“The San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority commends Senator Dianne Feinstein and Congressmen Kevin McCarthy, Jim Costa and David Valadeo for their efforts to move forward legislation critical to California’s water supply.
This balanced solution protects the environment by preventing changes to the Endangered Species Act. It is a bipartisan effort that helps California meet its water supply needs by helping to fund long overdue water supply, conservation and recycling projects while enhancing the protection and recovery of endangered salmon and Delta smelt.
No one in our state can thrive without a healthy environment. Unfortunately, much of our current water policy not only fails to show any measurable environmental benefit, in many cases it actually ends up causing harm. This legislation helps solve both water supply and ecosystem needs.
Sadly, Senator Barbara Boxer’s last-minute attempt to block this legislation reflects the unwillingness by many in the environmental community to seek solutions that help both people and the environment. Years of damaging water supply cuts claiming to protect the environment have instead devastated rural communities with no measurable environmental benefits. This legislation can help change that.
Leaders in both the House and Senate have been working for more than three years on dozens of drafts to find a solution to California’s complex water and environmental challenges. That hard work is paying off, giving California’s 40 million people the environment they want and the water supply they need.”