Political Quotes

“Before I begin, I thank Chairman Simpson and Ranking Member Kaptur for their hard work and collaboration on this important bill. I rise today to offer an amendment to H.R. 2028, the Energy and Water Appropriations Act, that provides additional, critical resources for the Bureau of Reclamation to undertake projects that address the historic and severe drought conditions across the West. Mr. Chairman, one of the worst droughts in modern history is ravaging our Nation's crops, choking our fragile economic recovery, and placing our water supply in unprecedented jeopardy. Last year, more than 60 percent of the contiguous United States suffered drought conditions, and the West continues to bear the brunt of this burden. In the Olympic Mountains of northwest Washington State, the snowpack contained just 7 percent of the average. In California, the drought is the worst to hit the State since record-keeping started in 1895. 2013 was the driest year on record, and 2014 was the hottest. The impacts of this severe drought are harsh and far-reaching, threatening public health, degrading the environment, increasing the risk of wildfires, and hampering a wide range of industries. In 2012, California's agriculture industry contributed over $45 billion to the United States economy. Last year, because of the drought, hundreds of thousands of acres were left fallow because sufficient water was unavailable.…”