Heinrich Leads Letter to the Department of the Interior Inspector General Urging Evaluation of Threats Posed by Workforce Reductions at the Bureau of Reclamation

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, led seven Democratic Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee colleagues in a letter urging the U.S. Department of the Interior Acting Inspector General (IG) Caryl Brzymialkiewicz to evaluate the extent to which  the Trump Administration’s workforce reductions at the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) prevent the agency from fulfilling its statutory mission and implementing relevant programs and activities authorized by Congress.

“Recent reductions in workforce significantly threaten BOR’s ability to safely and reliably deliver water to communities and farmers, keep waterways flowing for fish and wildlife across the western United States, and produce reliable electricity,” the senators began.

The BOR is the largest wholesale water supplier in the United States – delivering trillions of gallons of water to more than 31 million people. The BOR also is the second largest producer of hydroelectric power in the country. The facilities the BOR operate generate 40 million megawatt-hours of electricity each year.

According to reports, the BOR has lost 1,400 public servants, around 25 percent of the agency’s entire workforce, since the Administration began its assault on the federal workforce.

The senators continued, expressing concern over the lack of strategy and harm to public safety that workforce reductions pose, “Rapid reductions to BOR’s workforce raise significant concerns about the Bureau’s ability to meet its core responsibilities, particularly inspecting dams and identifying threats to public safety.”

“BOR needs experienced personnel with the necessary expertise to manage critical infrastructure. We are concerned that the Administration’s actions to gut the agency of qualified public servants could leave critical water infrastructure and communities vulnerable to operational disruptions,” the senators continued. 

The senators concluded their letter by requesting that the IG evaluate whether recent workforce reductions at BOR inhibit the Bureau from carrying out its obligations.

The letter is led by Ranking Member Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.). The letter is signed by Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Democratic members U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and Rueben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.).

The full text of the letter is here and below:

Dear Acting Inspector General Brzymialkiewicz:

We write to request that your office evaluate the extent to which workforce reductions at the Bureau of Reclamation (“Bureau” or “BOR”) prevent the agency from fulfilling its statutory mission and implementing relevant programs and activities authorized by Congress. The Bureau is the largest wholesaler of water in the United States—delivering trillions of gallons of water to more than 31 million people. The Bureau is also the second largest producer of hydroelectric power in the country. The facilities BOR operate generate 40 million megawatt-hours of electricity each year. However, recent reductions in workforce significantly threaten BOR’s ability to safely and reliably deliver water to communities and farmers, keep waterways flowing for fish and wildlife across the western United States, and produce reliable electricity.

According to reports, BOR has lost 1,400 public servants since the administration began its assault on the federal workforce. The positions reportedly eliminated include mechanics, engineers, and fish biology specialists—personnel with considerable expertise. Through firings of probational workers, buyouts, early retirements, and other related actions, BOR has shrunk by 25 percent. This workforce reduction has lacked a coherent, mission- and safety- driven strategy and instead led to the departure of experienced personnel—some with over 20 years of experience—leaving the Bureau susceptible to operational disruptions.

Rapid reductions to BOR’s workforce raise significant concerns about the Bureau’s ability to meet its core responsibilities, particularly inspecting dams and identifying threats to public safety. BOR manages over 450 dams throughout 17 western states. Previously, BOR’s dam safety program identified over 300 high and significant hazard dams at more than 200 facilities. The age and complex nature of dam systems necessitates having experienced staff trained in the operation of such systems. In fact, as your office identified in a September 2023 report, approximately 90 percent of BOR’s dams are more than 50 years old and “[a]ging dams increaset he risk of dam failures.” BOR needs experienced personnel with the necessary expertise to manage critical infrastructure. We are concerned that the administration’s actions to gut the agency of qualified public servants could leave critical water infrastructure and communities vulnerable to operational disruptions. 

Your office is responsible for promoting “accountability, integrity, economy, efficiency, and effectiveness within” the DOI and identifying “ways to improve the DOI’s programs and operations by offering specific, actionable recommendations that lead to positive change.” We therefore urge you to evaluate whether recent workforce reductions at BOR inhibit the Bureau from carrying out its obligations.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Sincerely,

 

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