Grace Napolitano: “Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. McNerney). Mr. McNERNEY. Mr. Chairman…”

“Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. McNerney). Mr. McNERNEY. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. I rise again to express my strong opposition to H.R. 3964. This legislation will do tremendous harm to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, an area that I am privileged to represent. Let's start with the facts. California is in a drought and is experiencing its driest year on record. Snowpacks are at about 13 percent of what they should be. Regions have set new records for consecutive dry days during the rainy season. Seventeen communities are at risk of running out of drinking water within 60 days. The National Drought Mitigation Center upgraded about 9 percent of California to an ``exceptional drought,'' the organization's most intense level of drought severity. Yet, here we are again, spending time on a bill which, according to its authors, is only a short-term fix for a few communities and does nothing to help California in its water crisis. California's Natural Resources Secretary John Laird said that H.R. 3964 ``falsely holds the promise of water relief that cannot be delivered because in this drought, the water simply does not exist.'' Let me repeat that: ``the water simply does not exist.'' I know that the other side is going to vote unanimously for this bill, so I ask them to look and see what is inside of it. It is not in your interest. This takes away states' rights. This doesn't weigh a state's protections.…”