Alan Simpson: “I reserve a point of order on the gentleman's amendment. The Acting CHAIR. A point of order is reserved. Pursuant to…”

“I reserve a point of order on the gentleman's amendment. The Acting CHAIR. A point of order is reserved. Pursuant to House Resolution 743, the gentleman from California and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California. Mr. McNERNEY. Mr. Chairman, California, like much of the West, has been enduring a devastating drought. This affects the livelihoods of families, farmers, and small businesses throughout the State. California's Governor now wants to move forward with something called WaterFix tunnels plan, which will build two massive tunnels to divert water from one part of the State to another. I agree with every other Californian that we need long-term, statewide solutions to our State's water needs. I agree that there needs to be some level of certainty for the families, farmers, and small businesses about our water supply. To do that, we need to focus on conservation, recycling, reuse, storage, and leak detection and fixing. The WaterFix tunnels do none of these things. It creates no new water at all. California voters and the State legislature haven't agreed on whether or not to fund this project, which is expected to exceed at least $25 billion, and that cost keeps rising. In addition, the Federal Government is expected to contribute $4 billion.…”