues Conference brings western water managers into direct conversation with the officials shaping those outcomes.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Jed Jorgensen, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, on DOE partnerships and tools to support irrigation modernization and energy-related water projects.
  
• Gabe Racz, Clark Hill PLC, on Colorado’s response to Sackett, state dredge and fill permitting, and what it could mean for other Western states.
• Ryan R. Yates, Managing Director of Government Affairs, American Farm Bureau Federation, on the Farm bill, ESA reform, and Forest Management, and how those debates intersect with water policy.

We have also invited senior federal leadership and key policymakers, including:

• Aubrey Bettencourt, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
  
• Doug Burgum, Secretary of the Interior
  
• Kate MacGregor, Deputy Secretary of the Interior
  
• Congresswoman Celeste Maloy, Western Caucus Chair
• Andrea Travnicek, Assistant Secretary for Water and Science
  
• House and Senate committee staff
  

The agenda centers on federal budgets, WaterSMART and infrastructure funding, permitting, implementation of recent legislation, and the congressional outlook heading into FY27. The focus is practical. What do these policy decisions mean for projects, storage, hydropower, and operations across the West?

The real value is the direct engagement. When western water users are in the room with agency leaders and congressional staff, the conversation becomes more grounded and more productive.

If you want clarity on where federal water policy is headed and a seat at the table as it develops, join us in Washington.