On the recordJuly 9, 2013
This amendment puts a lot of my district in jeopardy. My district relies heavily on irrigation and canals and other types of water projects. When you see a government agency, an unelected government agency come in and take jurisdiction without any of us in this body, 435 Members in this body who have a responsibility to represent our constituents and make sure that their voices are heard, when you take that power away and you give it to a bureaucracy in the dark of night where there's not an opportunity to speak their minds and have their voices heard, you set up a pretty bad precedent. When you look at a constituency that feeds the country like we do in California on my part of the valley, we do feed a good portion of the country. We grow 350 different crops. We produce a lot of beef, poultry, and pork. All of these different products go to feed the Nation. When you look at an idea like this which a lot of my constituents or most of my constituents all oppose, we're setting up for a really bad idea. So this should be presented and it should be talked about amongst the 435, not one agency, not one President pushing an idea. So, obviously, I rise in opposition to this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.
