Ex-leader of Bureau of Reclamation calls for Trump administration to eliminate it

A progressive civil servant who led the Bureau of Reclamation under former President Clinton is now urging the incoming Trump administration to eliminate his former agency — an entity he has long deemed superfluous.

Daniel Beard, who served as commissioner from 1993-95, said in a statement shared with The Hill that if the "administration is serious about reducing government bureaucracy, cutting wasteful expenditures and restructuring federal agencies, it should start by abolishing the Bureau of Reclamation."

Beard argued Congress only maintains the Bureau of Reclamation for political reasons, stressing that the agency's every function could be overseen by the private sector or other federal, state, regional or local entities.

Beard has long advocated for the elimination of the federal agency he once presided over — publishing a book in 2015 titled "Deadbeat Dams: Why We Need to Abolish the Bureau of Reclamation and Tear Down Glen Canyon Dam."

But after the incoming Trump administration announced the forthcoming establishment of a "Department of Government Efficiency," Beard is calling for the new entity to start its work with Reclamation.

The bureau, founded in 1902, was established to construct large dams and canals while supporting settlement across the U.S. West via water and electricity distribution, Beard wrote.

"These were essential functions over a century ago," he stated. "Today, however, there is no need for a federal agency with a budget exceeding $1.5 billion to fulfill these tasks."

Beard resigned from his role as commissioner in September 1995, telling High Country News at the time that he had completed his job of making the organization "more environmentally sensitive" and reducing its emphasis on construction. During his tenure, he said he cut the agency's employees from 7,965 to 6,474, saw its budget go down by $100 million and removed two layers of management.

"We’re in an age when we want government to be efficient, unobtrusive, inexpensive and have less red tape," he said at the time.

When his book came out in 2015, Beard described the bureau to Colorado Public Radio as "a great agency with a proud history" but stressed that "times and conditions change." He went on to serve other civil service roles, including chief administrative officer of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2010.

For its part, the Bureau of Reclamation described itself in a fact sheet as "the nation's largest wholesale water supplier," adding that it also contributes $34.1 billion in added economic value via management and recreation activities.

As the operator of 294 reservoirs, the agency said it provides 1 out of 5 Western farmers — about 140,000 in total — with irrigation water. That resource, according to the bureau, hydrates 10 million acres of farmland, which generate 60 percent of the nation's vegetables and 25 percent of its fruit and nut crops.

Yet Beard maintained that preserving a national agency that oversees large water infrastructure, constructs and operates new water projects, manages hydroelectric plants and resolves interstate water disputes is both unnecessary and redundant.

With "the era of large dam construction" a relic of the past, Beard described these massive concrete barriers as "dinosaurs of the water world." Meanwhile, he argued, hydroelectric projects have become inferior to solar energy initiatives, which are now "cheaper, easier and faster to deploy."

The federal government, Beard continued, could still provide financial assistance with water projects by supporting the private sector or state, regional or local agencies as they launch their own plans. Other national entities exist that could help facilitate power generation or water delivery as necessary, he added.

"I can’t think of a better agenda item for the new Department of Government Efficiency than beginning the process to abolish the Bureau of Reclamation," Beard stated.

The Hill has reached out to the Bureau of Reclamation for comment.