President Donald Trump is expected to nominate Aubrey Bettencourt to lead the Bureau of Reclamation, putting a California agriculture and water policy veteran in charge of one of the West’s most consequential federal water agencies.
Bettencourt, a third-generation Central Valley farmer, recently stepped down as chief of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, where she oversaw conservation programs that provide technical and financial assistance to farmers, ranchers and private landowners. She previously served as president and CEO of the Almond Alliance and as deputy assistant secretary for water and science at the Interior Department during Trump’s first term.
The nomination would move Bettencourt from USDA back to Interior at a time when Reclamation is at the center of some of the most contentious water fights in the West. The agency operates major federal water projects, including the Central Valley Project in California, and plays a central role in managing Colorado River reservoirs and negotiating long-term operating rules for the river after 2026.
Those negotiations have been closely watched by California agriculture, irrigation districts, tribes, cities and environmental groups as the seven Colorado River Basin states remain divided over how to share shortages on a river strained by drought, climate change and long-term overuse.
In California, Reclamation also faces persistent pressure over Central Valley Project water allocations, endangered species protections in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the Trump administration’s push to deliver more water to farms and communities in the San Joaquin Valley. Bettencourt’s background could be welcomed by agricultural water users who have pushed for more reliable federal deliveries and criticized regulatory constraints on pumping from the Delta.
Her NRCS tenure was brief but placed her at the helm of the USDA agency that administers farmer-facing conservation programs, including the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Conservation Stewardship Program and Agricultural Conservation Easement Program. Her departure came as USDA faced continued scrutiny over staffing levels at NRCS field offices following federal workforce reductions.
If confirmed by the Senate, Bettencourt would bring to Reclamation experience spanning farm advocacy, irrigation policy, federal conservation programs and Interior Department water issues. Her selection would also give California agriculture a familiar voice in a high-profile federal water post as the administration seeks to reshape water policy across the West.
