[env-trinity] Conservation groups call on Feinstein to oppose Valadao drought bill

Fri Dec 5 18:52:34 PST 2014

Good Evening

Here's an update on H.R. 5781.

Thanks

Dan

http://www.fishsniffer.com/blogs/details/conservation-groups-call-on-feinstein-to-oppose-valadao-drought-bill/
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/12/05/1349771/-RTD-calls-on-Senator-Dianne-Feinstein-to-keep-Her-word-on-drought-legislation
https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/12/05/18765098.php

"We urge a no vote on H.R. 5781, to avoid Congress micromanaging water  
usage and allocation in California," EWC Co-Facilitators Conner Everts  
and David Nesmith wrote. "Before allowing disruption of California’s  
150-year old water rights system and major federal environmental  
protection laws, EWC wants Congress to undertake careful deliberation  
over H.R. 5781 by both houses."

ewc-letter-on-h.r.-5871-valadao_1_1.pdf
download PDF (133.4 KB)

Conservation groups call on Feinstein to oppose Valadao drought bill

by Dan Bacher

Restore the Delta (RTD) and a coalition of environmental groups,  
fishing organizations and Indian Tribes today urged Senator Dianne  
Feinstein to keep her word regarding drought legislation and to ensure  
that H.R. 5781, Congressman David Valadao's salmon-killing "drought  
relief" bill, is not converted into language that is added on to other  
pieces of federal legislation in the lame duck session.

“It is our understanding that if H.R. 5781 passes it could jeopardize  
future urban water supplies because reservoirs could be over pumped in  
the present for agricultural water needs,” said Barbara Barrigan- 
Parrilla, executive director of Restore the Delta. “Furthermore, by  
bringing this bill to Congress in lame duck session, Congressman David  
Valadao has once again started a secret negotiation process for water  
management in California that excludes 99% of California’s  
population."

“As Representative Louise Slaughter noted in the rules committee  
congressional hearing yesterday, California should work out how to  
manage its own drought,” concluded Barrigan-Parrilla.

Restore the Delta is a member of the Environmental Water Caucus (EWC)  
that sent a letter to Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer  
expressing opposition to H.R. 5781: http://restorethedelta.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/EWC-Letter-on-H.R.-5871-Valadao.pdf

"We urge a no vote on H.R. 5781, to avoid Congress micromanaging water  
usage and allocation in California," EWC Co-Facilitators Conner Everts  
and David Nesmith wrote. "Before allowing disruption of California’s  
150-year old water rights system and major federal environmental  
protection laws, EWC wants Congress to undertake careful deliberation  
over H.R. 5781 by both houses."

"EWC and its member groups urge that Congress devise programs and  
provide funds to relieve real suffering from this drought. Our  
undersigned communities, tribes, and organizations urge you to  
undertake more focused efforts with your legislative colleagues to  
directly relieve the suffering in the San Joaquin Valley. Since 2009,  
the EWC has offered solutions for California as a whole to plan for  
more water, and more efﬁcient approaches and methods in times of  
recurrent shortage," they stated.

Everts and Nesmith said they would like to discuss EWC's Responsible  
Exports Plan with the Senators and their staffs at a meeting in San  
Francisco as soon as possible.

EWC’s Responsible Exports Plan is available online at http://www.ewccalifornia.org/reports/responsibleexportsplanmay2013.p 
df

Six fishing groups, including the Golden Gate Fishermen's Association  
(GGFA), Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA),  
Water4Fish, Coastside Fishing Club, San Francisco Crab Boat  
Association and Golden Gate Salmon Association (GGSA), also sent a  
letter to Senators Boxer, Feinstein, Merkley and Wyden today calling  
on her to oppose H.R. 5781.

"On behalf of the undersigned organizations, we write to urge you to  
oppose HR 5781 (Valadao, R-CA), a bill that would dramatically weaken  
protections for salmon and other fish and wildlife in California's Bay- 
Delta estuary and its tributaries," they wrote. "This legislation  
would harm, potentially disastrously, the communities, families and  
thousands of fishing jobs in California and Oregon that depend on the  
health of the Bay-Delta and its salmon runs."

Valadao is trying to ram his dangerous drought bill through Congress  
at a time when Governor Jerry Brown is rushing the construction of the  
peripheral tunnels under the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP).

The construction of the giant twin tunnels under the Sacramento-San  
Joaquin River Delta would hasten the extinction of Central Valley  
winter-run Chinook salmon, Delta and longfin smelt, green sturgeon and  
other fish species, as well as imperil the salmon and steelhead  
populations on the Trinity and Klamath rivers.

The Environmental Water Caucus includes the following organizations  
and Tribes (http://www.ewccalifornia.org/members/):
AquAlliance
Butte Environmental Council
California Coastkeeper Alliance
California Save Our Streams Council
California Sportfishing Protection Alliance
California Striped Bass Association
California Water Impact Network (C-WIN)
California Water Research Associates
Center for Biological Diversity
Clean Water Action
Citizens Water Watch
Desal Response Group
Environmental Justice Coalition for Water
Environmental Protection Information Center
Environmental Working Group
Earth Law Center
Fish Sniffer Magazine
Foothill Conservancy
Friends of the River
Food & Water Watch
Institute for Fisheries Resources
The Karuk Tribe
Klamath Riverkeeper
North Coast Environmental Center
North Coast Stream Flow Coalition
Northern California Council, Federation of Fly Fishers
Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations
Planning & Conservation League
Restore the Delta
Sacramento River Preservation Trust
San Mateo County Democracy for America
Save the American River Association
Sierra Club California
Sierra Nevada Alliance
Southern California Watershed Alliance
The Bay Institute
Winnemem Wintu Tribe
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