This week, Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA) stated he plans to introduce drought legislation in the House that mirrors the recent drought legislation introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein. Garamendi indicated he thinks the current House-passed drought bill, introduced by Representative David Valadao (R-CA), violates environmental laws and does not do enough to address long-term storage or infrastructure needs.
Feinstein’s bill would invest $1.3 billion in long-term projects as well as short-term operational changes for the drought. The bill instructs the Interior Department to try to increase pumping in the delta to take advantage of winter rainstorms and would provide grants and loans to desalination plants and water recycling projects. While the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has not scheduled a mark-up for Feinstein’s bill, her staff indicated that they are working with the Committee to schedule a mark-up on the calendar for April or early May 2016.