California's Water Crisis

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to call attention today to the ongoing water crisis facing California. The drought is not over, nor has Congress addressed the underlying reasons for the disproportional impact on the San Joaquin Valley communities and the conditions that we face.

It has been reported that California could be facing a La Nina condition this upcoming winter. That means that we will have dry conditions and further loss of available water for people, farms, and the environment.

We must pass legislation that will be signed into law which will create a rational, balanced water policy, both in the short and long term, that benefits California's farm communities and the environment.

I will submit later for the Record a thoughtful op-ed piece written by a constituent and friend of mine, Cannon Michael. He is a farmer in the valley. We share a lot of the same frustration over how Congress has failed to pass legislation to solve California's water problems. This op-ed piece describes exactly how the people of the valley feel, and I urge my colleagues to come together to enact legislation that California desperately needs this year.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source