San Joaquin River Settlement, Madera Water Bank, Tuolumne Me-Wuk Land Transfer Pass House
Radanovich Opposes Omnibus Lands Bill over Policy and Precarious Process, Expresses Support for Measures Important to Valley
Washington,
Mar 25, 2009 -
Congressman George Radanovich (R-Mariposa) today voted against H.R. 146, the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act, which passed the House. Radanovich expressed support for three measures contained within the bill that will directly benefit the San Joaquin Valley; the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act, the Madera Water Supply Enhancement Act, and the Tuolumne Me-Wuk Land Transfer Act.
Yesterday, Rep. Radanovich offered H.R. 856, the California Drought Alleviation Act, as an amendment to the Omnibus Public Lands Bill in the House Rules Committee, which would have saved 80,000 jobs and over $2.2 billion dollars of income in the San Joaquin Valley.
“My amendment would have temporarily removed the restrictions that the Endangered Species Act places on federal and state water pumps in California Bay-Delta; allowing more water to be moved from northern and central California to farming families in my district and millions of urban Californians in the southern portion of the state,” Radanovich said. “Surprisingly, the Rules Committee said ‘No’ to saving 80,000 jobs and $2 billion of income in California at no cost to the taxpayers.”
H.R. 147 blocks millions of acres from new oil and gas leasing and all other business activity. The bill also designates more than 2 million acres as wilderness areas, permanently restricting public access.
“The way this legislation has been put together and shuttered through Congress is atrocious. The majority has sprinkled a few meritorious provisions, in an effort to buy votes, around what is otherwise damaging legislation,” Radanovich said. “The federal government already owns 30 percent of the total land area of the United States—I don’t think we need any more.”
“Though I cannot vote for the Omnibus Public Lands bill for the serious reasons previously stated, I do support the Tuolumne Me-Wuk Land Transfer Act, the Madera Water Supply Enhancement Act and the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement,” Radanovich said.
Radanovich originally introduced the San Joaquin River Settlement in the 109th and 110th Congress and has been supportive of the measure that will end a twenty year lawsuit that threatens the water supply for farmers in the San Joaquin Valley.
“The San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement gives my agricultural constituents something they did not previously have—a seat at the negotiating table,” Radanovich said. “Before the settlement, a federal judge was going to decide how much water farmers would lose in order to restore a salmon fishery.”
“By giving farmers a voice in the solution, the settlement prevents an agricultural disaster and gives the agricultural community some control over their future,” Radanovich said. “Importantly, every water district in the Friant Water Users Authority, a settling party, has consistently voted to support the settlement.
“The settlement is the product of hardworking folks who simply want to continue growing food to feed this great nation with a safe, reliable and efficient water supply, and I believe we have accomplished that goal in the settlement,” Radanovich said.
Radanovich introduced the Madera Water Supply Enhancement Act in the previous two Congresses where it passed the House by unanimous consent. The measure creates a new, underground water bank in Madera, CA, to store water in wet years for use during dry years.
“This project is desperately needed in the San Joaquin Valley to mitigate the effects of an ongoing, severe drought, and the onerous regulations imposed by the Endangered Species Act,” Radanovich said. “If we are going to solve the water problems in California, it is imperative that we invest in additional water storage—this water bank is a huge step in the right direction.”
The Tuolumne Me-Wuk Land Transfer Act is non-controversial legislation to transfer three small parcels of land from the Bureau of Land Management to the Bureau of Indian Affairs in trust for the Tuolumne Me-Wuk Tribe.
“The Tuolumne Me-Wuk will be excellent stewards of this land and I am pleased that they will be able to use the parcels of land for important infrastructure projects such as tribal housing, a cultural center.” Radanovich said. “Additionally, the tribe will be able to maintain a tribal burial ground.”
“Unfortunately, the Democrats have used poor policy and precarious process to not allow these important measures the opportunity to pass on their own merit,” Radanovich said.
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