On the recordFebruary 5, 2014
I thank the gentleman. Mr. Speaker, I rise in fierce opposition to the bill that is being considered because it throws decades of State and Federal water law out the window, and, in the process, it would kill thousands of jobs in the Bay area and elsewhere on the west coast, while pitting water users against one another. Salmon fishing is one of California's oldest industries. Today, the Bay-Delta salmon fishery is not nearly as healthy as it once was, but it still supports thousands of jobs up and down the entire west coast. This bill would dry up what is left of the once legendary salmon fishery industry. Here are some of the laws that this bill would gut or override. I think everyone should fasten their seatbelts: The California Constitution; The Reclamation Act of 1902; The Central Valley Project Improvement Act; The State and Federal Endangered Species Act; The National Environmental Policy Act; The San Joaquin River Settlement Act; The Wild & Scenic River Act protections for the Merced River. If that is not enough for everyone in the House to know, then there isn't anything else to know. Vote against this bill. It is horrible.
