After reintroducing legislation (S 2533) to respond to California’s continuing drought, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) grilled an Obama administration official this week at a hearing on the proposed budget for the Bureau of Reclamation about the seeming reluctance to help alleviate the drought.  

Senator Feinstein asked Reclamation Commissioner Estevan Lopez why the administration had not asked for additional funds this year to augment the $100 million she secured last year for federal drought assistance.  Lopez had to defend his agency’s decisions to reduce pumping when central and southern California water users would benefit from increased winter flows.  Senator Feinstein argued for more funding to improve data about pumping while protecting the endangered Delta smelt and to complete studies for the projected Sites and Los Vaqueros reservoirs.  “My constituents are also the President’s constituents,” Feinstein told Lopez.  “I’m really frustrated that the administration seems unwilling to help me do something about this drought.”