Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017

Floor Speech

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Mr. COSTA. Madam Chair, I want to thank the chairman, Mr. Simpson, for yielding me this time.

This legislation that is before us gives Congress a new opportunity to give California an ability in the water provisions that are contained within this law that will help relieve the devastating drought that has been impacting Californians both in the short term and in the long term.

In the absence of getting a comprehensive water bill passed into law--which I have not given up hope for, and my colleagues on both sides are still working on a bipartisan basis with Senator Feinstein--I hope my colleagues, in the meantime, will join me in supporting the provisions in this bill that Congressman Valadao has been able to provide that will, in fact, contain relief to the people of California whom we represent and who have been most impacted by this drought.

Between December of last year and May of this year, hundreds of thousands of acre-feet went out to the bay, to the ocean, that could have been provided for farms and farm communities in the valley, that would have helped farmworkers and farmers. Unfortunately, that water was lost.

The Federal Government cannot allow this to happen again. Congress must pass this bill so that next year, if we do have the water during the rain and snowy seasons between November and April of next year, we will be able to capture that water desperately needed instead of allowing it to flow out to the ocean.

Even under the flawed biological opinions, these amendments make sense. I commend my colleagues for inserting them here.

I want to thank the chairman for yielding me this time.

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