Thompson slams water bill

U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-5) today voted against the House Majority’s California water bill, calling it “bad for California, bad for other states, and bad for our environment.”

“The legislation would jeopardize jobs in and north of the Delta, undermine existing state law, and override long-standing environmental protections,” Thompson told his peers today.

He said the bill was introduced three weeks ago and is being rushed to the House Floor without any public hearings or opportunities for lawmakers to receive input from stakeholders.

The bill passed out of committee along a nearly party line vote (23-12) and is opposed by the White House.

Thompson, who represents the Sonoma Valley, spoke in opposition to H.R. 2898 today on the House floor. Text of his remarks are below.

“Mister Speaker,  If that fresh water doesn’t run through and run out to the ocean, the salt water runs back in. I have two major cities in my district that rely on that for a source of water. If this bill were to pass, their water supply is in jeopardy. You can’t drink salt water. It just doesn’t work.

“California is in the middle of a very extreme drought.

“It’s not due to a lack of pumping. It’s not because of our state’s water regulations. And it’s not because we’re putting fish ahead of farms and people.

“It’s because there is no rain and there’s no snow.

“No bill can make it rain. But this bill makes a bad situation even worse.

“It’s wrong for California. It won’t stop the drought. It won’t make it rain. But it will kill jobs. And it will ruin drinking water for millions of Californians.

“The State of California won’t support this bill because ignores 20 years of established science and undermines our extensive efforts to implement equal measures to address long-standing water shortages.

“We’ve been down this road before in California. We ignored science and we diverted water out of the Klamath River and nearly 80,000 spawning salmon died. Communities were devastated. And livelihoods were lost.

“This bill also sets a dangerous precedent for every other state in our country.

“California has long-standing water management rules. This bill overrides the very system of water regulations that Californians themselves devised to govern our state’s water supply.

“It tells local resource managers and water districts how to administer their water supply.

“If we pass this bill, we’re telling every state in America that we’re okay with the federal government undermining local experts and state laws from coast to coast.

“If that weren’t enough, this bill also undercuts longstanding environmental laws.

“The legislation we’re debating today redefines the standard by which the Endangered Species Act is applied. This will weaken the law, increase the risk of species extinction and lead to countless lawsuits and costly litigation. It’s as if the majority is holding wildlife responsible for our lack of rain.

“You will hear the other side talk about a little fish, the Delta Smelt – and how we’re protecting fish at the expense of people. The truth I, as the gentleman from California mentioned, that protection of the smelt hasn’t prevented one drop of water from being pumped south since 2013.

“We haven’t pumped more water south because there simply isn’t enough water. We’re in a drought.

“And I am not insensitive to the supply and demand reality of California’s water. I understand the concerns of the Central Valley farmers. I’m a farmer myself. But if my well runs dry, the solution isn’t to steal the water from my neighbors.

“We need real solutions that are based on science and that work for everyone.

“This bill is not the solution. It’s bad for California, bad for other states, and bad for our environment.”