Rep. Paul Cook Votes To Provide Drought Relief for California

WASHINGTON – Rep. Paul Cook (R- Apple Valley) today voted for S.612, the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act. The bill passed the House of Representatives with overwhelming bipartisan support.

The measure includes language from the Water Resources Development Act of 2016, which passed the House in September, in addition to provisions to improve drinking water infrastructure, improve water storage and delivery to drought-stricken communities, address federal dam maintenance backlogs, and approve longstanding water settlement agreements. The bill also addresses the needs of America’s harbors, dams, flood protection, and other water resource infrastructure.

Specifically the bill improves water storage and delivery for suffering, drought-stricken communities in California and other parts of the West. It expedites water storage and delivery and alternative water supply programs in the West to help many communities that are suffering from the drought. It also provides regulatory flexibility to capture more water in existing reservoirs during the wet months in California while not changing the Endangered Species Act.

Rep. Cook said, “Today’s much-needed legislation is the most significant drought relief legislation in decades. Over the past few years, Californians have continued to suffer from droughts without any real infrastructural changes to improve the situation. This bill brings relief to drought-stricken communities, and it increases our ability to maximize our current water supply. I’m hopeful this common-sense legislation will pass in the Senate and be signed into law.”

A member of the House Natural Resources, Armed Services, and Foreign Affairs Committees, Cook served as an infantry officer and retired after 26 years as a Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps. During his time in combat, he was awarded the Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts.