On the recordJuly 16, 2015
I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, he is absolutely correct. In my district, if that freshwater doesn't run through and run out to the ocean, the saltwater runs back in. I have two major cities in my district that rely on that for a source of water. If this bill were to pass, their water supply is in jeopardy. You can't drink saltwater; it just doesn't work. California is in the middle of a very extreme drought. It is not due to a lack of pumping; it is not because of our State's water regulations, and it is not because we are putting fish ahead of farms and people. It is because there is no rain and there is no snow. No bill can make it rain, but this bill makes a bad situation even worse. It is wrong for California. It won't stop the drought; it won't make it rain; but it will kill jobs, and it will ruin drinking water for millions of Californians. The State of California won't support this bill because it ignores 20 years of established science and undermines our extensive efforts to implement equal measures to address longstanding water shortages. We have been down this road before in California. We ignored science and we diverted water out of the Klamath River, and nearly 80,000 spawning salmon died. Communities were devastated and livelihoods were lost. This bill also sets a dangerous precedent for every other State in our country. California has longstanding water management rules.…
