Rep. LaMalfa, California Republicans on Drought: Senators Fail Californians Again
Washington, DC – Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), joined by the Republican members of California’s delegation in the House of Representatives, held a press conference today to comment on the rejection by California’s senators of moderate, bipartisan legislation to address the state’s historic water supply crisis. LaMalfa made the following comments during the conference:
“The people of California have demanded that we address water storage and water supply, passing Proposition 1 last year to fund that work. Unfortunately, our senators walked away from a bipartisan, earnest effort, pulling the football away from us once again.
“This is disheartening, especially given that it was Senator Feinstein’s idea to include a drought measure in the omnibus appropriations bill; in fact, she’s repeatedly stated publicly that waiting until next year to act will be too late.
“This measure we proposed is very modest, taking the water above and beyond what’s needed by the Endangered Species Act and storing it so that we have more water for families and farms in the coming year. Unfortunately, Democrat Senators do not seem to share the same priorities.”
After months of negotiations which included California Republicans and Democrats, both California Senators, and the Obama and Brown administrations, the Republican delegation offered a proposal which would bolster water storage during winter storms, protect water rights, build new storage like Sites Reservoir, and address Democrat priorities like salmon conservation and water recycling. Senator Feinstein rejected the proposal, claiming that action could wait until 2016 – a direct contradiction with her previous statements about the need to act this year.
The attached photo of Rep. LaMalfa and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is shared courtesy of photographer Greg Nash of The Hill:
Congressman Doug LaMalfa is a lifelong farmer representing California’s First Congressional District, including Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou and Tehama Counties.
###