House Republicans' latest effort to free up water for California farmers and communities was approved this week by the House Natural Resources Committee.
Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA) from the Central Valley was the only Democrat to vote for the bill. The drought measure, H.R. 2898, would loosen environmental restrictions on the amount of water that can be pumped from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Valley Delta to parched agricultural communities in the Central Valley and municipalities farther south. It would also grease the skids for new water storage projects across the West, requiring that the federal government finish studies on certain projects that have been discussed for years, and streamlining review and permitting processes for future projects. Supporters of the bill state that it would rebalance water policies in California that have been harmfully skewed by endangered species protections.
Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) called the bill "a creative solution" to the West's water needs. But Democrats, including Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who is leading Senate efforts on California drought legislation, have argued that the measure would undercut important endangered species protections. Assuming the bill passes the House as expected later this month, at least six Democratic senators would have to join all Republicans to garner enough votes for consideration by the full Senate.