[env-trinity] Hooray! Garamendi's excellent op ed: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/02/28/4295919/water-bill-in-congress-promotes.html

[Moira Burke]

Viewpoints: Water bill in Congress promotes division, destroys state consensus
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By Rep. John Garamendi, D-Walnut Grove
Special to The Bee
Published: Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2012 - 12:00 am | Page 11A
Last Modified: Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2012 - 9:25 am
As early as Wednesday, Congress is voting on a dangerous bill that would turn upside down 150 years of California water law. House Resolution 1837, the so-called San Joaquin Water Reliability Act, removes all environmental protections for the Delta and Central Valley rivers while allowing destructive exports of water from the Delta to politically connected San Joaquin Valley farmers.

As President Bill Clinton's former deputy interior secretary and as a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, I am intimately familiar with California water policy. During discussion of HR 1837 in committee, I offered a series of amendments that would have made this legislation better, but all my amendments were rejected.

We need to bring this bill back to the drawing board. That's why I'm doing all I can to stop this bill, partnering with farmers, fishermen, outdoor enthusiasts and conservationists to tell Congress to stop HR 1837. This legislation is opposed by the state of California, Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, local governments, and editorial boards across the state. And the list of opposition is growing.

Water storage and water recycling are important components of water policy, and they're lacking in HR 1837. This bill threatens thousands of jobs for salmon fishermen and Delta farmers. These workers have already suffered from the creeping salt water from the bay caused by excessive pumping of Delta water.

While agribusinesses in parts of the San Joaquin Valley claim to be suffering from an absence of water, the facts tell a different story. Farmers in these areas pay some of the lowest rates despite their distance from water sources. Unemployment in these parts of the state has been a chronic issue even in wet years.

Recent job losses have been mainly caused by the collapse of the construction and housing sector after the financial crisis. In addition, even at the height of the financial crisis and drought,California farmers were able to post record sales.

In addition to a blatant water grab, HR 1837 also creates sweeping exemptions from federal laws protecting our water and pre-emptively prohibits state lawmakers from striking a consensus-driven compromise. It would be more accurate to call HR 1837 the State Water Rights Repeal Act.

This bill also destroys California's 2009 comprehensive water package by isolating the Delta. The state's dual goals of water supply reliability and ecosystem restoration cannot be met if this bill becomes law.

It's possible to craft a balanced approach that satisfies the needs of everyone in California. HR 1837 isn't a balanced approach, however. If it were implemented, it would destroy waterways throughout Northern California, and it would take away California's ability to control our own water destiny.

Now is not the time to reignite the California water wars of the past. Now is not the time to pit Californians against each other for short-term gain. There is a more constructive way forward for California. We must focus on responsible, science-based water management, with conservation, storage and recycling playing a prominent role – balancing our water needs and creating jobs across the Golden State.

Instead of threatening the Delta and river communities throughout Northern California, I hope my colleagues in Congress will come back to the negotiating table. We can improve water access for Central Valley farmers without throwing out more than a century of water law. We can unite as Californians and invest in American-made water recycling and storage, from the Delta to the Bay Area to the Central Valley and farther south. We can create thousands of jobs throughout the state without destroying thousands of jobs in the Delta. We can embrace consensus instead of fostering division.

Rep. John Garamendi, D-Walnut Grove, is a member of the House Natural Resources Committee.




Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/02/28/4295919/water-bill-in-congress-promotes.html#storylink=cpy
M o i r a  B u r k e
 


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