Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017

Floor Speech

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Mr. VALADAO. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to this amendment.

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Mr. VALADAO. Mr. Chairman, one of the most interesting things we always hear is water is a finite resource and we shouldn't waste it.

It always blows my mind because this simple graph right here is a very strong example of what happened from one year to the next. Right here is what came into the delta in 2015, and right here is what happened in 2016--the amount of water that came in and the amount of water that was exported to the south of the delta--and this is the amount of water going through the delta this year. So the amount of water that went through the delta and out into the ocean and completely wasted, right here in this graph, and this is how much we are able to capture.

That is a huge difference and a huge waste of water. Communities in my district have been suffering because of a lack of action in this House. This is not a State issue. This is policy that was implemented years ago; and as we watch and see the delta continue to go and continue to decline and the species continue to disappear, doing this has actually not helped the species, has done nothing.

There is language in this bill that actually helps protect the species, the predator species. We have the ability in this bill to start a program that could actually help eliminate the striped bass. We have seen studies. As much as 60 to 90 percent of delta smelt are consumed by striped bass.

Why don't we allow that language to move forward? There was a motion today to strike some of that language, as well, in another bill as there is in this one.

This is a problem. As communities continue to struggle, this is what we end up with. I think this is the most important picture. This is in my district. This is not in a Third World country. This is in the United States of America. This is right here in California, and this is something that is happening in these communities because of this water being wasted.

We are putting people out of work, and we now see shanty towns. These shanty towns are not just regular folks--these are families. You see a stroller here, and you see some children's toys.

Is this what we want to support?

Anybody who supports this amendment is supporting this in the United States of America, and I can't imagine why we would want to do that.

Again, this is commonsense language that helps to address the problem that we have. We try to bring some common sense to the protection of the delta, and we look at it from all different angles. If Members want to continue this debate elsewhere, I am happy to do it. We have passed legislation. It sits in the Senate. The Senate hasn't acted. We are going to keep pushing and looking for a way to bring this to the forefront so we can offer a solution.

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Mr. VALADAO. Mr. Chair, how much time do I have remaining?

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Mr. VALADAO. Mr. Chair, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert).

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Mr. VALADAO. Mr. Chair, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from California (Mr. McCarthy), the majority leader.

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Mr. VALADAO. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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