Conservation groups call on Feinstein to oppose Valadao drought bill

Conservation groups call on Feinstein to oppose Valadao drought bill

by Dan Bacher

Restore the Delta (RTD) and a coalition of environmental groups, fishing organizations and Indian Tribes today urged Senator Dianne Feinstein to keep her word regarding drought legislation and to ensure that H.R. 5781, Congressman David Valadao's salmon-killing "drought relief" bill, is not converted into language that is added on to other pieces of federal legislation in the lame duck session.

“It is our understanding that if H.R. 5781 passes it could jeopardize future urban water supplies because reservoirs could be over pumped in the present for agricultural water needs,” said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of Restore the Delta. “Furthermore, by bringing this bill to Congress in lame duck session, Congressman David Valadao has once again started a secret negotiation process for water management in California that excludes 99% of California’s population."

“As Representative Louise Slaughter noted in the rules committee congressional hearing yesterday, California should work out how to manage its own drought,” concluded Barrigan-Parrilla.

Restore the Delta is a member of the Environmental Water Caucus (EWC) that sent a letter to Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer expressing opposition to H.R. 5781: http://restorethedelta.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/EWC-Letter-on-H.R.-5871-Valadao.pdf

"We urge a no vote on H.R. 5781, to avoid Congress micromanaging water usage and allocation in California," EWC Co-Facilitators Conner Everts and David Nesmith wrote. "Before allowing disruption of California’s 150-year old water rights system and major federal environmental protection laws, EWC wants Congress to undertake careful deliberation over H.R. 5781 by both houses."

"EWC and its member groups urge that Congress devise programs and provide funds to relieve real suffering from this drought. Our undersigned communities, tribes, and organizations urge you to undertake more focused efforts with your legislative colleagues to directly relieve the suffering in the San Joaquin Valley. Since 2009, the EWC has offered solutions for California as a whole to plan for more water, and more efficient approaches and methods in times of recurrent shortage," they stated.

Everts and Nesmith said they would like to discuss EWC's Responsible Exports Plan with the Senators and their staffs at a meeting in San Francisco as soon as possible.

EWC’s Responsible Exports Plan is available online at http://www.ewccalifornia.org/reports/responsibleexportsplanmay2013.pdf

Six fishing groups, including the Golden Gate Fishermen's Association (GGFA), Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA), Water4Fish, Coastside Fishing Club, San Francisco Crab Boat Association and Golden Gate Salmon Association (GGSA), also sent a letter to Senators Boxer, Feinstein, Merkley and Wyden today calling on her to oppose H.R. 5781.

"On behalf of the undersigned organizations, we write to urge you to oppose HR 5781 (Valadao, R-CA), a bill that would dramatically weaken protections for salmon and other fish and wildlife in California's Bay-Delta estuary and its tributaries," they wrote. "This legislation would harm, potentially disastrously, the communities, families and thousands of fishing jobs in California and Oregon that depend on the health of the Bay-Delta and its salmon runs."

Valadao is trying to ram his dangerous drought bill through Congress at a time when Governor Jerry Brown is rushing the construction of the peripheral tunnels under the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP).

The construction of the giant twin tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta would hasten the extinction of Central Valley winter-run Chinook salmon, Delta and longfin smelt, green sturgeon and other fish species, as well as imperil the salmon and steelhead populations on the Trinity and Klamath rivers.

The Environmental Water Caucus includes the following organizations and Tribes (http://www.ewccalifornia.org/members/):
AquAlliance
Butte Environmental Council
California Coastkeeper Alliance
California Save Our Streams Council
California Sportfishing Protection Alliance
California Striped Bass Association
California Water Impact Network (C-WIN)
California Water Research Associates
Center for Biological Diversity
Clean Water Action
Citizens Water Watch
Desal Response Group
Environmental Justice Coalition for Water
Environmental Protection Information Center
Environmental Working Group
Earth Law Center
Fish Sniffer Magazine
Foothill Conservancy
Friends of the River
Food & Water Watch
Institute for Fisheries Resources
The Karuk Tribe
Klamath Riverkeeper
North Coast Environmental Center
North Coast Stream Flow Coalition
Northern California Council, Federation of Fly Fishers
Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations
Planning & Conservation League
Restore the Delta
Sacramento River Preservation Trust
San Mateo County Democracy for America
Save the American River Association
Sierra Club California
Sierra Nevada Alliance
Southern California Watershed Alliance
The Bay Institute
Winnemem Wintu Tribe