Ken Calvert: “I thank the gentleman for yielding. Last winter, two miracles occurred 3,000 miles apart. Here in Washington, our…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Last winter, two miracles occurred 3,000 miles apart. Here in Washington, our Nation's Capital, Republicans and Democrats came together and passed a significant water bill that was signed into law. Back in California, we saw massive amounts of rainfall that came down in our drought-stricken State, quickly filling our depleted reservoirs. But I think we can actually take another big step forward by passing H.R. 23, the GROW Act. This bill before us provides even more long-term water solutions for California by expediting the consideration of feasibility studies for water storage projects that have languished for periods of time that are longer than it took to actually build the Hoover Dam. The GROW Act also includes provisions that are critical to the Bay-Delta operations and help improve water reliability. Last year, Mr. Chairman, you heard a lot of doomsday predictions from certain groups that said the language we passed would push threatened species towards extinction. That did not happen. Today you hear a lot of the same talk. But solutions to H.R. 23 are common sense and will bring reliability to the water supply of California. Mr. Chairman, I encourage a ``yes'' vote.”