Jim Costa: “I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I rise to discuss a matter of great importance to my constituents in…”

“I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I rise to discuss a matter of great importance to my constituents in the San Joaquin Valley, and that's the future of our water supply. More importantly, it's our Nation's food supply and, therefore, an important part of the world's food supply. H.R. 1837 is not perfect and has issues I think the authors should seriously consider, but I am supporting the legislation today because of a number of important provisions it contains. Titles 1 and 3 of the legislation aim to address the biggest challenges for water policy in California. In 2009 and 2010, valley communities suffered through a hydrological and regulatory drought that was insufferable. This year, we are again faced with below-average snow pack in the mountains and may see as little as a 30 percent allocation for water in our area. My congressional district is the most impacted in California by this shortfall. Farmers, farmworkers, and farming communities that live in my district is what I'm talking about. Our water system is broken in California; but while we're trying to fix it, we need operational flexibility while we continue to work on the long-term issues of the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan. We should be discussing more constructive ways in which we can work together. Title 2 of this measure repeals and replaces the San Joaquin River Restoration Act. After 18 years of litigation, the parties involved decided to reach an out-of-court settlement agreement.…”