House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04) delivered the following statement on the House floor today in support of H.R. 5781, the California Emergency Drought Relief Act of 2014.

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5781, the California Emergency Drought Relief Act of 2014, introduced by our colleague, Mr. Valadao.

Today, the House meets to once again provide a solution to the ongoing water crisis in California.   The House has been on record twice to provide solutions and we must act again. 

Although this bill is different from the two prior attempts and reflects significant bipartisan progress towards enacting a solution, we must provide relief – even if it’s short-term relief -- before this Congress adjourns.  It is unacceptable to for us to give up when Californians are starving and their communities are literally drying up.

Like California, my Central Washington district is heavily dependent on irrigated water to support our local economy and agricultural industry.  I understand the importance of having a stable, reliable water supply.  And I also understand the economic devastation that is caused when that water supply is shut off, particularly when that shut-off is avoidable.

California is in an emergency situation.  For years, San Joaquin Valley farmers have been fighting against federal regulations and environmental lawsuits that have diverted water supplies in order to help a three-inch fish.  In 2009, there was a deliberate diversion of over 300 billion gallons of water away from farmers.  As a result, thousands of farm workers lost their jobs, unemployment reached 40 percent in some communities, and thousands of acres of fertile farmland dried up.   The same thing is happening today.

As Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, I’ve traveled to Fresno, California and seen the effects of natural and man-made drought firsthand.  We’ve held multiple hearings and heard the pleas of communities that simply want the water turned back on and their livelihoods restored.  We’ve seen farmers, who normally help feed the Nation, being sent to wait in line at food banks and, in some cases, being served carrots imported from China.

I want to stress that this crisis does not just impact California, but has rippling effects across the entire Nation.  California’s San Joaquin Valley is a salad bowl for the world and provides a significant share of the fruits and vegetables for our country.  Food grows where water flows.  When there is no water, our food supply suffers, resulting in higher food prices across the country, higher unemployment, and increased reliance on foreign food sources.

Unlike the last time this body acted on this issue, the Senate passed its version of a bill in June of this year.    I commend Senator Feinstein for her efforts to pass that short-term bill.   Since the bills were so different in their scope, those interested in productive conversations to bridge the differences have negotiated in good faith over the last six months. 

We got very close to resolution but more time is necessary on agreeing to a long-term bill.  In the interim, the measure before us today reflects much of what the Senate passed earlier this year and agreed to in our negotiations to bring some short-term water supply relief to many of those communities in need.

This bill simply allows us to capture some water from storms in this and the next water year and improves data quality when it comes to the existing biological opinions on smelt and salmon.  It also protects those communities in the north who are from the relatively-abundant water areas.  

The entire bill sunsets in September of 2016 to allow more time to negotiate a longer-term solution that not only could help California but other western states as well.

This bill is not perfect, but it’s a short-term bridge based on productive negotiations between those who want sensible solutions.  This bill, while very limited in scope, helps protect the jobs and economic livelihoods of farm families and workers and communities in dire need of water.   

The people of the San Joaquin Valley cannot wait any longer for Congress to act.  As the title of this bill suggests, it is truly an emergency for many and time is running out.  Those communities facing massive unemployment deserve nothing less.

I commend my colleagues from California for their hard work in getting this bill to the floor today.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill and reserve the balance of my time.”

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