Jared Huffman: “I am the other neighbor on this Klamath- Trinity water system. I didn't have the benefit of working with my colleagues…”

“I am the other neighbor on this Klamath- Trinity water system. I didn't have the benefit of working with my colleagues on this legislation. My hope, as we go forward, is that we could be a little more neighborly and try to talk with each other and work together on this system that affects our mutual constituents. Mr. Chair, as if the underlying bill, which includes numerous assaults on the Endangered Species Act, is not bad enough, unfortunately, this is an amendment that would make it even worse. It plays favorites among stakeholders, elevating agriculture above all else at the expense of the environment and other cultural and economic interests. As if the Klamath water contractors don't have things good enough with taxpayer-subsidized water and zero-interest loans, this amendment seeks to give them special status and significantly more leverage during the Endangered Species Act consultation process. As long as the project is in place, the Bureau of Reclamation has a duty to manage it for the benefit of all stakeholders. That is important. The interests of the water contractors are certainly no more legitimate than those of the Klamath tribes for whom endangered fish are part of their cultural heritage, nor are they more important than the interests of commercial and recreational fishermen, who generate hundreds of millions of dollars for the economy and continue to wait patiently for the restoration of fish stocks vital to their livelihoods.…”