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California members of Congress respond to bill that would pump water south from Bay Delta
Several Northern California members of Congress on Wednesday came out strongly against California water legislation proposed by House Speaker John Boehner (OH-8) and Reps. Devin Nunes (CA-22), David Valadao (CA-21) and Kevin McCarthy (CA-23).
The legislation would allow water to be pumped south from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta for as long as water is available, or until summer 2015; it would undo portions of the San Joaquin River restoration, an agreement to reconnect the river with the Pacific Ocean and reintroduce salmon flows; and it would create a joint House-Senate Committee to find longer-term solutions to California’s water challenges.
The members of Congress who voiced opposition to the bill included John Garamendi (CA-3) and Mike Thompson (CA-5), whose districts cover portions of Lake County; Doris Matsui (CA-6); Ami Bera (CA-7); Jerry McNerney (CA-9); and George Miller (CA-11).
The group said the bill ignores environmental concerns and the health of the Bay Delta, guts the Endangered Specie Act, doesn't propose a longterm solution to California's water needs, ignores science and will exacerbate the water shortage in Northern California.
Thompson called the proposal “nothing more than a shallow attempt to use the state-wide drought as an excuse to steal water from the delta.”
He added, “It shows zero regard for the fishers, farmers, families and businesses who depend on the delta for their livelihoods, ignores a half-century of established science, guts environmental protections, harms drinking water and will cause enormous economic hardships across the delta region. The health of the Bay Delta is integral to California’s economy. It supports thousands of jobs in farming, fishing and tourism. Pumping more water south of the delta not only puts these jobs at risk, but will do nothing to alleviate drought conditions.”
He said all stakeholders should be at the table so that those who depend on the delta to make a living aren’t left high and dry.
Garamendi said he'd like to welcome Boehner to California so he can meet the people whose livelihoods depend on the Bay Delta, from family farmers and fishermen to recreational business owners.
“If he’d like to learn more about smart investments we can make in water recycling, conservation, storage and levee construction that create more water for the entire state, I’d love to walk him through my comprehensive water plan for all California communities,” Garamendi said.
Miller said what the bill – which will attempt to gut federal and state environmental and water protections without sound science or considering the economic toll on the Northern California economy – proposes to do is “dangerous.”
He said the Endangered Species Act does not control pumping operations in the Bay Delta, and is not expected to significantly reduce water supplies this year.
“Rather, the lack of rain, low storage in reservoirs, and low river flows – not environmental laws – are the major causes of low water allocations across the State. Environmental protections in the Delta and our state’s rivers not only protect delta smelt, salmon and other endangered fish species, but also tens of thousands of jobs in fishing, tourism, and farming in Northern California, while also ensuring drinking water quality for millions of Californians,” Miller said. “Putting those interests at risk for the benefit of Central Valley agribusiness is not a sustainable compromise.”
McNerney said the bill would allow south-of-the-delta water contractors and their allies who want to steal water from the delta to do so, further exacerbating the problem. “To steal from one community to benefit is unacceptable.”
“This proposal is a water grab, plain and simple,” said Matsui.
She added, “Sucking the delta dry is not the answer to California’s water issues. We need long-term solutions that will benefit the entire state, and should be working together to solve California’s water problems through a balanced approach. This proposal is anything but balanced and will only create further discord.”
“We need to find both real solutions to address this crisis in the short-term, and a comprehensive plan for securing water access and storage throughout the state,” said Bera. “This proposal, however, is a misguided effort to use the state-wide drought as an excuse to take much-needed water from one area of our state and send it to another.”