Posted June 29, 2015
California
lawmakers passed a new budget that would make a range of policy changes
intended to address the drought, according to an article by the LA Times
available here.
Daily Democrat also published an article available here
and AgWeb here.
The
changes would allow faster construction of water recycling projects, increase
fines for water wasters and empower the state to force failing water agencies
to consolidate.
The bill
by Republican Congressman David Valadao of Hanford comes closer to what
Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein pushed through the Senate last year, but there
are also considerable differences. For example, the House bill scraps efforts
to restore a Chinook salmon fishery in the San Joaquin River, which was the
goal of a 2006 lawsuit settlement, according to AgWeb.
Valadao
said Congress needs to act because the consequences of California's drought are
spreading.
"Inaction
will result in the collapse of our domestic food supply," he said.
The
California Farm Bureau Federation voiced its support for water legislation—the
Western Water and American Food Security Act of 2015, according to Daily
Democrat.
“There’s
no time to waste,” CFBF President Paul Wenger said in a press release. “The
noose is tightening around many California farms and ranches, as water supplies
become more restricted. All Californians and all Americans depend on the food
and farm products grown in our state, and will benefit from policies that add
flexibility to California water management.”
The bill
requires agencies to consider alternatives to reduced pumping, such as
installing temporary barriers to prevent saltwater intrusion or removing
non-native fish that eat protected fish such as the delta smelt and certain
salmon species.
Democratic
Sen. Barbara Boxer of California criticized the House bill, according to AgWeb.
"It's
unfortunate that House Republicans — with much fanfare — are rolling out a bill
that is the same-old, same-old and will only reignite the water wars,"
Boxer said.
For more information on water law, please visit the National
Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
