Date: 2009-06-17
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

gress is more and more excuses. I apI thank the chairman for yielding. preciate the gentleman spent three I would hope that Members would op- decades in this body systematically depose this amendment. This amendment stroying the Valleys economy. And so makes nothing better. I appreciate the to hide behind the courts. to hide befrustration of my friends who live in hind the bureaucracy. to hide behind the Valley and are undergoing very se- the Obama administration. it may rious economic times. But the fact of sound good to the gentleman from Calithe matter is. to suggest now to throw fornia. But the reality of it is. there out this biological opinion makes noth- are people living in their cars. People ing better. dont have food. Food banks are out of Now you have a situation where the food. Workers are trying to have work. Bureau of Reclamation is trying to Farmers are going bankrupt because of deal with these problems. We would the actions that Mr. MILLER has taken lose this consultive agency and the Ma- throughout his entire career.. Its okay. rine Fisheries Agency. and as a result Its okay to value fish. Thats okay. of that. they could not go forward with But understand that youre starving another biological opinion. which you families while you value the fish. Its may or may not want. But what we unfortunate. would be is we would be stymied. as Mr. Chair. I appreciate my colwas suggested in this opinion and by leagues support of this amendment. the court. in the ability to look for I reserve the balance of my time. other mechanisms that we could use Mr. MOLLOHAN. Mr. Chairman. I instead of just turning to the idea that yield 1 minute to the gentleman from youre going to reduce the pumping. California . But that goes out the door now because Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. you will not have the scientific credi- Chair and Members. I understand the bility enabling the bureau to go for- frustration of my friends from the Valward. So the bureau will fumble around ley on this issue. Ive been living it in now for a number of months. trying to my district. The last administration figure out how to handle this problem. devastated the fishing families of the And eventually. for legal reasons. north coast. We havent had a fishing theyre going to have to go back to the season up there in years. Again this Marine Fisheries. and the Marine Fish- year its closed. And its all because eries are going to tell them that Con- science was put aside in favor of poligress barred them from consultations. tics. Finally we have science coming The consultations will not take place. in. Science should be allowed to be conand as a result of that. we have lost a sidered. And as one of the previous year. 18 months. 2 years. wlatever time speakers. Mr. MILLER. has mentioned. it takes instead of going forward on this amendment does absolutely the this biological opinion which allow for wrong thing. Not only does it take some additional alternatives. some ad- science off the table again. which led ditional investigations within the delta us. in part. to this problem and put the and elsewhere in this system. courts in control of these rivers. but it This builds on a whole series of re- also limits our opportunities to address ports that have come out by the past the overall problem. Without the Fedadministrations Office of Management . eral agencies at the table being able to bring different options to solve this problem not only for the Valley families but for the coastal families as well. were limited. and its not going to bring any answers forward. . It is a mistake to pass this amendment. It wont solve the problem. It will just exacerbate the situation.