[env-trinity] Ultra-Urgent Alert: Valley Ag Moves to Destroy Central Valley Fish!

[Daniel Bacher]

Hello Folks!

Please take a few minutes to send a letter to Senators Boxer and Feinstein 
to stop the Nunes bill to destroy the Central Valley Project Improvement 
Act!

Thanks
Dan Bacher


CSPA Action Alert

Valley Ag Moves to Destroy the Central Valley Project Improvement Act

Sensing the political climate is right for a major attack on our fisheries 
that would make more water available to farmers, California Congressman 
Devin Nunes (R - Tulare) has introduced HR 3691 to destroy the Central 
Valley Project Improvement Act and prevent a federal court from implementing 
their historic decision that San Joaquin River and its fisheries must be 
restored.

His bill, called the “Central Valley Project Reform Act 0f 2005" includes a 
host of horrendous amendments to the CVPIA. HR 3691 would rescind the 
Congressional mandate that required the Central Valley Project (CVP) to 
mitigate for the damages it caused to the salmon, striped bass, steelhead, 
American shad and sturgeon fisheries of the Bay-Delta estuary and its 
tributary rivers.

When the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) constructed the CVP, they built a 
number of dams including Shasta (Sacramento River), Folsom (American River), 
and Friant (San Joaquin River) and proceeded to operate the largest water 
project in the nation with little regard for the impact it would have on 
California’s once world class fisheries and the economic benefits they 
generate. After many Central Valley runs declined 80 to 99 percent, Congress 
passed the CVPIA in 1992 with a mandate to double anadromous fishery 
populations so damaged by the CVP and to dedicate 800,000 acre feet of water 
to that task. The legislation also outlined actions Congress would help fund 
to correct numerous physical problems caused by the project.

HR 3691 would roll back this act while forgiving the BOR for failing to 
double the fishery populations mandated under the CVPIA. It would also 
prevent the federal court decision that the San Joaquin River must be 
restored by providing a Congressional override of existing state and federal 
laws.

Here’s a summary of some of the most arrogant and egregious elements of this 
legislation, it:

•  requires the CVP replace the 800,000 acre feet of project water dedicated 
to the fish and give that water to farmers. This will mean more dams at the 
public’s expense to benefit the private sector. Lacking user pay provisions, 
this is pure pork and an insult to the public!

•  eliminates striped bass, sturgeon and American shad from the anadromous 
fish originally included in the CVPIA. These public resources have been 
significantly damaged by the impacts associated with the Central Valley 
Project. Removing them is one way to for the project to get off the hook for 
40 years of fishery destruction caused to these public fishery resources.

•  replaces the mitigation requirement to double anadromous fisheries with 
just making an effort to resolve fishery impacts, regardless of the results. 
Mitigation should only be considered effective when it replaces what has 
been lost.

•  requires the dedicated 800,000 af of water to be put to use by 
contractors after it has been used to meet fish obligations. This rescinds 
provision of the CVPIA to use this water to help restore the habitat of the 
estuary, making the goal of restoring the estuary unachievable. It also 
ignores the connection between fish populations and a healthy estuary. Given 
the current ecosystem crash, fish populations won’t recover as required 
under the CVPIA.

•  sanctions the destruction of the San Joaquin River by establishing 
Congressional intent to not release flows from Friant Dam in order to 
provide for river flows below the dam.

Given the crisis currently faced by a collapsing estuary and the past 
failure of the BOR to achieve the fish doubling goals as required by the 
original act, it is safe to assume that if this bill passes with anything 
like its current content, we can kiss the estuary and restoring its 
fisheries good bye!

Taking Meaningful Action

Since democracy is not a spectator spot, you will need to take action or we 
could lose what is left of our Central Valley fisheries and most certainly 
the chance to restore them. If you choose to be silent on this matter it 
will be construed as part of the silent majorities support for the bill! For 
now, here’s what recommended:

If you have access to the internet, you can find and contract your 
Congressional representative by email. Go to the website  
http://www.house.gov/writerep/ and let them know you want this bill stopped 
dead in its tracks! You can also go to 
http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.shtml to find contract information for 
other members. Let those you can know just how bad this bill is (see the 
sample letter below).

Congressman Pombo (202-225-1947) chairs the House Resources Committee. The 
bill will be heard by his committee. Go to http://pombo.house.gov/ to 
contract him. This page will send you to his direct email page. You should 
also email him at the House Resources Committee: 
resources.committee at mail.house.gov. He has district offices in San Ramon 
(925-866-7040) and Stockton (209-951-3091) so anglers who live in his 
district (11th) should put some heat on! Pombo could stop this bill!

If you know of people who live in Nune’s district that covers Tulare County 
including Visalia and Clovis urge them to let him know this bill is a 
disaster. Go to http://www.house.gov/writerep/ and let him know you want him 
to drop this bill!

Contact Senators Feinstein and Boxer and let them know that this bill may 
pass the House. If it does, ask them to kill it in the Senate.

Email Senator Feinstein at: feinstein.senate.gov/email.html, or write:
Senator Dianne Feinstein
331 Hart Senate Office Senate Building
Washington DC 20510  (most, if not all, Congressional mail is rerouted to be 
cleaned of bio-hazards and it takes a week or more to be delivered). Calling 
works faster! 209-224-3841

Senator Boxer’s email: boxer.senate.gove/contact
Senator Barbara Boxer’s
112 Hart Senate Office Senate Building.
Washington DC 20510
202-224-3553

Here is a sample letter you can edit for your use. (If you don’t have 
computer access, call your local library to get mailing information for your 
representatives and those above I’ve urged you to contact!)

Date

Address

Dear _________

 
As an angler and citizen of California I am outraged over HR 3691 (Nunes)! 
This is absolutely terrible legislation. It destroys the Central Valley 
Project Improvement Act (Public Law 102-575) passed by Congress in 1992 in 
order to let the Bureau of Reclamation and Central Valley Project 
contractors off the hook for the major role they played in destroying the 
public fishery resources of the Bay-Delta estuary and its tributaries.

In addition, it takes water dedicated to the estuary and gives it to the 
agribusiness sector, establishing a horrible precedent and terrible federal 
water policy that would allow the project to continue to destroy the once 
world class fisheries of the Central Valley and the ecology of one of the 
greatest estuaries in the World. In so doing this would perpetuate the $4 
billion loss to the state’s economy, a result of Central Valley fishery 
declines and impact to the state’s sport and commercial fishing industries 
caused in large part by the CVP!

Given the collapse of the Bay-Delta estuary as documented by the 
government’s own scientists, it is absolutely morally bankrupt for 
Congressman Nunes to launch a missile aimed at destroying the ecological and 
fishery benefits Congress promised the people of this state when they passed 
the CVPIA to help restore our fisheries and the estuary!

I ardently request that you do everything you can to STOP THIS BILL that 
preempts our state’s right to manage our natural resources for our benefit 
and that of future generations.

Sincerely,

 

Your Name and Return Address

 

Questions? Contact me!

 

John Beuttler
Conservation Director
JBeuttler at aol,com
510-526-4049

CSPA is a non-profit - public benefit organization dedicated to restoring 
fisheries and their habitat. We engage in variety of aquatic ecological 
issues to ensure our fisheries have habitat they need to become self 
sustaining and stay that way. You can support our conservation efforts by 
becoming a member.  Donations are tax-deductible, greatly needed and most 
appreciated. Send checks to CSPA at1360 Neilson Street, Berkeley, CA 
94702-1116. Membership starts a $25. If you are a member, then you know of 
the good work we do, so sign up a friend and help us restore our fisheries! 
Questions? Call me at 510-526-4049.