U. S. Rep. Greg Walden’s office learned Wednesday that a bill allotting $10 million in drought relief to the Klamath Basin contains a language error that would require the Bureau of Reclamation to assign the money by Sept. 30, or return it the U.S. Treasury Department.

   “That was never the intent,” said Andrew Whelan, Walden’s spokesperson. “The intent was to have no deadline.”

   The current bill specifies that the Bureau of Reclamation must distribute millions of dollars by the end of the federal fiscal year, about a month away.  

   Whelan said Walden is looking at methods to amend the language so there is no deadline attached to the money, but he can’t take any action until Congress reconvenes Sept. 13.