Using ElasticSearch with Azure OpenAI

ElasticSearch as a Vector Database

Vector Databases allow for content to be processed by an algorithm to derive an embedding, which can then be stored and searched. These embeddings, which are a type of vector, encode information about the item being processed and similar items appear together in the vector’s space. Similar text or images are grouped together, allowing for new images or text to be processed and the resulting embedding acts as a query which the vector database uses to return the most closely related items for.

A number of vector databases exist, here I’m using ElasticSearch to store embeddings that I’ve derived using Azure’s OpenAI service and search them.

Provisioning Resources

In the Azure Portal I’ve provisioned an Elastic Cloud instance and an Azure Open AI instance. First, we need to generate an API key, so in the Azure Portal select “View and manage your data in Elastic”, this will open the Elastic Cloud interface where we can create an API key:

Select “Manage API keys”, create a new API key and copy the response as JSON. Save this output in a file “elasticcreds.json” in the root of the working directory. I’ve also added the key for my Cloud ID to this JSON file, the Cloud ID is available on the screen above.

Now we also require an Azure OpenAI resource or an OpenAI API key. In my implementation I’m using Azure’s. The keys and endpoint are available in the Azure Portal on the resource, copying these to openaiconfig.json will setup that resource. We will require a model, ‘text-embedding-ada-002’ to be deployed, in this example I’ve named it ‘adaembedding’. The name of your resource will go in the ‘deployment_id’ of the notebook.

Repository & Notebook

Now that we have our resources, we will utilize the Ada model we provisioned to generate embeddings which will be stored as dense vectors in ElasticSearch.

In this repo we have a notebook with the code I’ll be walking through.

Setup & Connectivity

First we’ll read in the credentials we saved earlier and test our connection with ElasticSearch;

from elasticsearch import Elasticsearch
from elasticsearch.helpers import bulk


# Create the client instance
client = Elasticsearch(
    cloud_id=elastic_creds['cloud_id'],
    api_key=(elastic_creds['id'],elastic_creds['api_key'])
)

# Successful response!
client.info()['name']

Next, we’ll read in the dataset, in this case it’s a compilation of US Legislative Bills sourced from here. We’ll read this into a list and prepare it for embeddings;

with open('./billsum_v4_1/us_test_data_final_OFFICIAL.jsonl', 'r') as json_file:
    docs_list = list(json_file)

json.loads(docs_list[0])

with the output as:

{'bill_id': '110_hr37',
 'text': "SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.\n\n    This Act may be cited as the ``National Science Education Tax \nIncentive for Businesses Act of 2007''.\n\nSEC. 2. CREDITS FOR CERTAIN CONTRIBUTIONS BENEFITING SCIENCE, \n              TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION AT THE \n              ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL LEVEL.\n\n    (a) In General.--Subpart D of part IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 \nof the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to business related \ncredits) is amended by adding at the end the following new section:\n\n``SEC. 45O. CONTRIBUTIONS BENEFITING SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, \n              AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION AT THE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY \n              SCHOOL LEVEL.\n\n    ``(a) In General.--For purposes of section 38, the elementary and \nsecondary science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) \ncontributions credit determined under this section for the taxable year \nis an amount equal to 100 percent of the qualified STEM contributions \nof the taxpayer for such taxable year.\n    ``(b) Qualified STEM Contributions.--For purposes of this section, \nthe term `qualified STEM contributions' means--\n            ``(1) STEM school contributions,\n            ``(2) STEM teacher externship expenses, and\n            ``(3) STEM teacher training expenses.\n    ``(c) STEM School Contributions.--For purposes of this section--\n            ``(1) In general.--The term `STEM school contributions' \n        means--\n                    ``(A) STEM property contributions, and\n                    ``(B) STEM service contributions.\n            ``(2) STEM property contributions.--The term `STEM property \n        contributions' means the amount which would (but for subsection \n        (f)) be allowed as a deduction under section 170 for a \n        charitable contribution of STEM inventory property if--\n                    ``(A) the donee is an elementary or secondary \n                school described in section 170(b)(1)(A)(ii),\n                    ``(B) substantially all of the use of the property \n                by the donee is within the United States or within the \n                defense dependents' education system for educational \n                purposes in any of the grades K-12 that are related to \n                the purpose or function of the donee,\n                    ``(C) the original use of the property begins with \n                the donee,\n                    ``(D) the property will fit productively into the \n                donee's education plan,\n                    ``(E) the property is not transferred by the donee \n                in exchange for money, other property, or services, \n                except for shipping, installation and transfer costs, \n                and\n                    ``(F) the donee's use and disposition of the \n                property will be in accordance with the provisions of \n                subparagraphs (B) and (E).\n        The determination of the amount of deduction under section 170 \n        for purposes of this paragraph shall be made as if the \n        limitation under section 170(e)(3)(B) applied to all STEM \n        inventory property.\n            ``(3) STEM service contributions.--The term `STEM service \n        contributions' means the amount paid or incurred during the \n        taxable year for STEM services provided in the United States or \n        in the defense dependents' education system for the exclusive \n        benefit of students at an elementary or secondary school \n        described in section 170(b)(1)(A)(ii) but only if--\n                    ``(A) the taxpayer is engaged in the trade or \n                business of providing such services on a commercial \n                basis, and\n                    ``(B) no charge is imposed for providing such \n                services.\n            ``(4) STEM inventory property.--The term `STEM inventory \n        property' means, with respect to any contribution to a school, \n        any property--\n                    ``(A) which is described in paragraph (1) or (2) of \n                section 1221(a) with respect to the donor, and\n                    ``(B) which is determined by the school to be \n                needed by the school in providing education in grades \n                K-12 in the areas of science, technology, engineering, \n                or mathematics.\n            ``(5) STEM services.--The term `STEM services' means, with \n        respect to any contribution to a school, any service determined \n        by the school to be needed by the school in providing education \n        in grades K-12 in the areas of science, technology, \n        engineering, or mathematics, including teaching courses of \n        instruction at such school in any such area.\n            ``(6) Defense dependents' education system.--For purposes \n        of this subsection, the term `defense dependents' education \n        system' means the program established and operated under the \n        Defense Dependents' Education Act of 1978 (20 U.S.C. 921 et \n        seq.).\n    ``(d) STEM Teacher Externship Expenses.--For purposes of this \nsection--\n            ``(1) In general.--The term `STEM teacher externship \n        expenses' means any amount paid or incurred to carry out a STEM \n        externship program of the taxpayer but only to the extent that \n        such amount is attributable to the participation in such \n        program of any eligible STEM teacher, including amounts paid to \n        such a teacher as a stipend while participating in such \n        program.\n            ``(2) STEM externship program.--The term `STEM externship \n        program' means any program--\n                    ``(A) established by a taxpayer engaged in a trade \n                or business within an area of science, technology, \n                engineering, or mathematics, and\n                    ``(B) under which eligible STEM teachers receive \n                training to enhance their teaching skills in the areas \n                of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics or \n                otherwise improve their knowledge in such areas.\n            ``(3) Eligible stem teacher.--The term `eligible STEM \n        teacher' means any individual--\n                    ``(A) who is a teacher in grades K-12 at an \n                educational organization described in section \n                170(b)(1)(A)(ii) which is located in the United States \n                or which is located on a United States military base \n                outside the United States, and\n                    ``(B) whose teaching responsibilities at such \n                school include, or are likely to include, any course in \n                the areas of science, technology, engineering, or \n                mathematics.\n    ``(e) STEM Teacher Training Expenses.--The term `STEM teacher \ntraining expenses' means any amount paid or incurred by a taxpayer \nengaged in a trade or business within an area of science, technology, \nengineering, or mathematics which is attributable to the participation \nof any eligible STEM teacher in a regular training program provided to \nemployees of the taxpayer which is determined by such teacher's school \nas enhancing such teacher's teaching skills in the areas of science, \ntechnology, engineering, or mathematics.\n    ``(f) Denial of Double Benefit.--No deduction shall be allowed \nunder this chapter for any amount allowed as a credit under this \nsection.''.\n    (b) Conforming Amendments.--\n            (1) Section 38(b) of such Code is amended by striking \n        ``plus'' at the end of paragraph (30), by striking the period \n        at the end of paragraph (31), and inserting ``, plus'', and by \n        adding at the end the following new paragraph:\n            ``(32) the elementary and secondary science, technology, \n        engineering, and mathematics (STEM) contributions credit \n        determined under section 45O.''.\n            (2) The table of sections for subpart D of part IV of \n        subchapter A of chapter 1 of such Code is amended by adding at \n        the end the following new item:\n\n``Sec. 45O. Contributions benefiting science, technology, engineering, \n                            and mathematics education at the elementary \n                            and secondary school level.''.\n    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall \napply to taxable years beginning after the date of the enactment of \nthis Act.",
 'summary': 'National Science Education Tax Incentive for Businesses Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a general business tax credit for contributions of property or services to elementary and secondary schools and for teacher training to promote instruction in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics .',
 'title': 'To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to encourage businesses to improve math and science education at elementary and secondary schools.',
 'text_len': 8494,
 'sum_len': 321}

Next we’ll setup our OpenAI connection, in this case I’m using an Azure deployment but this could easily be setup for OpenAI’s own interfaces and the calls and responses be identical;

import openai
with open(r'openaiconfig.json') as config_file:
    config_details = json.load(config_file)


openai.api_type = "azure"
openai.api_key = config_details["OPENAI_API_KEY"]

# The base URL for your Azure OpenAI resource. e.g. "https://<your resource name>.openai.azure.com"
openai.api_base = config_details['OPENAI_API_BASE']

openai.api_version = "2022-12-01"

Index Creation

Now we’ve read the data and setup the connections to Elastic and OpenAI, we need to actually create an index in Elastic. We have the index schema defined in the index.json file.

{
    "settings": {
      "number_of_shards": 2,
      "number_of_replicas": 1
    },
     "mappings": {
      "dynamic": "true",
      "_source": {
        "enabled": "true"
      },
      "properties": {
        "creationDate": {
          "type": "date"
        },
        "title": {
          "type": "text"
        },
        "text_vector": {
          "type": "dense_vector",
          "dims": 1536
        },
        "text": {
          "type": "keyword"
        },
        "billId": {
          "type": "keyword"
        },
        "summary": {
          "type": "text"
        }
      }
    }
  }

The key setting here is the dense_vector field. This is set to 1536 which is the output dimension from the Ada embedding model, this is the length of each vector derived from our documents. The other fields are already contained in our documents and will be derived from the JSON payload.

So now we’ll read this configuration, delete the index if it exists, and create it;

client.indices.delete(index='bills', ignore=[404])

with open("index.json") as index_file:
    source = index_file.read().strip()
    client.indices.create(index='bills', body=source)

Next we need to derive embeddings, which will submitting a string, in this case we’ll select the document’s text before calling the embed_text function, which in turn selects the embedding. We’re also setting a batch operation to submit an array of requests to Elastic for indexing, rather than submitting individually;

def embed_text(text):
    vectors = openai.Embedding.create(input=text,deployment_id="adaembedding")
    return vectors['data'][0]['embedding']

def index_batch(docs,embeddings):

    requests = []
    for i, doc in enumerate(docs):
        request = doc
        request["_op_type"] = "index"
        request["_index"] = index_name
        request["text_vector"] = embeddings[i]
        requests.append(request)
    bulk(client, requests)

Finally, we’re creating two arrays, one of the document JSON for each bill and one of the embeddings derived from the document’s text, once we have processed 100 documents we call the index_batch to submit them to Elastic;

batch_size = 100
index_name = 'bills'
docs = []
embeddings = []
count = 0
for d in docs_list:
    doc = json.loads(d)

    docs.append(doc)
    count+=1

    embeddings.append(embed_text(doc['text']))

    if count % batch_size == 0:
        index_batch(docs,embeddings)
        docs = []
        embeddings = []
        print("Indexed {} documents.".format(count))
if docs:
    index_batch(docs,embeddings)
    print("Indexed {} documents.".format(count))

client.indices.refresh(index=index_name)
print("Done indexing.")

Querying

Now that our index has been populated with the dense vectors we should see a bills index and a number of entries in the Elastic console;

We can use cosine similarity to query the index. In this case we’re taking a query, the search string, generating embeddings for it in the same way we embedded the document text, and including that in an Elastic query using cosine similarity to compare the query’s embeddings with those we stored in the text_vector dense vector field;

    query_vector = embed_text(query)

    script_query = {
        "script_score": {
            "query": {"match_all": {}},
            "script": {
                "source": "cosineSimilarity(params.query_vector, 'text_vector') + 1.0",
                "params": {"query_vector": query_vector}
            }
        }
    }

This query we then submit as a search, selecting the title and text fields for return, but we could select any of the indexed fields;

    response = client.search(
        index=index_name,
        body={
            "size": n_results,
            "query": script_query,
            "_source": {"includes": ["title", "text"]}
        }
    )

And calling the query we see a configurable number of results along with the scores from the similarity comparison;

{'took': 21,
 'timed_out': False,
 '_shards': {'total': 2, 'successful': 2, 'skipped': 0, 'failed': 0},
 'hits': {'total': {'value': 6538, 'relation': 'eq'},
  'max_score': 1.8060461,
  'hits': [{'_index': 'bills',
    '_id': '9YAf5YgBS_Mg6LDHGUf7',
    '_score': 1.8060461,
    '_source': {'text': "SECTION 1. AMENDMENTS RELATED TO SUPPLEMENTAL WATER SUPPLY AND FUNDING.\n\n    (a) Supplemental Water Supply.--Section 106(a) of the San Luis Rey \nIndian Water Rights Settlement Act (Public Law 100-675; 102 Stat. 4000) \nis amended to read as follows:\n    ``(a) Obligation To Arrange for Development of Water for Bands and \nLocal Entities.--\n            ``(1) To provide a supplemental water supply for the \n        benefit of the Bands and the local entities, subject to the \n        provisions of the settlement agreement, the Secretary shall--\n                    ``(A) arrange for the development of not more than \n                16,000 acre-feet per year of supplemental water from \n                public lands within the boundaries of the State of \n                California outside the service area of the Central \n                Valley Project;\n                    ``(B) obtain not more than 16,000 acre-feet per \n                year either from water conserved by the works \n                authorized in title II, or through contract with the \n                Metropolitan Water District of Southern California; or\n                    ``(C) construct that portion of the works \n                authorized in title II that is necessary to conserve \n                16,000 acre-feet of water per year, and arrange to \n                deliver such water to the Bands and the local entities \n                by exchange or through contract with the Metropolitan \n                Water District of Southern California and other parties \n                with conveyance facilities.\n            ``(2) Except as provided in subsection (d)(3), the right to \n        the 16,000 acre-feet of water per year provided pursuant to \n        paragraph (1) shall be held in perpetuity by the United States \n        in trust for the San Luis Rey Indian Water Authority and shall \n        be subject to the provisions of this title and of the \n        settlement agreement governing the use and disposition of \n        supplemental water. The use of such water shall not be subject \n        to the provisions of section 204. Nothing in this section or \n        any other provision of this title shall authorize the \n        construction of any new dams, reservoirs, or surface water \n        storage facilities.''.\n    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 106(d) of such Act is \namended to read as follows:\n    ``(d) Cost of Developing and Delivering Water.--\n            ``(1) Use of federal funds.--There are authorized to be \n        appropriated such funds as may be necessary to construct that \n        portion of the works authorized in title II that is necessary \n        to conserve 16,000 acre-feet of water per year. Neither the \n        costs of delivering supplemental water nor the costs of \n        operating, maintaining, and replacing the works necessary to \n        conserve 16,000 acre-feet of water per year once those works \n        have been constructed shall be borne by the United States, and \n        no Federal appropriations are authorized for those purposes.\n            ``(2) Operation and maintenance determination.--The \n        Secretary shall determine the impact of the works constructed \n        pursuant to subsection (a)(1)(C) on the cost of operation and \n        maintenance and the existing regulating and storage capacity of \n        the All American Canal and its Coachella Branch. If the works \n        result in any added operation and maintenance costs which \n        exceed the benefits derived from increasing the regulating and \n        storage capacity of the canals to the Imperial Irrigation \n        District or the Coachella Valley Water District, the Indian \n        Water Authority and the local entities shall reimburse the \n        agency which experiences such additional costs on an annual \n        basis pursuant to the Secretary's determination.\n            ``(3) Obligation to maintain conservation provided by \n        works.--The right to 16,000 acre-feet of water per year \n        obtained by the construction of the works described in \n        subsection (a)(1)(C), although perpetual in nature, is subject \n        to the works described in subsection (a)(1)(C) being \nmaintained so as to continue to conserve 16,000 acre-feet of water per \nyear as compared to the situation that existed prior to the \nconstruction of those works. The Secretary shall determine the amount \nof water so conserved by said works on an ongoing basis, and shall \nallow said water to be delivered to the Indian Water Authority and the \nlocal entities only to the extent that said water has actually been so \nconserved by said works.''.\n    (c) Limitation on Funds.--Section 203(e)(1) of such Act is amended \nto read as follows:\n            ``(1) Except as provided in section 106(d), no Federal \n        funds may be used for construction of the works described in \n        subsection (a)(1).''.\n    (d) Beneficial Use in California.--Section 204(b) of such Act is \namended to read as follows:\n    ``(b) Beneficial Use in California.--\n            ``(1) The water identified in subsection (a) (other than \n        that provided pursuant to section 106(a)) shall be made \n        available, subject to the approval requirement established in \n        section 203(c)(3), for consumptive use by California \n        Contractors within their service areas according to their \n        priorities under the Seven Party Agreement.\n            ``(2) If the water made available under paragraph (1) is \n        used during the term of the funding agreements by a California \n        Contractor other than a Participating Contractor, or a \n        Participating Contractor in an amount in excess of its \n        proportionate share as measured by the amount of its \n        contributed funds in relation to the total contributed funds, \n        such contractor shall reimburse the Participating Contractors \n        in an amount equal to the sum of--\n                    ``(A) the annualized amounts of their respective \n                contributions which funded the conservation of water so \n                used;\n                    ``(B) any added costs of operation and maintenance \n                as determined in section 203(b); and\n                    ``(C) related mitigation costs under section \n                203(a)(2).\n            ``(3) Reimbursements made pursuant to paragraph (3) shall \n        be based on the costs each Participating Contractor incurs in \n        contributing funds, its total contribution, and the life of the \n        works.''.",
     'title': 'To amend the San Luis Rey Indian Water Rights Settlement Act, and for other purposes.'}},
   {'_index': 'bills',
    '_id': '_YAi5YgBS_Mg6LDH_U1M',
    '_score': 1.8034099,
    '_source': {'text': "SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.\n\n    This Act may be cited as the ``Sportsmen's Bill of Rights Act''.\n\nSEC. 2. FINDINGS; POLICY.\n\n    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:\n            (1) Fishing is an important and traditional recreational \n        activity in which 36,000,000 Americans 16 years old and older \n        participate.\n            (2) Hunting is an important and traditional recreational \n        activity in which 14,000,000 Americans 16 years old and older \n        participate.\n            (3) Survey data from a recent comprehensive 3-year study \n        entitled ``Factors Related to Hunting and Fishing Participation \n        in the United States'' suggest that an overwhelming majority of \n        Americans approved of fishing and hunting.\n            (4) Anglers and hunters have been and continue to be among \n        the foremost supporters of sound wildlife management and \n        conservation practices in the United States.\n            (5) Persons who hunt or fish and organizations related to \n        those activities provide direct assistance to wildlife managers \n        and enforcement officers of Federal, State, and local \n        governments.\n            (6) Funds raised through license, permit, and stamp \n        purchases, as well as through excise taxes on goods used by \n        anglers and hunters, have generated more than $6,000,000,000 \n        for wildlife research and management.\n            (7) Fishing and hunting are essential components of \n        effective wildlife management, in that they tend to reduce \n        conflicts between people and wildlife and provide incentives \n        for the conservation of wildlife and habitats and ecosystems on \n        which wildlife depends.\n            (8) Each State has established one or more agencies staffed \n        by professionally trained fish and wildlife management \n        personnel, has legal authority to manage the fish and wildlife \n        found within the State, and carries out sound programs of fish \n        and wildlife management.\n    (b) Policy.--It is the policy of the United States that in \nperforming duties under Federal law, all Federal agencies that have \nauthority to manage a natural resource or the Federal public land and \nwater on which a natural resource depends shall exercise the authority, \nconsistent with section 3(e), in a manner so as to support, promote, \nand enhance hunting and fishing opportunities to the extent permitted \nunder State law and regulation and in accordance with applicable \nFederal law.\n\nSEC. 3. TAKING OF FISH AND WILDLIFE ON FEDERAL PUBLIC LANDS.\n\n    (a) In General.--Federal public land and water shall be open to \naccess and use for fishing and hunting except--\n            (1) as limited by the State in which the Federal public \n        land or water is located; or\n            (2) as limited by the Federal agency responsible for the \n        Federal public land or water--\n                    (A) for reasons of national security;\n                    (B) for reasons of public safety; or\n                    (C) for reasons specifically authorized in \n                applicable statutes.\n    (b) Limitations on Terms of Federal Closure to Fishing or \nHunting.--\n            (1) Limitation on duration.--Any closure of Federal public \n        land or water to fishing or hunting may continue in effect only \n        during the period in which the specific circumstances for which \n        the closure is established exist.\n            (2) Rule of construction.--Any authority of a Federal \n        agency to close particular land or water to hunting or fishing \n        shall not be construed as authority to protect or manage fish \n        or wildlife.\n    (c) Certain Federal Public Land and Water Administered by the \nNational Park Service.--Nothing in this Act shall compel the opening to \nhunting or fishing of national parks or national monuments administered \nby the National Park Service.\n    (d) No Priority.--This section does not require a Federal agency to \ngive preference to fishing or hunting over other uses of Federal public \nland or water or land or water management priorities established in \nFederal law.\n    (e) Authority of the States.--\n            (1) In general.--Nothing in this Act impairs the primacy of \n        State authority in regulating the taking of fish and wildlife \n        on land or water within the State, including Federal public \n        land or water.\n            (2) Federal authority.--Except as expressly provided by Act \n        of Congress, the authority of a Federal agency regarding the \n        taking of fish and wildlife on Federal public land or water \n        managed by the Federal agency shall be no greater than the \n        rights of a private owner of land or water.\n\nSEC. 4. PROTECTION OF THE INTEGRITY OF THE SPORTSMEN'S TRUST ACCOUNTS.\n\n    (a) Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act.--The Act entitled ``An \nAct to provide that the United States shall aid the States in wildlife-\nrestoration projects, and for other purposes'', approved September \n2, 1937 (16 U.S.C. 669 et seq.; commonly known as the Federal Aid in \nWildlife Restoration Act), is amended--\n            (1) by striking ``Secretary of Agriculture'' each place it \n        appears and inserting ``Secretary of the Interior''; and\n            (2) in section 4 by adding at the end the following:\n    ``(c) The amount of funding made available to the Secretary of the \nInterior for expenses under this section shall not be available for use \nas a supplement to decreased funding for any other expense under the \nauthority of the Secretary of the Interior.''.\n    (b) Federal Aid in Fish Restoration Act.--Section 4 of the Act \nentitled ``An Act to provide that the United States shall aid the \nStates in fish restoration and management projects, and for other \npurposes'', approved August 9, 1950 (16 U.S.C. 777c; commonly known as \nthe Federal Aid in Fish Restoration Act), is amended by adding at the \nend the following:\n    ``(f) The amount of funding made available to the Secretary of the \nInterior for expenses under this section shall not be available for use \nas a supplement to decreased funding for any other expense under the \nauthority of the Secretary of the Interior.''.\n\nSEC. 5. EVALUATION OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT EFFECTS.\n\n    (a) Statement.--No Federal agency action that may significantly \ndiminish opportunities or access to engage in fishing or hunting on \nFederal public land or water shall be effective until the agency \nprepares a detailed statement evaluating the effect of the action on \nfishing and hunting.\n    (b) Notice and Hearing.--Before taking an action described in \nsubsection (a), a Federal agency shall--\n            (1) provide notice of the proposed agency action to the \n        appropriate State agency responsible for the conduct or \n        oversight of fish and wildlife management; and\n            (2) conduct a public hearing in the vicinity of the \n        proposed action.\n    (c) Judicial Review.--An individual or entity that may be adversely \naffected by a loss of fishing or hunting opportunities on Federal \npublic land or water as a result of an agency action described in \nsubsection (a) may bring a civil action in a United States district \ncourt for review of the adequacy of the statement required in \nsubsection (a).\n    (d) Emergencies.--Nothing in this section precludes an agency from \nexercising statutory authority to close Federal public land or water in \nan emergency or other exigent circumstances.\n    (e) Effect on Other Law.--Nothing in this section affects or has \napplication to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703 et seq.) or \nthe Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. \n1801 et seq.).\n\nSEC. 6. CIVIL ACTIONS.\n\n    (a) Intervention.--A person interested in participating in fishing \nor hunting shall be entitled to intervene as a matter of right in a \ncivil action brought under any other Federal law relating to the use of \nany Federal public land or water in which the plaintiff seeks an order \nthat would require the use (or nonuse) of the land or water in such a \nmanner as to impair access to or use of the land or water for the \npurpose of fishing or hunting as required by this Act.\n    (b) Consideration of Interests.--If an intervenor under subsection \n(a) shows that the application of another Federal law as sought by the \nplaintiff would be likely to impair access to or use of the Federal \npublic land or water for the purpose of fishing or hunting as required \nby this Act, the court shall not grant the relief sought unless the \nplaintiff shows that the interest intended to be advanced by the other \nFederal law clearly outweighs the interest of protecting access to and \nuse of Federal public land or water for fishing and hunting.\n    (c) State Deemed Indispensable Party.--In any civil action brought \nin any United States district court under any other Federal law \nrelating to the use of any Federal public land or water, a State is \ndeemed an indispensable party if management by the State of fish and \nresident wildlife, including hunting and fishing, would be curtailed or \nif opportunities provided by the State for hunting and fishing would be \nreduced or eliminated by a grant of preliminary or final relief.\n\nSEC. 7. STANDING TO BRING A CIVIL ACTION.\n\n    An individual who is licensed by a State to engage in fishing or \nhunting, or an organization representing the interests of such \nindividuals, may bring a civil action in a United States district court \nto seek declaratory or injunctive relief regarding the implementation \nof any provision of this Act, including a declaration that a civil \naction brought by another person may significantly disrupt or eliminate \nopportunities for fishing or hunting and an injunction against the \nprosecution of the civil action.\n\nSEC. 8. DEFINITIONS.\n\n    As used in this Act:\n            (1) Hunting and fishing.--For any State, the terms \n        ``hunting'' and ``fishing'' include all means and methods of \n        taking fish and wildlife as authorized and regulated by the \n        State agency responsible for the conduct or oversight of fish \n        and wildlife management.\n            (2) Federal public land or water.--The term ``Federal \n        public land or water''--\n                    (A) except as provided in subparagraph (B), means \n                all lands and waters owned in fee by the United States \n                and all property interests owned by the United States \n                in land or water, including easements, that are \n                administered by--\n                            (i) the Secretary of the Interior through \n                        the Bureau of Land Management, the United \n                        States Fish and Wildlife Service, the National \n                        Park Service, or the Bureau of Reclamation;\n                            (ii) the Secretary of Agriculture through \n                        the United States Forest Service; or\n                            (iii) the Secretary of Defense through the \n                        United States Army Corps of Engineers or \n                        pursuant to the Sikes Act (16 U.S.C. 670a et \n                        seq.); and\n                    (B) does not include any land or water, or interest \n                in land or water, that is part of a national park or \n                national monument, administered by the National Park \n                Service.",
     'title': "Sportsmen's Bill of Rights Act"}},
   {'_index': 'bills',
    '_id': 'fIAi5YgBS_Mg6LDHuE2Z',
    '_score': 1.8002156,
    '_source': {'text': "SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.\n\n    This Act may be cited as the ``Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Fish \nSprings Ranch Settlement Act''.\n\nSEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.\n\n    In this Act:\n            (1) Agreement.--The term ``Agreement'' means the agreement \n        entitled ``Fish Springs Ranch Water Rights Settlement \n        Agreement'' and dated May 20, 2007 (including any amendments \n        and exhibits to that agreement).\n            (2) Environmental impact statement.--The term \n        ``environmental impact statement'' means the final \n        environmental impact statement for the North Valleys Rights-of-\n        Way Projects prepared by the Bureau of Land Management (70 Fed. \n        Reg. 68473).\n            (3) Final payment date.--The term ``final payment date'' \n        means the date on which Fish Springs pays to the Tribe the \n        final installment amount, as provided in the Agreement.\n            (4) Fish springs.--The term ``Fish Springs'' means the Fish \n        Springs Ranch, LLC, a Nevada limited liability company (or a \n        successor in interest).\n            (5) Project.--\n                    (A) In general.--The term ``Project'' means the \n                project for pumping and transfer by Fish Springs of not \n                more than 8,000 acre-feet of groundwater per year, as \n                described in the environmental impact statement and the \n                record of decision.\n                    (B) Inclusion.--The term ``Project'' includes the \n                pumping and transfer of not more than 5,000 acre-feet \n                of groundwater per year (in addition to the acre-feet \n                referred to in subparagraph (A)) in accordance with the \n                Agreement, including the acquisition by Fish Springs of \n                the rights and approval to pump that groundwater in \n                accordance with Federal and State law.\n                    (C) Exclusions.--The term ``Project'' does not \n                include--\n                            (i) the project proposed by Intermountain \n                        Water Supply, Ltd., and described in the \n                        environmental impact statement; or\n                            (ii) any other project or activity not \n                        otherwise specified in this Act.\n            (6) Record of decision.--The term ``record of decision'' \n        means the public record of the decision of the District Manager \n        of the Bureau of Land Management for the State of Nevada issued \n        on May 31, 2006, regarding the environmental impact statement \n        and the Project.\n            (7) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary \n        of the Interior.\n            (8) Tribe.--The term ``Tribe'' means the Pyramid Lake \n        Paiute Tribe of Indians organized under section 16 of the Act \n        of June 18, 1934 (commonly known as the ``Indian Reorganization \n        Act'') (25 U.S.C. 476).\n\nSEC. 3. RATIFICATION OF AGREEMENT.\n\n    (a) In General.--Except as provided in subsection (c), and except \nto the extent that a provision of the Agreement conflicts with this \nAct, notwithstanding any other provision of Federal or tribal law, the \nAgreement is ratified.\n    (b) Execution of Agreement.--The Secretary shall execute the \nobligations of the Secretary under the Agreement (including any exhibit \nto the Agreement requiring the signature of the Secretary) in \naccordance with this Act.\n    (c) Exceptions.--\n            (1) Choice of law.--Notwithstanding any provision of the \n        Agreement, the Agreement and this Act shall be governed by \n        applicable Federal law and Nevada State law.\n            (2) Waiver and retention of claims.--Notwithstanding any \n        provision of the Agreement, any waiver or retention of a claim \n        by the Tribe or the United States on behalf of the Tribe \n        relating to the Agreement shall be carried out in accordance \n        with section 4.\n    (d) Environmental Compliance.--\n            (1) No major federal action.--The execution of the \n        Agreement by the Secretary pursuant to this Act shall not be \n        considered to be a major Federal action under the National \n        Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).\n            (2) Compliance activities.--The Secretary shall carry out \n        all required Federal environmental compliance activities in \n        executing the Agreement.\n    (e) Compliance With Applicable Law.--This section and the Agreement \nshall be considered to be in accordance with all applicable \nrequirements of section 2116 of the Revised Statutes (25 U.S.C. 177).\n\nSEC. 4. WAIVER AND RELEASES OF CLAIMS.\n\n    (a) Release of Claims Against Fish Springs.--In executing the \nAgreement pursuant to this Act, the Tribe and the Secretary, acting on \nbehalf of the Tribe, shall waive and release all claims against Fish \nSprings--\n            (1) for damage, loss, or injury to water rights or claims \n        of interference with or diversion or taking of water rights \n        (including claims for injury to land resulting from such a \n        damage, loss, injury, interference, diversion, or taking under \n        the Agreement) relating to the use of water by Fish Springs \n        under the Agreement for the Project; or\n            (2) relating in any manner to the negotiation or adoption \n        of the Agreement.\n    (b) Release of Claims Against United States.--In carrying out the \nAgreement, the Tribe shall waive and release any claim of the Tribe \nagainst the United States (including all employees and agents of the \nUnited States) relating in any manner to--\n            (1) damage, loss, or injury to water, water rights, land, \n        or any other resource due to loss of water or water rights \n        (including damage, loss, or injury to hunting, fishing, \n        gathering, or cultural rights due to loss of water or water \n        rights, claims relating to interference with or diversion or \n        taking of water or water rights, and claims relating to a \n        failure to protect, acquire, replace, or develop water, water \n        rights, or water infrastructure) due to use of water by Fish \n        Springs under the Agreement for the Project;\n            (2) the record of decision, the environmental impact \n        statement, or the Agreement; or\n            (3) the negotiation, execution, or adoption of the \n        Agreement or this Act, including--\n                    (A) the use by the Tribe of funds paid to the Tribe \n                under the Agreement; and\n                    (B) the acquisition and use by the Tribe of land \n                under the Agreement.\n    (c) Effectiveness of Waivers and Releases.--\n            (1) Claims against fish springs.--The waivers and releases \n        under subsection (a) shall take effect on the final payment \n        date.\n            (2) Claims against united states.--A waiver or release \n        under subsection (b) shall take effect on the date on which the \n        Tribe executes the waiver or release.\n    (d) Retention of Claims by United States and Tribe.--The Tribe and \nthe Secretary, acting on behalf of the Tribe, shall retain--\n            (1) all claims for enforcement of the Agreement or this Act \n        through such legal and equitable remedies as are available in \n        the appropriate United States court;\n            (2) subject to the right of Fish Springs to carry out the \n        Project, the right to assert and protect any right of the Tribe \n        to surface or groundwater or any other trust resource;\n            (3) all rights to claim or acquire a water right in \n        accordance with applicable law, and to use and protect any \n        water right acquired after the date of enactment of this Act, \n        that is not in conflict with the Agreement and this Act;\n            (4) all claims relating to activities affecting the quality \n        of water, including any claim of the Tribes under--\n                    (A) the Comprehensive Environmental Response, \n                Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9601 \n                et seq.) (including claims for damages to natural \n                resources);\n                    (B) the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300f et \n                seq.);\n                    (C) the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 \n                U.S.C. 1251 et seq.); or\n                    (D) a regulation implementing an Act referred to in \n                subparagraphs (A) through (C); and\n            (5) all rights, remedies, privileges, immunities, and \n        authorities not specifically waived and released pursuant to \n        this Act.\n\nSEC. 5. SATISFACTION OF CLAIMS.\n\n    The benefits provided to the Tribe under the Agreement and this Act \nshall be considered to be full satisfaction of all claims of the Tribe \nand the United States waived and released pursuant to section 4.\n\nSEC. 6. BENEFICIARIES TO AGREEMENT.\n\n    (a) Requirement.--The parties to the Agreement shall be the only \nbeneficiaries of the Agreement.\n    (b) Prohibition.--Nothing in the Agreement or this Act provides to \nany individual or entity third-party beneficiary status relating to the \nAgreement.\n\nSEC. 7. JURISDICTION.\n\n    A civil action relating to the enforcement of the Agreement shall \nbe filed in the United States District Court for the District of \nNevada.\n\nSEC. 8. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS.\n\n    (a) Truckee-Carson-Pyramid Lake Water Rights Settlement Act.--\nNothing in this Act affects any right or interest recognized or \nestablished in the Truckee-Carson-Pyramid Lake Water Rights Settlement \nAct (Public Law 101-618; 104 Stat. 3294).\n    (b) No Establishment of Standard.--Nothing in this Act establishes \na standard for the quantification of a Federal reserved water right or \nany other claim of an Indian tribe other than the Tribe in any other \njudicial or administrative proceeding.\n    (c) Other Claims.--Nothing in the Agreement or this Act quantifies \nor otherwise adversely affects any water right, claim or entitlement to \nwater, or any other right of any Indian tribe, band, or community other \nthan the Tribe.\n\nSEC. 9. NULLIFICATION DATE.\n\n    If the Tribe fails to execute any waiver or release described in \nsection 4(b) by the date that is 90 days after the date of enactment of \nthis Act, the Agreement shall be null and void.",
     'title': 'A bill to ratify a water settlement agreement affecting the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, and for other purposes.'}},
   {'_index': 'bills',
    '_id': 'KoAh5YgBS_Mg6LDHL0uw',
    '_score': 1.794166,
    '_source': {'text': "SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.\n\n    This Act may be cited as the ``Lower Rio Grande Valley Water \nResources Conservation and Improvement Act of 2000''.\n\nSEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.\n\n    In this Act:\n        (1) Commissioner.--The term ``Commissioner'' means the \n    Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation.\n        (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of \n    the Interior, acting through the Commissioner.\n        (3) State.--The term ``State'' means the Texas Water \n    Development Board and any other authorized entity of the State of \n    Texas.\n        (4) Program area.--The term ``program area'' means--\n            (A) the counties in the State of Texas in the Rio Grande \n        Regional Water Planning Area known as Region ``M'' as \n        designated by the Texas Water Development Board; and\n            (B) the counties of Hudspeth and El Paso, Texas.\nSEC. 3. LOWER RIO GRANDE WATER CONSERVATION AND IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.\n    (a) In General.--The Secretary, acting pursuant to the Reclamation \nAct of 1902 (Act of June 17, 1902, 32 Stat. 388) and Acts amendatory \nthereof and supplementary thereto, shall undertake a program in \ncooperation with the State, water users in the program area, and other \nnon-Federal entities, to investigate and identify opportunities to \nimprove the supply of water for the program area as provided in this \nAct. The program shall include the review of studies or planning \nreports (or both) prepared by any competent engineering entity for \nprojects designed to conserve and transport raw water in the program \narea. As part of the program, the Secretary shall evaluate alternatives \nin the program area that could be used to improve water supplies, \nincluding the following:\n        (1) Lining irrigation canals.\n        (2) Increasing the use of pipelines, flow control structures, \n    meters, and associated appurtenances of water supply facilities.\n    (b) Program Development.--Within 6 months after the date of the \nenactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the State, \nshall develop and publish criteria to determine which projects would \nqualify and have the highest priority for financing under this Act. \nSuch criteria shall address, at a minimum--\n        (1) how the project relates to the near- and long-term water \n    demands and supplies in the study area, including how the project \n    would affect the need for development of new or expanded water \n    supplies;\n        (2) the relative amount of water (acre feet) to be conserved \n    pursuant to the project;\n        (3) whether the project would provide operational efficiency \n    improvements or achieve water, energy, or economic savings (or any \n    combination of the foregoing) at a rate of acre feet of water or \n    kilowatt energy saved per dollar expended on the construction of \n    the project; and\n        (4) if the project proponents have met the requirements \n    specified in subsection (c).\n    (c) Project Requirements.--A project sponsor seeking Federal \nfunding under this program shall--\n        (1) provide a report, prepared by the Bureau of Reclamation or \n    prepared by any competent engineering entity and reviewed by the \n    Bureau of Reclamation, that includes, among other matters--\n            (A) the total estimated project cost;\n            (B) an analysis showing how the project would reduce, \n        postpone, or eliminate development of new or expanded water \n        supplies;\n            (C) a description of conservation measures to be taken \n        pursuant to the project plans;\n            (D) the near- and long-term water demands and supplies in \n        the study area; and\n            (E) engineering plans and designs that demonstrate that the \n        project would provide operational efficiency improvements or \n        achieve water, energy, or economic savings (or any combination \n        of the foregoing) at a rate of acre feet of water or kilowatt \n        energy saved per dollar expended on the construction of the \n        project;\n        (2) provide a project plan, including a general map showing the \n    location of the proposed physical features, conceptual engineering \n    drawings of structures, and general standards for design; and\n        (3) sign a cost-sharing agreement with the Secretary that \n    commits the non-Federal project sponsor to funding its \n    proportionate share of the project's construction costs on an \n    annual basis.\n    (d) Financial Capability.--Before providing funding for a project \nto the non-Federal project sponsor, the Secretary shall determine that \nthe non-Federal project sponsor is financially capable of funding the \nproject's non-Federal share of the project's costs.\n    (e) Review Period.--Within 1 year after the date a project is \nsubmitted to the Secretary for approval, the Secretary, subject to the \navailability of appropriations, shall determine whether the project \nmeets the criteria established pursuant to this section.\n    (f) Report Preparation; Reimbursement.--Project sponsors may choose \nto contract with the Secretary to prepare the reports required under \nthis section. All costs associated with the preparation of the reports \nby the Secretary shall be 50 percent reimbursable by the non-Federal \nsponsor.\n    (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be \nappropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $2,000,000.\n\nSEC. 4. LOWER RIO GRANDE CONSTRUCTION AUTHORIZATION.\n\n    (a) Project Implementation.--If the Secretary determines that any \nof the following projects meet the review criteria and project \nrequirements, as set forth in section 3, the Secretary may conduct or \nparticipate in funding engineering work, infrastructure construction, \nand improvements for the purpose of conserving and transporting raw \nwater through that project:\n        (1) In the Hidalgo County, Texas Irrigation District #1, a \n    pipeline project identified in the Melden & Hunt, Inc. engineering \n    study dated July 6, 2000 as the Curry Main Pipeline Project.\n        (2) In the Cameron County, Texas La Feria Irrigation District \n    #3, a distribution system improvement project identified by the \n    1993 engineering study by Sigler, Winston, Greenwood and \n    Associates, Inc.\n        (3) In the Cameron County, Texas Irrigation District #2 canal \n    rehabilitation and pumping plant replacement as identified as Job \n    Number 48-05540-002 in a report by Turner Collie & Braden, Inc. \n    dated August 12, 1998.\n        (4) In the Harlingen Irrigation District Cameron #1 Irrigation \n    District a project of meter installation and canal lining as \n    identified in a proposal submitted to the Texas Water Development \n    Board dated April 28, 2000.\n    (b) Construction Cost Share.--The non-Federal share of the costs of \nany construction carried out under, or with assistance provided under, \nthis section shall be 50 percent. Not more than 40 percent of the costs \nof such an activity may be paid by the State. The remainder of the non-\nFederal share may include in-kind contributions of goods and services, \nand funds previously spent on feasibility and engineering studies.\n    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be \nappropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $10,000,000.\n\n                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.\n\n                            Vice President of the United States and    \n                                               President of the Senate.",
     'title': 'Lower Rio Grande Valley Water Resources Conservation and Improvement Act of 2000'}},
   {'_index': 'bills',
    '_id': 'BYAe5YgBS_Mg6LDHmEfY',
    '_score': 1.7939597,
    '_source': {'text': "SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.\n\n    This Act may be cited as the ``Griffith Project Prepayment and \nConveyance Act''.\n\nSEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.\n\n    In this Act:\n        (1) The term ``Authority'' means the Southern Nevada Water \n    Authority, organized under the laws of the State of Nevada.\n        (2) The term ``Griffith Project'' means the Robert B. Griffith \n    Water Project, authorized by and constructed pursuant to the \n    Southern Nevada Water Project Act, Public Law 89-292, as amended \n    (commonly known as the ``Southern Nevada Water Project Act'') (79 \n    Stat. 1068), including pipelines, conduits, pumping plants, intake \n    facilities, aqueducts, laterals, water storage and regulatory \n    facilities, electric substations, and related works and \n    improvements listed pursuant to ``Robert B. Griffith Water Project \n    (Formerly Southern Nevada Water Project), Nevada: Southern Clark \n    County, Lower Colorado Region Bureau of Reclamation'', on file at \n    the Bureau of Reclamation and all interests in land acquired under \n    Public Law 89-292, as amended.\n        (3) The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of the Interior.\n        (4) The term ``Acquired Land(s)'' means all interests in land, \n    including fee title, right(s)-of-way, and easement(s), acquired by \n    the United States from non-Federal sources by purchase, donation, \n    exchange, or condemnation pursuant to Public Law 89-292, as amended \n    for the Griffith Project.\n        (5) The term ``Public Land'' means lands which have never left \n    Federal ownership and are under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of \n    Land Management.\n        (6) The term ``Withdrawn Land'' means Federal lands which are \n    withdrawn from settlement, sale, location of minerals, or entry \n    under some or all of the general land laws and are reserved for a \n    particular public purpose pursuant to Public Law 89-292, as \n    amended, under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Reclamation, or \n    are reserved pursuant to Public Law 88-639 under the jurisdiction \n    of the National Park Service.\n\nSEC. 3. CONVEYANCE OF GRIFFITH PROJECT.\n\n    (a) In General.--In consideration of the Authority assuming from \nthe United States all liability for administration, operation, \nmaintenance, and replacement of the Griffith Project and subject to the \nprepayment by the Authority of the Federal repayment amount of \n$121,204,348 (which amount shall be increased to reflect any accrued \nunpaid interest and shall be decreased by the amount of any additional \nprincipal payments made by the Authority after September 15, 1999, \nprior to the date on which prepayment occurs), the Secretary shall, \npursuant to the provisions of this Act--\n        (1) convey and assign to the Authority all of the right, title, \n    and interest of the United States in and to improvements and \n    facilities of the Griffith Project in existence as of the date of \n    this Act;\n        (2) convey and assign to the Authority all of the right, title, \n    and interest of the United States to Acquired Lands that were \n    acquired for the Griffith Project; and\n        (3) convey and assign to the Authority all interests reserved \n    and developed as of the date of this Act for the Griffith Project \n    in lands patented by the United States.\n    (b) Pursuant to the authority of this section, from the effective \ndate of conveyance of the Griffith Project, the Authority shall have a \nright-of-way at no cost across all Public Land and Withdrawn Land--\n        (1) on which the Griffith Project is situated; and\n        (2) across any Federal lands as reasonably necessary for the \n    operation, maintenance, replacement, and repair of the Griffith \n    Project, including existing access routes.\nRights-of-way established by this section shall be valid for as long as \nthey are needed for municipal water supply purposes and shall not \nrequire payment of rental or other fee.\n    (c) Within twelve months after the effective date of this Act--\n        (1) the Secretary and the Authority shall agree upon a \n    description of the land subject to the rights-of-way established by \n    subsection (b) of this section; and\n        (2) the Secretary shall deliver to the Authority a document \n    memorializing such rights-of-way.\n    (d) Report.--If the conveyance under subsection (a) has not \noccurred within twelve months after the effective date of this Act, the \nSecretary shall submit to Congress a report on the status of the \nconveyance.\n\nSEC. 4. RELATIONSHIP TO EXISTING CONTRACTS.\n\n    The Secretary and the Authority may modify Contract No. 7-07-30-\nW0004 and other contracts and land permits as necessary to conform to \nthe provisions of this Act.\n\nSEC. 5. RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER LAWS AND FUTURE BENEFITS.\n\n    (a) If the Authority changes the use or operation of the Griffith \nProject, the Authority shall comply with all applicable laws and \nregulations governing the changes at that time.\n    (b) On conveyance of the Griffith Project under section 3 of this \nAct, the Act of June 17, 1902 (43 U.S.C. 391 et seq.), and all Acts \namendatory thereof or supplemental thereto shall not apply to the \nGriffith Project. Effective upon transfer, the lands and facilities \ntransferred pursuant to this Act shall not be entitled to receive any \nfurther Reclamation benefits pursuant to the Act of June 17, 1902, and \nall Acts amendatory thereof or supplemental thereto attributable to \ntheir status as a Federal Reclamation Project, and the Griffith Project \nshall no longer be a Federal Reclamation Project.\n    (c) Nothing in this Act shall transfer or affect Federal ownership, \nrights, or interests in Lake Mead National Recreation Area associated \nlands, nor affect the authorities of the National Park Service to \nmanage Lake Mead National Recreation Area including lands on which the \nGriffith Project is located consistent with the Act of August 25, 1916 \n(39 Stat. 535), Public Law 88-639, October 8, 1964 (78 Stat. 1039), or \nany other applicable legislation, regulation, or policy.\n    (d) Nothing in this Act shall affect the application of Federal \nreclamation law to water delivered to the Authority pursuant to any \ncontract with the Secretary under section 5 of the Boulder Canyon \nProject Act.\n    (e) Effective upon conveyance of the Griffith Project and acquired \ninterests in land under section 3 of this Act, the United States shall \nnot be liable for damages of any kind arising out of any act, omission, \nor occurrence based on its prior ownership of the conveyed property.\n\n                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.\n\n                            Vice President of the United States and    \n                                               President of the Senate.",
     'title': 'Griffith Project Prepayment and Conveyance Act'}},
   {'_index': 'bills',
    '_id': 'F4Ab5YgBS_Mg6LDH40MO',
    '_score': 1.7927182,
    '_source': {'text': "SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.\n\n    This Act may be cited as the ``Defense of Environment and Property \nAct of 2012''.\n\nSEC. 2. NAVIGABLE WATERS.\n\n    (a) In General.--Section 502 of the Federal Water Pollution Control \nAct (33 U.S.C. 1362) is amended by striking paragraph (7) and inserting \nthe following:\n            ``(7) Navigable waters.--\n                    ``(A) In general.--The term `navigable waters' \n                means the waters of the United States, including the \n                territorial seas, that are--\n                            ``(i) navigable-in-fact; or\n                            ``(ii) permanent, standing, or continuously \n                        flowing bodies of water that form geographical \n                        features commonly known as streams, oceans, \n                        rivers, and lakes that are connected to waters \n                        that are navigable-in-fact.\n                    ``(B) Exclusions.--The term `navigable waters' does \n                not include--\n                            ``(i) waters that--\n                                    ``(I) do not physically abut waters \n                                described in subparagraph (A); and\n                                    ``(II) lack a continuous surface \n                                water connection to navigable waters;\n                            ``(ii) man-made or natural structures or \n                        channels--\n                                    ``(I) through which water flows \n                                intermittently or ephemerally; or\n                                    ``(II) that periodically provide \n                                drainage for rainfall; or\n                            ``(iii) wetlands without a continuous \n                        surface connection to bodies of water that are \n                        waters of the United States.\n                    ``(C) EPA and corps activities.--An activity \n                carried out by the Administrator or the Corps of \n                Engineers shall not, without explicit State \n                authorization, impinge upon the traditional and primary \n                power of States over land and water use.\n                    ``(D) Aggregation; wetlands.--\n                            ``(i) Aggregation.--Aggregation of wetlands \n                        or waters not described in clauses (i) through \n                        (iii) of subparagraph (B) shall not be used to \n                        determine or assert Federal jurisdiction.\n                            ``(ii) Wetlands.--Wetlands described in \n                        subparagraph (B)(iii) shall not be considered \n                        to be under Federal jurisdiction.\n                    ``(E) Appeals.--A jurisdictional determination by \n                the Administrator that would affect the ability of a \n                State to plan the development and use (including \n                restoration, preservation, and enhancement) of land and \n                water resources may be appealed by the State during the \n                30-day period beginning on the date of the \n                determination.\n                    ``(F) Treatment of ground water.--Ground water \n                shall--\n                            ``(i) be considered to be State water; and\n                            ``(ii) not be considered in determining or \n                        asserting Federal jurisdiction over isolated or \n                        other waters, including intermittent or \n                        ephemeral water bodies.''.\n    (b) Prohibition on Use of Nexus Test.--Notwithstanding any other \nprovision of law, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection \nAgency may not use a significant nexus test (as used by the \nEnvironmental Protection Agency in the document listed in section \n3(a)(3) of this Act) to determine Federal jurisdiction over navigable \nwaters and waters of the United States (as those terms are defined and \nused, respectively, in section 502 of the Federal Water Pollution \nControl Act (33 U.S.C. 1362)).\n    (c) Applicability.--Nothing in this section or the amendments made \nby this section affects or alters any exemption under--\n            (1) section 402(l) of the Federal Water Pollution Control \n        Act (33 U.S.C. 1342(l)); or\n            (2) section 404(f) of the Federal Water Pollution Control \n        Act (33 U.S.C. 1344(f)).\n\nSEC. 3. APPLICABILITY OF AGENCY REGULATIONS AND GUIDANCE.\n\n    (a) In General.--The following regulations and guidance shall have \nno force or effect:\n            (1) The final rule of the Corps of Engineers entitled \n        ``Final Rule for Regulatory Programs of the Corps of \n        Engineers'' (51 Fed. Reg. 41206 (November 13, 1986)).\n            (2) The proposed rule of the Environmental Protection \n        Agency entitled ``Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the \n        Clean Water Act Regulatory Definition of `Waters of the United \n        States''' (68 Fed. Reg. 1991 (January 15, 2003)).\n            (3) The guidance document entitled ``Clean Water Act \n        Jurisdiction Following the U.S. Supreme Court's Decision in \n        `Rapanos v. United States' & `Carabell v. United States''' \n        (December 2, 2008) (relating to the definition of waters under \n        the jurisdiction of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 \n        U.S.C. 1251 et seq.)).\n            (4) Any subsequent regulation of or guidance issued by any \n        Federal agency that defines or interprets the term ``navigable \n        waters''.\n    (b) Prohibition.--The Secretary of the Army, acting through the \nChief of Engineers, and the Administrator of the Environmental \nProtection Agency shall not promulgate any rules or issue any guidance \nthat expands or interprets the definition of navigable waters unless \nexpressly authorized by Congress.\n\nSEC. 4. STATE REGULATION OF WATER.\n\n    Nothing in this Act affects, amends, or supersedes--\n            (1) the right of a State to regulate waters in the State; \n        or\n            (2) the duty of a landowner to adhere to any State nuisance \n        laws (including regulations) relating to waters in the State.\n\nSEC. 5. CONSENT FOR ENTRY BY FEDERAL REPRESENTATIVES.\n\n    Section 308 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. \n1318) is amended by striking subsection (a) and inserting the \nfollowing:\n    ``(a) In General.--\n            ``(1) Entry by federal agency.--A representative of a \n        Federal agency shall only enter private property to collect \n        information about navigable waters if the owner of that \n        property--\n                    ``(A) has consented to the entry in writing;\n                    ``(B) is notified regarding the date of the entry; \n                and\n                    ``(C) is given access to any data collected from \n                the entry.\n            ``(2) Access.--If a landowner consents to entry under \n        paragraph (1), the landowner shall have the right to be present \n        at the time any data collection on the property of the \n        landowner is carried out.''.\n\nSEC. 6. COMPENSATION FOR REGULATORY TAKING.\n\n    (a) In General.--If a Federal regulation relating to the definition \nof navigable waters or waters of the United States diminishes the fair \nmarket value or economic viability of a property, as determined by an \nindependent appraiser, the Federal agency issuing the regulation shall \npay the affected property owner an amount equal to twice the value of \nthe loss.\n    (b) Administration.--Any payment provided under subsection (a) \nshall be made from the amounts made available to the relevant agency \nhead for general operations of the agency.\n    (c) Applicability.--A Federal regulation described in subsection \n(a) shall have no force or effect until the date on which each \nlandowner with a claim under this section relating to that regulation \nhas been compensated in accordance with this section.",
     'title': 'To clarify the definition of navigable waters, and for other purposes.'}},
   {'_index': 'bills',
    '_id': 'toAc5YgBS_Mg6LDH-0Tg',
    '_score': 1.7919823,
    '_source': {'text': "SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.\n\n    This Act may be cited as the ``Madera Water Supply Enhancement \nAct''.\n\nSEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.\n\n    For the purposes of this Act:\n            (1) The term ``District'' means the Madera Irrigation \n        District, Madera, California.\n            (2) The term ``Project'' means the Madera Water Supply \n        Enhancement Project, a groundwater bank on the 13,646 acre \n        Madera Ranch in Madera, California, owned, operated, \n        maintained, and managed by the District that will plan, design, \n        and construct recharge, recovery, and delivery systems able to \n        store up to 250,000 acre-feet of water and recover up to 55,000 \n        acre-feet of water per year.\n            (3) The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of the \n        United States Department of the Interior.\n            (4) The term ``total cost'' means all reasonable costs, \n        such as the planning, design, permitting, financing, and \n        construction of the Project and the fair market value of lands \n        used or acquired by the District for the Project. The total \n        cost of the Project shall not exceed $90,000,000.\n\nSEC. 3. NO FURTHER STUDIES OR REPORTS.\n\n    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that the Bureau of Reclamation and \nothers have conducted numerous studies regarding the Project, \nincluding, but not limited to the following:\n            (1) Bureau of Reclamation Technical Review Groups Final \n        Findings Memorandum, July 1997.\n            (2) Bureau of Reclamation Madera Ranch Artificial Recharge \n        Demonstration Test Memorandum, December 1997.\n            (3) Bureau of Reclamation Madera Ranch Groundwater Bank \n        Phase 1 Report, 1998.\n            (4) Draft Memorandum Recommendations for Phase 2 \n        Geohydrologic Work, April 1998.\n            (5) Bureau of Reclamation Madera Ranch Water Banking \n        Proposal Economic Analysis--MP-340.\n            (6) Hydrologic Feasibility Report, December 2003.\n            (7) Engineering Feasibility Report, December 2003.\n            (8) Feasibility Study of the Preferred Alternative, Water \n        Supply Enhancement Project, 2005.\n            (9) Engineering Feasibility Report, June 2005.\n            (10) Report on Geologic and Hydrologic Testing Program for \n        Madera Ranch.\n            (11) Engine Driver Study, June 2005.\n            (12) Wetlands Delineation, 2000, 2001, 2004, and 2005.\n            (13) Madera Ranch Pilot Recharge: Interim Technical \n        Memorandum, May 2005.\n            (14) Integrated Regional Water Management Plan, July 2005.\n            (15) Certified California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) \n        Environmental Impact Report (EIR), September 2005.\n            (16) Baseline Groundwater Level Monitoring Report, January \n        2006.\n            (17) Final Appraisal Study, Madera Irrigation District \n        Water Supply Enhancement Project, October 2006.\n            (18) WDS Groundwater Monitoring Status Report to Madera \n        Ranch Oversight Committee, November 2006.\n    (b) No Further Studies or Reports.--Pursuant to the Reclamation Act \nof 1902 (32 Stat. 388) and Acts amendatory thereof and supplemental \nthereto, the Project is feasible and the Bureau of Reclamation shall \nnot conduct any further studies or reports related to determining the \nfeasibility of the Project.\n\nSEC. 4. COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT.\n\n    All planning, design, and construction of the Project authorized by \nthis Act shall be undertaken in accordance with a cooperative agreement \nbetween the Secretary and the District for the Project. Such \ncooperative agreement shall set forth in a manner acceptable to the \nSecretary and the District the responsibilities of the District for \nparticipating, which shall include--\n            (1) engineering and design;\n            (2) construction; and\n            (3) the administration of contracts pertaining to any of \n        the foregoing.\n\nSEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION FOR THE MADERA WATER SUPPLY AND ENHANCEMENT \n              PROJECT.\n\n    (a) Authorization of Construction.--The Secretary, acting pursuant \nto the Federal reclamation laws (Act of June 17, 1902; 32 Stat. 388), \nand Acts amendatory thereof or supplementary thereto, as far as those \nlaws are not inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, is \nauthorized to enter into a cooperative agreement through the Bureau \nwith the District for the support of the design, and construction of \nthe Project.\n    (b) Cost Share.--The Federal share of the capital costs of the \nProject shall not exceed 25 percent of the total cost as defined in \nsection 2(4). Capital, planning, design, permitting, financing, \nconstruction, and land acquisition costs incurred by the District prior \nto the date of the enactment of this Act shall be considered a portion \nof the non-Federal cost share.\n    (c) In-Kind Services.--In-kind services performed by the District \nshall be considered a part of the local cost share to complete the \nProject authorized by subsection (a).\n    (d) Credit for Non-Federal Work.--The District shall receive credit \ntoward the non-Federal share of the cost of the Project for--\n            (1) reasonable costs incurred by the District as a result \n        of participation in the planning, design, permitting, \n        financing, and construction of the Project; and\n            (2) for the fair market value of lands used or acquired by \n        the District for the Project.\n    (e) Limitation.--The Secretary shall not provide funds for the \noperation or maintenance of the Project authorized by this section. The \noperation, ownership, and maintenance of the Project shall be the sole \nresponsibility of the District.\n    (f) Plans and Analyses Consistent With Federal Law.--Before \nobligating funds for design or construction under this section, the \nSecretary shall work cooperatively with the District to use, to the \nextent possible, plans, designs, and engineering and environmental \nanalyses that have already been prepared by the District for the \nProject. The Secretary shall ensure that such information as is used is \nconsistent with applicable Federal laws and regulations.\n    (g) Title; Responsibility; Liability.--Nothing in this section or \nthe assistance provided under this section shall be construed to \ntransfer title, responsibility or liability related to the Project to \nthe United States.\n    (h) Authorization of Appropriation.--There is authorized to be \nappropriated to the Secretary to carry out this Act $22,500,000 or 25 \npercent of the total cost of the Project, whichever is less.\n\nSEC. 6. SUNSET.\n\n    The authority of the Secretary to carry out any provisions of this \nAct shall terminate 10 years after the date of the enactment of this \nAct.",
     'title': 'A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation, to enter into a cooperative agreement with the Madera Irrigation District for purposes of supporting the Madera Water Supply Enhancement Project.'}},
   {'_index': 'bills',
    '_id': 'qoAi5YgBS_Mg6LDHOExG',
    '_score': 1.7911258,
    '_source': {'text': "SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.\n\n    This Act may be cited as the ``Lower Yellowstone Reclamation \nProjects Conveyance Act''.\n\nSEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.\n\n    In this Act:\n            (1) Diversion works.--The term ``Diversion Works'' means \n        the land in the N\\1/2\\NW\\1/4\\ of Sec. 36, T.18N., R.56E. P. M., \n        Montana, and the diversion dam structure, canal headworks \n        structure, and the first section of the main canal, all \n        contained therein.\n            (2) Intake irrigation district.--The term ``Intake \n        Irrigation District'' means the irrigation district by that \n        name that is organized under the laws of the State of Montana \n        and operates the Intake Project.\n            (3) Intake project.--The term ``Intake Project'' means the \n        Federal irrigation feature operated by the Intake Irrigation \n        District and authorized under the Act of August 11, 1939 \n        (chapter 717; 53 Stat. 1418).\n            (4) Irrigation districts.--The term ``irrigation \n        districts'' means--\n                    (A) the Intake Irrigation District;\n                    (B) the Lower Yellowstone Irrigation District No. \n                1;\n                    (C) the Lower Yellowstone Irrigation District No. \n                2; and\n                    (D) the Savage Irrigation District.\n            (5) Lower yellowstone irrigation district no. 1.--The term \n        ``Lower Yellowstone Irrigation District No. 1'' means the \n        irrigation district by that name that is organized under the \n        laws of the State of Montana and operates the part of the Lower \n        Yellowstone Irrigation Project located in the State of Montana.\n            (6) Lower yellowstone irrigation district no. 2.--The term \n        ``Lower Yellowstone Irrigation District No. 2'' means the \n        irrigation district by that name that is organized under the \n        laws of the State of North Dakota and operates the part of the \n        Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project located in the State of \n        North Dakota.\n            (7) Lower yellowstone irrigation project.--The term ``Lower \n        Yellowstone Irrigation Project'' means the Federal irrigation \n        feature operated by Lower Yellowstone Irrigation District No. 1 \n        and Lower Yellowstone Irrigation District No. 2 and authorized \n        by the Act of June 17, 1902 (chapter 1093; 32 Stat. 388).\n            (8) Memorandum of understanding.--The term ``Memorandum of \n        Understanding'' means the memorandum of understanding dated \n        November 16, 1999, and any subsequent replacements or \n        amendments between the Districts and the Montana Area Office, \n        Great Plains Region, Bureau of Reclamation, for the purpose of \n        defining certain principles by which the title to the projects \n        will be transferred from the United States to the districts.\n            (9) Pick-sloan missouri basin program.--The term ``Pick-\n        Sloan Missouri Basin Program'' means the comprehensive Federal \n        program for multipurpose benefits within the Missouri River \n        Basin, including irrigation authorized by section 9 of the Act \n        of December 22, 1944, commonly known as the ``Flood Control Act \n        of 1944'' (chapter 665; 58 Stat. 891).\n            (10) Pick-sloan missouri basin program project use power.--\n        The term ``Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program Project Use \n        Power'' means power available for establishing and maintaining \n        the irrigation developments of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin \n        Program.\n            (11) Projects.--The term ``Projects'' means--\n                    (A) the Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project;\n                    (B) the Intake Irrigation Project; and\n                    (C) the Savage Unit.\n            (12) Savage irrigation district.--The term ``Savage \n        Irrigation District'' means the irrigation district by that \n        name that is organized under the laws of the State of Montana \n        and operates the Savage Unit.\n            (13) Savage unit.--The term ``Savage Unit'' means the \n        Savage Unit of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program, a Federal \n        irrigation development authorized by the Act of December 22, \n        1944 (commonly known as the ``Flood Control Act of 1944'') \n        (chapter 665; 58 Stat. 891).\n            (14) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary \n        of the Interior.\n\nSEC. 3. CONVEYANCE OF PROJECTS.\n\n    (a) Conveyances.--\n            (1) General.--As soon as practicable after the date of \n        enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall convey works, \n        facilities, and lands of the Projects to the Irrigation \n        Districts in accordance with all applicable laws and pursuant \n        to the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding. The conveyance \n        shall take place in two stages, the first stage to include all \n        conveyances under this Act except Diversion Works and the \n        second stage to convey the Diversion Works.\n            (2) Lands.--\n                    (A) General.--All lands, easements, and rights-of-\n                way the United States possesses that are to be conveyed \nby the Secretary to the respective irrigation districts shall be \nconveyed by quitclaim deed. Conveyance of such lands, easements, and \nrights-of-way is subject to permits, licenses, leases, rights-of-use, \nor right-of-way of record outstanding in third parties on, over, or \nacross such lands, easements, and rights-of-way.\n                    (B) Mineral rights.--Conveyance of all lands herein \n                described shall be subject to a reservation by the \n                United States reserving all minerals of a nature \n                whatsoever, excluding sand and gravel, and subject to \n                oil, gas, and other mineral rights heretofore reserved \n                of record by or in favor of third parties.\n            (3) Water rights.--The Secretary shall transfer to the \n        respective Irrigation Districts in accordance with and subject \n        to the law of the State of Montana, all natural flow, \n        wastewater, seepage, return flow, domestic water, stock water, \n        and groundwater rights held in part or wholly in the name of \n        the United States that are used to serve the lands within the \n        Irrigation Districts.\n            (4) Costs.--\n                    (A) Reclamation withdrawn lands.--The Irrigation \n                Districts shall purchase Reclamation withdrawn lands as \n                identified in the Memorandum of Understanding for their \n                value in providing operation and maintenance benefits \n                to the Irrigation Districts.\n                    (B) Savage unit repayment obligations.--\n                            (i) Savage irrigation district.--As a \n                        condition of transfer, the Secretary shall \n                        receive an amount from the Savage Irrigation \n                        District equal to the present value of the \n                        remaining water supply repayment obligation of \n                        $60,480 that shall be treated as full payment \n                        under Contract Number I1r-1525, as amended and \n                        as extended by Contract No. 9-07-60-WO770.\n                            (ii) Pick-sloan missouri basin program \n                        construction obligation.--As a condition of \n                        transfer, the Secretary shall accept $94,727 as \n                        payment from the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin \n                        Program (Eastern Division) power customers \n                        under the terms specified in this section, as \n                        consideration for the conveyance under this \n                        subsection. This payment shall be out of the \n                        receipts from the sale of power from the Pick-\n                        Sloan Missouri Basin Program (Eastern Division) \n                        collected by the Western Area Power \n                        Administration and deposited into the \n                        Reclamation fund of the Treasury in fiscal year \n                        2003. This payment shall be treated as full and \n                        complete payment by the power customers of the \n                        construction aid-to-irrigation associated with \n                        the facilities of the Savage Unit.\n    (b) Revocation of Reclamation Withdrawals and Orders.--\n            (1) The Reclamation withdrawal established by Public Land \n        Order 4711 dated October 6, 1969, for the Lower Yellowstone \n        Irrigation Project in lots 1 and 2, section 3, T.23N., R. 59 \n        E., is hereby revoked in its entirety.\n            (2) The Secretarial Order of March 22, 1906, which was \n        issued for irrigation works on lots 3 and 4 section 2, T. 23N., \n        R. 59E., and Secretarial Order of August 8, 1905, which was \n        issued for irrigation works in section 2, T. 17 N., R. 56 E. \n        and section 6, T. 17 N., R. 57 E., are hereby revoked in their \n        entirety.\n            (3) The Secretarial Order of August 24, 1903, and July 27, \n        1908, which were issued in connection with the Lower \n        Yellowstone Irrigation Project, are revoked insofar as they \n        affect the following lands:\n                    (A) Lot 9 of Sec. 2 and lot 2 of Sec. 30, T.18N., \n                R.57E.; lot 3 of Sec. 4, T.19N., R.58E.; lots 2 and 3 \n                and 6 and 7 of Sec. 12, T.21N, R.58E.; SW\\1/4\\NW\\1/4\\ \n                of Sec. 26, T.22N., R58E; lots 1 and 4 and 7 and NW\\1/\n                4\\SW\\1/4\\ of Sec. 20, T.22N., R.59E.; SE\\1/4\\NE\\1/4\\ of \n                Sec. 13, T.23N., R.59E.; and lot 2 of Sec. 18, T.24N., \n                R.60E.; all in the Principal Meridian, Montana.\n                    (B) Lot 8 of Sec. 2 and lot 1 and lot 2 and lot 3 \n                and NE\\1/4\\NE\\1/4\\ of Sec. 10 and lot 2 of Sec. 11 and \n                lot 6 of Sec. 18 and lot 3 of Sec. 35, T.151N., \n                R.104W.; and lot 7 of Sec. 28, T.152N., R.104W.; all in \n                the Fifth Principal Meridian, North Dakota.\n\nSEC. 4. REPORT.\n\n    If the conveyance under this Act has not occurred within 2 years \nafter the date of the enactment of this Act for the first stage \nconveyances as provided in section 3, and 5 years after the date of the \nenactment of this Act for the second stage conveyances as provided in \nsection 3, the Secretary shall provide a report to the Committee on \nResources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy \nand Resources of the Senate on the status of the transfer and \nanticipated completion date.\n\nSEC. 5. RECREATION MANAGEMENT.\n\n    As a condition of the Conveyance of lands under section 3, the \nSecretary shall require that Lower Yellowstone Irrigation District No. \n1 and Lower Yellowstone Irrigation District No. 2 convey a perpetual \nconservation easement to the State of Montana, at no cost to the State, \nfor the purposes of protecting, preserving, and enhancing the \nconservation values and permitting recreation on Federal lands in part \nto be conveyed under this Act. Lower Yellowstone Irrigation District No \n1, Lower Yellowstone Irrigation District No. 2, and the State of \nMontana have mutually agreed upon such conservation easement.\n\nSEC. 6. PROJECT PUMPING POWER.\n\n    The Secretary shall sustain the irrigation developments established \nby the Lower Yellowstone and Intake Projects and the Savage Unit as \ncomponents of the irrigation plan under the Pick-Sloan Missouri River \nBasin Program and shall continue to provide the Irrigation Districts \nwith Pick-Sloan Missouri River Basin Project Use power at the \nIrrigation Districts' pumping plants, except that the rate shall be at \nthe preference power rate and there shall be no ability-to-pay \nadjustment.\n\nSEC. 7. YELLOWSTONE RIVER FISHERIES PROTECTION.\n\n    (a) General.--The Secretary, prior to the transfer of title of the \nDiversion Works and in cooperation with the Irrigation Districts, shall \nprovide fish protection devices to prevent juvenile and adult fish from \nentering the Main Canal of the Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project and \nallow bottom dwelling fish species to migrate above the Project's \nIntake Diversion Dam.\n    (b) Participation.--The Secretary and the Irrigation District shall \nwork cooperatively in planning, engineering, and constructing the fish \nprotection devices.\n    (c) Construction Schedule.--Construction of Fish Protection Devices \nshall be completed within 2 years after the date of enactment of this \nAct.\n    (d) Monitoring.--The Secretary, acting through the Commissioner of \nthe Bureau of Reclamation and the Director of the United States Fish \nand Wildlife Service, prior to the transfer of title of the Diversion \nWorks, shall establish and conduct a monitoring plan to measure the \neffectiveness of the devices for a period of 2 years after construction \nis completed.\n    (e) Modifications.--The Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, \nprior to the transfer of title of the Diversion Works, shall be \nresponsible to modify the devices as necessary to ensure proper \nfunctioning. All modifications shall be completed within 3 years after \nthe devices were initially constructed.\n    (f) Costs.--Costs incurred in planning, engineering, constructing, \nmonitoring, and modifying all fish protection devices shall be deemed \nnonreimbursable.\n    (g) Operation, Maintenance, and Replacements Responsibility.--\nFollowing completion of monitoring and modifications required under \nthis section, the Irrigation Districts shall operate, maintain, and \nreplace the fisheries protection devices in a manner to ensure proper \nfunctioning.\n    (h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be \nappropriated such sums as may be necessary to implement this section.\n\nSEC. 8. RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER LAWS AND FUTURE BENEFITS.\n\n    Upon conveyance of the projects under this Act, the Irrigation \nDistricts shall not be subject to the Reclamation laws or entitled to \nreceive any Reclamation benefits under those laws except as provided in \nsection 6.\n\nSEC. 9. LIABILITY.\n\n    Effective on the date of conveyance of a project under this Act, \nthe United States shall not be liable under any State or Federal law \nfor damages of any kind arising out of any act, omission, or occurrence \nrelating to the projects, except for damages caused by acts of \nnegligence committed by the United Stated or by its employees, agents, \nor contractors prior to the date of this conveyance. Nothing in this \nsection shall be considered to increase the liability of the United \nStates beyond that currently provided in chapter 171 of title 28, \nUnited States Code, popularly known as the Federal Tort Act.\n\nSEC. 10. COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS.\n\n    As a condition of the Conveyances under section 3, the Secretary \nshall by no later than the date on which the conveyances occur complete \nappropriate analyses of the transfer in compliance with the \nrequirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 \nU.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. \n1531 et seq.), and other applicable laws.",
     'title': 'A bill to convey the Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project, the Savage Unit of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program, and the Intake Irrigation Project to the pertinent irrigation districts.'}},
   {'_index': 'bills',
    '_id': 'uYAi5YgBS_Mg6LDH_U1M',
    '_score': 1.7893589,
    '_source': {'text': "SECTION 1. ENVIRONMENTAL INFRASTRUCTURE.\n\n    (a) Jackson County, Mississippi.--Section 219 of the Water \nResources Development Act of 1992 (106 Stat. 4835; 110 Stat. 3757) is \namended--\n        (1) in subsection (c), by striking paragraph (5) and inserting \n    the following:\n        ``(5) Jackson county, mississippi.--Provision of an alternative \n    water supply and a project for the elimination or control of \n    combined sewer overflows for Jackson County, Mississippi.''; and\n        (2) in subsection (e)(1), by striking ``$10,000,000'' and \n    inserting ``$20,000,000''.\n    (b) Manchester, New Hampshire.--Section 219(e)(3) of the Water \nResources Development Act of 1992 (106 Stat. 4835; 110 Stat. 3757) is \namended by striking ``$10,000,000'' and inserting ``$20,000,000''.\n    (c) Atlanta, Georgia.--Section 219(f)(1) of the Water Resources \nDevelopment Act of 1992 (106 Stat. 4835; 113 Stat. 335) is amended by \nstriking ``$25,000,000 for''.\n    (d) Paterson, Passaic County, and Passaic Valley, New Jersey.--\nSection 219(f)(2) of the Water Resources Development Act of 1992 (106 \nStat. 4835; 113 Stat. 335) is amended by striking ``$20,000,000 for''.\n    (e) Elizabeth and North Hudson, New Jersey.--Section 219(f) of the \nWater Resources Development Act of 1992 (106 Stat. 4835; 113 Stat. 335) \nis amended--\n        (1) in paragraph (33), by striking ``$20,000,000'' and \n    inserting ``$10,000,000''; and\n        (2) in paragraph (34)--\n            (A) by striking ``$10,000,000'' and inserting \n        ``$20,000,000''; and\n            (B) by striking ``in the city of North Hudson'' and \n        inserting ``for the North Hudson Sewerage Authority''.\n\nSEC. 2. UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAM.\n\n    Section 1103(e)(5) of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 \n(33 U.S.C. 652(e)(5)) (as amended by section 509(c)(3) of the Water \nResources Development Act of 1999 (113 Stat. 340)) is amended by \nstriking ``paragraph (1)(A)(i)'' and inserting ``paragraph (1)(B)''.\n\nSEC. 3. DELAWARE RIVER, PENNSYLVANIA AND DELAWARE.\n\n    Section 346 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1999 (113 \nStat. 309) is amended by striking ``economically acceptable'' and \ninserting ``environmentally acceptable''.\n\nSEC. 4. PROJECT REAUTHORIZATIONS.\n\n    Section 364 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1999 (113 \nStat. 313) is amended--\n        (1) by striking ``Each'' and all that follows through the colon \n    and inserting the following: ``Each of the following projects is \n    authorized to be carried out by the Secretary, and no construction \n    on any such project may be initiated until the Secretary determines \n    that the project is technically sound, environmentally acceptable, \n    and economically justified:'';\n        (2) by striking paragraph (1); and\n        (3) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through (6) as paragraphs \n    (1) through (5), respectively.\n\nSEC. 5. SHORE PROTECTION.\n\n    Section 103(d)(2)(A) of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 \n(33 U.S.C. 2213(d)(2)(A)) (as amended by section 215(a)(2) of the Water \nResources Development Act of 1999 (113 Stat. 292)) is amended by \nstriking ``or for which a feasibility study is completed after that \ndate,'' and inserting ``except for a project for which a District \nEngineer's Report is completed by that date,''.\n\nSEC. 6. COMITE RIVER, LOUISIANA.\n\n    Section 371 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1999 (113 \nStat. 321) is amended--\n        (1) by inserting ``(a) In General.--'' before ``The''; and\n        (2) by adding at the end the following:\n    ``(b) Crediting of Reduction in Non-Federal Share.--The project \ncooperation agreement for the Comite River Diversion Project shall \ninclude a provision that specifies that any reduction in the non-\nFederal share that results from the modification under subsection (a) \nshall be credited toward the share of project costs to be paid by the \nAmite River Basin Drainage and Water Conservation District.''.\n\nSEC. 7. CHESAPEAKE CITY, MARYLAND.\n\n    Section 535(b) of the Water Resources Development Act of 1999 (113 \nStat. 349) is amended by striking ``the city of Chesapeake'' each place \nit appears and inserting ``Chesapeake City''.\n\nSEC. 8. CONTINUATION OF SUBMISSION OF CERTAIN REPORTS BY THE SECRETARY \n              OF THE ARMY.\n\n    (a) Recommendations of Inland Waterways Users Board.--Section \n302(b) of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 (33 U.S.C. \n2251(b)) is amended in the last sentence by striking ``The'' and \ninserting ``Notwithstanding section 3003 of Public Law 104-66 (31 \nU.S.C. 1113 note; 109 Stat. 734), the''.\n    (b) List of Authorized but Unfunded Studies.--Section 710(a) of the \nWater Resources Development Act of 1986 (33 U.S.C. 2264(a)) is amended \nin the first sentence by striking ``Not'' and inserting \n``Notwithstanding section 3003 of Public Law 104-66 (31 U.S.C. 1113 \nnote; 109 Stat. 734), not''.\n    (c) Reports on Participation of Minority Groups and Minority-Owned \nFirms in Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet Feature.--Section 844(b) of the \nWater Resources Development Act of 1986 (100 Stat. 4177) is amended in \nthe second sentence by striking ``The'' and inserting ``Notwithstanding \nsection 3003 of Public Law 104-66 (31 U.S.C. 1113 note; 109 Stat. 734), \nthe''.\n    (d) List of Authorized but Unfunded Projects.--Section 1001(b)(2) \nof the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 (33 U.S.C. 579a(b)(2)) \nis amended in the first sentence by striking ``Every'' and inserting \n``Notwithstanding section 3003 of Public Law 104-66 (31 U.S.C. 1113 \nnote; 109 Stat. 734), every''.\n\nSEC. 9. AUTHORIZATIONS FOR PROGRAM PREVIOUSLY AND CURRENTLY FUNDED.\n\n    (a) Program Authorization.--The program described in subsection (c) \nis hereby authorized.\n    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Funds are hereby authorized \nto be appropriated for the Department of Transportation for the program \nauthorized in subsection (a) in amounts as follows:\n        (1) Fiscal year 2000.--For fiscal year 2000, $10,000,000.\n        (2) Fiscal year 2001.--For fiscal year 2001, $10,000,000.\n        (3) Fiscal year 2002.--For fiscal year 2002, $7,000,000.\n    (c) Applicability.--The program referred to in subsection (a) is \nthe program for which funds appropriated in title I of Public Law 106-\n69 under the heading ``FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION'' are available \nfor obligation upon the enactment of legislation authorizing the \nprogram.\n\n                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.\n\n                            Vice President of the United States and    \n                                               President of the Senate.",
     'title': 'To make technical corrections to the Water Resources Development Act of 1999.'}},
   {'_index': 'bills',
    '_id': 'voAd5YgBS_Mg6LDHjUWU',
    '_score': 1.7885153,
    '_source': {'text': "SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.\n\n    This Act may be cited as the ``Defense of Environment and Property \nAct of 2015''.\n\nSEC. 2. NAVIGABLE WATERS.\n\n    (a) In General.--Section 502 of the Federal Water Pollution Control \nAct (33 U.S.C. 1362) is amended by striking paragraph (7) and inserting \nthe following:\n            ``(7) Navigable waters.--\n                    ``(A) In general.--The term `navigable waters' \n                means the waters of the United States, including the \n                territorial seas, that are--\n                            ``(i) navigable-in-fact; or\n                            ``(ii) permanent, standing, or continuously \n                        flowing bodies of water that form geographical \n                        features commonly known as streams, oceans, \n                        rivers, and lakes that are connected to waters \n                        that are navigable-in-fact.\n                    ``(B) Exclusions.--The term `navigable waters' does \n                not include (including by regulation)--\n                            ``(i) waters that--\n                                    ``(I) do not physically abut waters \n                                described in subparagraph (A); and\n                                    ``(II) lack a continuous surface \n                                water connection to navigable waters;\n                            ``(ii) man-made or natural structures or \n                        channels--\n                                    ``(I) through which water flows \n                                intermittently or ephemerally; or\n                                    ``(II) that periodically provide \n                                drainage for rainfall; or\n                            ``(iii) wetlands without a continuous \n                        surface connection to bodies of water that are \n                        waters of the United States.\n                    ``(C) EPA and corps activities.--An activity \n                carried out by the Administrator or the Corps of \n                Engineers shall not, without explicit State \n                authorization, impinge upon the traditional and primary \n                power of States over land and water use.\n                    ``(D) Aggregation; wetlands.--\n                            ``(i) Aggregation.--Aggregation of wetlands \n                        or waters not described in clauses (i) through \n                        (iii) of subparagraph (B) shall not be used to \n                        determine or assert Federal jurisdiction.\n                            ``(ii) Wetlands.--Wetlands described in \n                        subparagraph (B)(iii) shall not be considered \n                        to be under Federal jurisdiction.\n                    ``(E) Judicial review.--If a jurisdictional \n                determination by the Administrator or the Secretary of \n                the Army would affect the ability of a State or \n                individual property owner to plan the development and \n                use (including restoration, preservation, and \n                enhancement) of land and water resources, the State or \n                individual property owner may obtain expedited judicial \n                review not later than 30 days after the date on which \n                the determination is made in a district court of the \n                United States, of appropriate jurisdiction and venue, \n                that is located within the State seeking the review.\n                    ``(F) Treatment of ground water.--Ground water \n                shall--\n                            ``(i) be considered to be State water; and\n                            ``(ii) not be considered in determining or \n                        asserting Federal jurisdiction over isolated or \n                        other waters, including intermittent or \n                        ephemeral water bodies.\n                    ``(G) Prohibition on use of nexus test.--\n                Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the \n                Administrator may not use a significant nexus test (as \n                used by EPA in the proposed document listed in section \n                3(a)(1)) to determine Federal jurisdiction over \n                navigable waters and waters of the United States.''.\n    (b) Applicability.--Nothing in this section or the amendments made \nby this section affects or alters any exemption under--\n            (1) section 402(l) of the Federal Water Pollution Control \n        Act (33 U.S.C. 1342(l)); or\n            (2) section 404(f) of the Federal Water Pollution Control \n        Act (33 U.S.C. 1344(f)).\n\nSEC. 3. APPLICABILITY OF AGENCY REGULATIONS AND GUIDANCE.\n\n    (a) In General.--The following regulations and guidance shall have \nno force or effect:\n            (1) The final rule of the Corps of Engineers entitled \n        ``Final Rule for Regulatory Programs of the Corps of \n        Engineers'' (51 Fed. Reg. 41206 (November 13, 1986)).\n            (2) The proposed rule of the Environmental Protection \n        Agency entitled ``Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the \n        Clean Water Act Regulatory Definition of `Waters of the United \n        States''' (68 Fed. Reg. 1991 (January 15, 2003)).\n            (3) The guidance document entitled ``Clean Water Act \n        Jurisdiction Following the U.S. Supreme Court's Decision in \n        `Rapanos v. United States' & `Carabell v. United States''' \n        (December 2, 2008) (relating to the definition of waters under \n        the jurisdiction of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 \n        U.S.C. 1251 et seq.)).\n            (4) Any subsequent regulation of or guidance issued by any \n        Federal agency that defines or interprets the term ``navigable \n        waters'' or ``waters of the United States''.\n    (b) Prohibition.--The Secretary of the Army, acting through the \nChief of Engineers, and the Administrator of the Environmental \nProtection Agency shall not promulgate any rules or issue any guidance \nthat expands or interprets the definition of navigable waters unless \nexpressly authorized by Congress.\n\nSEC. 4. STATE REGULATION OF WATER.\n\n    Nothing in this Act affects, amends, or supersedes--\n            (1) the right of a State to regulate waters in the State; \n        or\n            (2) the duty of a landowner to adhere to any State nuisance \n        laws (including regulations) relating to waters in the State.\n\nSEC. 5. CONSENT FOR ENTRY BY FEDERAL REPRESENTATIVES.\n\n    Section 308 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. \n1318) is amended by striking subsection (a) and inserting the \nfollowing:\n    ``(a) In General.--\n            ``(1) Entry by federal agency.--A representative of a \n        Federal agency shall only enter private property to collect \n        information about navigable waters if the owner of that \n        property--\n                    ``(A) has consented to the entry in writing;\n                    ``(B) is notified regarding the date of the entry; \n                and\n                    ``(C) is given access to any data collected from \n                the entry.\n            ``(2) Access.--If a landowner consents to entry under \n        paragraph (1), the landowner shall have the right to be present \n        at the time any data collection on the property of the \n        landowner is carried out.''.\n\nSEC. 6. COMPENSATION FOR REGULATORY TAKING.\n\n    (a) In General.--If a Federal regulation relating to the definition \nof navigable waters or waters of the United States diminishes the fair \nmarket value or economic viability of a property, as determined by an \nindependent appraiser, the Federal agency issuing the regulation shall \npay the affected property owner an amount equal to twice the value of \nthe loss.\n    (b) Administration.--Any payment provided under subsection (a) \nshall be made from the amounts made available to the relevant agency \nhead for general operations of the agency.\n    (c) Applicability.--A Federal regulation described in subsection \n(a) shall have no force or effect until the date on which each \nlandowner with a claim under this section relating to that regulation \nhas been compensated in accordance with this section.",
     'title': 'Defense of Environment and Property Act of 2015'}}]}}

Notes

Elastic is a very compelling search platform, having been proven at web scale. It includes many enterprise management features and the vector search experience can be combined with the traditional filtering and ranking, in this example we ran a “match_all” but subsets of the index can be filtered to improve performance. The platform also has robust management tools and APIs, making it very enterprise ready. The considerations are, it does not support vectors larger than 2046, which is fine for these use cases but could be challenging encoding other types of data where larger vectors were required, some documentation has also indicated it’s optimized for vector lengths under 1,000 and encourages you to avoid searching the entire index when it is particularly large. Other platforms such as Pinecone may be faster in such scenarios.