Political Quotes

“Mr. President, today I am pleased to introduce the Contra Costa Canal Transfer Act, a bill that will assure the health and safety of the residents of Contra Costa County while also providing for the efficient delivery of water from the Bay Delta to the customers of the Contra Costa Water District (CCWD). Senator Harris is joining me in cosponsoring the bill, and I understand that Representatives Mark DeSaulnier, Jerry McNerney, and Mike Thompson are introducing a House companion measure today as well. I will be brief in explaining the reasons I support the bill, which I introduced with Senator Harris. The bill would transfer title to the Contra Costa Canal from the United States to Contra Costa Water District (``District''). The District has fully paid off the capital debt for constructing the canal, so it is financially reasonable to transfer the 48-mile long canal to it. There is no known opposition to the bill, and several good reasons to support it. The District would like to convert the existing open earthen canal to a closed pipe at an estimated cost to the district ratepayers of $650 million. The District understandably wants to take title to the facilities to have collateral for issuing bonds to cover the expense of the conversion. There are a number of good reasons to convert the existing canal to a pipe: First, 82 people have drowned in the earthen canal despite protective fencing in the 70 years since the Canal began operation.…”