Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the ``Canal Conveyance Capacity Restoration Act,'' which I introduced today. Representatives Jim Costa (D-CA) has introduced companion legislation in the House. The bill has two major provisions, benefiting both drought resilience and the environment: First, it would authorize more than $653 million to restore the capacity of three canals of national importance. Restoring these canals would improve California's drought resilience and help the nation's leading agricultural economy comply with limits on groundwater pumping under the state's Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. Second, the bill authorizes an additional $180 million to restore salmon runs on the San Joaquin River. The funding is for fish passage structures, levees and other improvements that will allow the threatened Central Valley Spring-run Chinook salmon to swim freely upstream from the ocean to the Friant Dam. The bill authorizes a \1/3\ Federal cost-share for restoring the capacity of the Friant-Kern Canal, the Delta-Mendota Canal, and the California Aqueduct. Coordinated legislation in the State legislature introduced by State Senator Melissa Hurtado would authorize a \1/3\ state cost-share for restoring the canals' capacity. Under the coordinated Federal and State legislation, the locals would also be responsible for a \1/3\ cost- share for the canal restoration projects.…”