On the recordFebruary 29, 2012
I thank the gentleman for yielding. The Governors of seven States, fishermen, hunters and farmers, a whole list of people, oppose this bill. Our amendment states that the Central Valley Project and State Water Project shall be operated in a manner that meets all obligation under State and Federal law with operational constraints that are based on the best available science. More than 750 plant and animal species depend upon the delta for their survival. Many of these then support important industries, such as the fishermen, hunters, recreational industries, and farmers that promote local and State economies. We've seen what happens when science is ignored and environmental protections are gutted for the sake of politics. In 2008 and 2009, salmon fisheries were forced to close because of low-water flows in the rivers. This resulted in the loss of over a half a billion dollars and nearly 5,000 jobs--the same number that the proponents of the bill claim that their bill would create. This bill would prevent the use of the best available science and adaptive management in the bay and delta by permanently limiting agencies from acting on new scientific information developed since 1994. This alone ignores the last 15 years of the best available science. I urge a ``yes'' vote on this amendment and a ``no'' vote on this terrible piece of legislation. Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Chairman, I yield 30 seconds to my friend from California (Mr. Nunes).
