Op-Eds and Columns

  • Carbon Cap and Tax: Environmental Oppression You Can Count On
    Apr 22, 2009  - This week, as the stock market continues its perilous slide towards an unknown abyss; the House Energy and Commerce Committee will begin hearings on a national energy tax bill that will cost every American household $3,128 a year for the “right” to emit carbon dioxide. The discussion draft of the... More
  • Protectionist Policies Hurt Farming Industry
    Apr 1, 2009  - California is best known for its breathtaking mountain scenery and picturesque beaches, but what is often forgotten is the more than 400 different varieties of commodities produced in the Golden State and half of the country’s specialty crops (fruits, nuts and vegetables). California specialty crops... More
  • A Main Street Work-Out, Not a Wall Street Bail-Out
    Sep 30, 2008  - Yesterday, the House of Representatives had the opportunity to vote on the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act—legislation to stave off a potential global economic crisis that would have helped to protect the financial security of every American.  While not a perfect solution, this bill provided th... More
  • Environmental laws wedge state into hydrological corner
    Sep 23, 2008  - Over the past 40 years, California has slowly painted itself into a corner by reprioritizing water supplies to the environment while ignoring the need for improving our water supply, infrastructure and storage. By failing to invest in adequate water infrastructure and storage such as the Peripheral... More
  • Want lower gas prices? Unshackle those exploring for oil
    Jun 10, 2008  - Listening to constituents this Memorial Day, the issue most on their minds was the price of gasoline. Americans are frustrated to see gas topping $4 per gallon with no end in sight. I, too, am frustrated by these record prices -- because we could have solved this problem long ago by increasing dom... More
  • The need for a national framework in wireless communications
    May 7, 2008  - Over the past 15 years the wireless industry has made an incredible progression from a niche luxury market without a national presence to a nearly ubiquitous necessity with multiple national competitors and 260 million customers. These consumers have benefited from innovation, technological advancem... More
  • Sierra Club uses rock slide to reduce access to Yosemite
    Feb 29, 2008  - Thousands of tourists once flocked to Yosemite National Park in buses by way of Highway 140. The Arch Rock entrance has served as the year-round, all-weather access to the park for buses -- until the Ferguson rock slide blocked the road in 2006 and the temporary bridges put in to bypass the sli... More
  • Partisan Politics Blocks Chances of San Joaquin River Settlement
    Nov 7, 2007  - Nearly two years ago, I walked across the Capitol to meet with Senator Feinstein, in a bipartisan manner, intent on restarting settlement negotiations in the litigation between the National Resources Defense Council, Friant Water Users Authority, and the Department of the Interior regarding the S... More
  • The Surge is Achieving Military Progress
    Sep 20, 2007  - Five years after casting my vote to give President Bush the authority to use force against Saddam Hussein's oppressive regime, the United States is still engaged in daily combat operations in Iraq. I did not take this decision lightly; everyday I'm reminded of the consequences of my vote. Still... More
  • The full story on river restoration
    Apr 4, 2007  - A Fresno Bee front-page article published March 23 described a September 2005 so-called "undisclosed" report regarding the possible impacts of the San Joaquin River Restoration Program. The Friant Water Users Authority, representing San Joaquin Valley farmers, commissioned two economic studies ... More