Jeff Denham: “The gentleman from California talks about a bill that he is not willing to support, but yet he wants to amend a bill…”

“The gentleman from California talks about a bill that he is not willing to support, but yet he wants to amend a bill that he says is going nowhere. The truth is the bill is going somewhere. This bill is going to move off this floor and move into the Senate. It is time for the Senate to show some action. It is time for the two bodies to actually do what they are supposed to do and work together to find a solution for California. To do nothing is criminal. To do nothing will put farms out of business, will create much higher unemployment than seen anywhere else in the country, and will devastate a food supply that feeds the rest of the Nation and much of the world. Now this amendment in particular has some problems. In conversations with the Bureau of Reclamation, they have not asked for this project and they have no money identified for the project. I am unaware of the State of California's position as well. Fish screens are hugely expensive projects. They are subject to destruction under high flow events due to debris and restrict recreation. I am concerned that this project is not even feasible. What this project aims to do is make sure that water is not transferred south of the delta. What many of my friends forget is, as I represent San Joaquin County, Mountain House, a community--not just farmland--that gets a zero allocation, is south of the delta. It actually exports water.…”