Political Quotes

“For more than 20 years, there's the question of what to do with the San Joaquin River, a river that was essentially dried out and a river in which the indigenous species--salmon and other fish--were simply nonexistent. That fight went on and on and on. And after 20 years of fighting and litigation, a settlement was reached--a settlement that called for the restoration of stream flows in the San Joaquin River so that the salmon and other species in that river could be returned. This amendment simply overturns that. It was a Federal court order that approved the settlement--a settlement between the water users of the CVPIA and also the environmental groups. To do this amendment is simply going to once again reignite a major water war that is totally unnecessary. Certainly, it is going to be difficult to restore the river, but it can be done and it is going to take time and it is going to take money--and we should do it. This is one of the two largest rivers in the State of California. It's a river that had in the past, before the reservoirs were built and before the river was dried up, an extraordinary run of salmon. It will never be able to return to what it once was, but it can return to a viable river. To take action at this hour of the night on an amendment that is going to only be heard between half a dozen of us here on the floor seems to me to be quite wrong. We ought to oppose this amendment.…”