Date: 2014-12-08
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. we cannot let this happen. The suggestion is that. somehow. there is free water floating around out in that system and somebody is denying it. All of the water in this current system. especially in this drought. is for purposes to try to maintain a great Pacific coast salmon run that is tens and tens and tenshundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity from the mouth of San Francisco Bay almost to Santa Barbara and from the mouth of San Francisco Bay almost to the WashingtonOregon border. This impacts across State lines and the economy that that generates. the economy that that generates in the hospitality industry and the tourism industry. and the economy that generates in the delta. Yes. there have been cutbacks. There have been cutbacks. We have all had cutbacks. all of us. but now. you just dont get to go take your neighbors water. You dont get to go do that. We will try and try again. and with these storms. I assume there is going to be a renewal of the effort that was successful. It was successful for the Central Valley. it was successful for the biological opinions. and it was successful for the delta farmer. yet we moved a little additional water that we hadnt anticipated. Now. with these storms. hopefully. we will be able to do the same things. but to write into the law that all of that water must always be moved as long as this law is in place is absolutely contrary to the interests of the rest of the State of California. whether they are in northern California or whether they are in the Central Valley or whether they are in southern California. That is how we try to move this policy forward. It is a much better policy today than it has been in the past. but we have got to have this open hearing. We have got to discuss this among all of the members of the California delegation. among all of those who represent the taxpayers of this Nation. The idea that you can just go into a room in the eleventh hour because you know the session is ending. and you are going to say. "we have greater merit than anybody else. we are going to change this law." that is not the democratic process. That is not the proper representation of the people we represent in the State of California. and it is absolutely contrary to what the State government has done and accomplished. what they have done and accomplished together with the Federal agencies. to try and make this work recognizing the incredible hardship that every region in our State is under. The State is investing billions of dollars. and the private sector is investing billions of dollars to try to make us water efficient. to try to capture more water and anticipate the building of dams. All of these things are being done. but the idea that you can just come in and say: Well. you know what. we are tired with the process. we are impatient. even though we just voted for the bond issue. we are going to take our water now. and you do the best you can. They are saying: You do the best you can. You do the best you can if that is your drinking water in towns across Alameda County. You do the best you can if that is the water you farm with. You just do the best you can. If it is too salty and raises health concerns and you cant grow your crops. that is tough because we are coming in line first. We are going to step in front of everyone else. What you are going to ignite here with the passage of this bill. you are going to take us all back in time. As Senator BOXER pointed out. this reignites the California water wars. something that we tried to move away from. and we have made progress. I appreciate that those who are impatient and who think that they are given a greater right than in fact they are to water. that they believe now that they can just take it from their neighborjust take it from their neighborthat is an unacceptable process. That is why Senator FEINSTEIN withdrew from these negotiations. said she would come back next year and go through regular order and have the hearings that the people of California are entitled to so they know what is going on. And those of us who represent very disparate parts of the State will be able to participate and have hearings and understand how California together cannot only solve the current problem in terms of impacts. but also prepare the State for what most people tell us will be a series of droughts by changing the manner in which we manage water. Everybody has to put into that pot. but this is somebody just reaching into the pot and saying: I am taking mine first and you all do whatever you want because we have changed the laws of the State. we have changed the laws of this Nation. we have overwritten the biological opinions from the courts. and we have overwritten the basic environmental laws of the State and the Nation. So we are going to get ours first. and then you do the best you can after that. Those ramifications ripple across billions of dollars in our economy. just as this drought has rippled across billions of dollars in our economy because of the hardships in agriculture and the shortening of seasons in fishing. I urge my colleagues not to support this legislation and demand that we have an open process and that we do not cave in to the same group of people who have been trying to do this for 50 years.