Date: 2012-02-29
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. I rise in strong opposition to this legislation. Let us understand what is taking place here. In California. for the first time in 40 years. all of the various water parties have gotten together to try to work out these disagreements and come up with a sustainable water policy that serves all of the needs of all Californiansagriculture. manufacturing. municipal uses. environmental usesall of that together. For the first time. the State legislature passed historic legislation empowering these negotiations to take place in order to take care of disparate interests. But there are two parties in that negotiation that keep threatening to walk out of the room. Theyre going to walk out. walk out. walk out. Apparently. they did walk out. They walked out. and they came back to Washington. D.C.. to cut a separate deal. These are among the largest water users in the State. These are among the most highly subsidized users in the State. One of our conservative friends on the other side was complaining about the deficit when he started to talk on this bill. These are people who are getting a $400 million interestfree loan from the taxpayers of this country. These are the people who are getting $400 million in subsidies every year from the taxpayers of this country. And what do they do? In this bill. they have an earmark. You gave them 40 years and these rights in perpetuity to get at least $400 million a year from the taxpayers of this country. Thats not on top of the crop subsidies. Thats not on top of the insurance payments. disaster payments. This is just in subsidized water that goes to these people who are crying poor. The largest users have decided they want two negotiationsone in California and one in Washington. To do that. they want to overturn the California laws. the California legislature. the Supreme Court decisions. and the science. Well go back in time 18 years and say that this science is good enough. But the heart of this. more than water. is money. and the money sits there. and it flows with the water. Every drop of water that goes to the San Luis Unit and others is subsidized. Right now. they only have a yeartoyear contract. Theyd have a 20year contract possibly if they reach agreement. You give them 40 years. and then 40 years in perpetuity: $400 million a year times perpetuity. You figure out what this earmark is worth. You figure out what this special treatment is worth. Do you want to know who is driving this process? Its those very. very special interests that are moving this process. and apparently. they can move our friends on the other side to overturn Supreme Court opinions. They can overturn the State legislature. They can overturn these negotiations. There used to be a saying around here that said that it takes some skill and talent to build a barn. but that any damned fool can kick it down. So what these people have decided is that theyre just going to kick over those negotiations in California. those negotiations in which people have invested a huge amount of time and talentfrom the legislature. to the agencies. to the farmers. to the environmentalists. to our cities. to our countiesall of whom oppose this legislation.