Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley Water Reliability Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. STARK. Mr. Chair, I rise today in opposition to legislation that would trample the state's rights of California and overturn a carefully crafted agreement about how our state's fresh water is allocated.

This Republican legislation is a threat to the ecology of the Sacramento Delta and the San Francisco Bay, the safety of drinking water for many Bay area communities, and the many California jobs that depend on productive fisheries and a healthy Delta and Bay. The bill has many losers and the only winners are the large agri-business interests in the Central Valley, who already receive lavish taxpayer handouts in the form of subsidized water and crop subsidies.

Three years ago, in a bipartisan fashion, Congress and the California General Assembly approved the landmark San Joaquin Restoration Agreement. This agreement was based on the latest science and settled over 20 years of litigation regarding the use of water in the Sacramento River Delta. The San Joaquin Restoration Agreement brought together multiple water users, including fishermen, farmers, cities and communities, and conservationists and provides a fair allocation of the fresh water that flows through the Delta and into the San Francisco Bay. It also created a road map for the further restoration of wild salmon populations. Now, some of the very same interests who signed onto the recent agreement have convinced their allies in Congress to bring legislation to the floor to overturn it.

In addition to throwing out the San Joaquin Restoration Agreement and overriding state law, the bill before us also pre-empts the Endangered Species Act and proclaims that the science regarding the Delta and the Bay that was used in 1994 is current and cannot be updated. Rather than turning back the clock nearly 20 years, ignoring scientific advances, and undermining one of our nation's most important environmental protections, we should vote against the legislation and respect the rights of the State of California.

Both the Governor and Attorney General of California oppose this legislation, as do my colleagues in the Bay Area delegation. The President has rightfully said he will veto this bill. I urge all of my colleagues to support clean water, jobs, and the environment and vote against this misguided bill.

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