The California Drought Must Be Addressed

Floor Speech

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Mr. VALADAO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to share the disastrous consequences of the House majority's failure to address the California drought.

As you can see in this photo, California's water levels are dramatically low. This water is supposed to be up all the way at the tree line. The reservoirs are low at this point because of disastrous policies that force us to waste water during the wetter years.

Countless communities are relying on this water. If this is what we are seeing in the beginning of the system in the north, how are we supposed to supply the entire State of California with enough clean water to survive?

Across the State, communities rely on water supplied by the federally managed Central Valley Project. Last month the Bureau of Reclamation announced that Central Valley farmers would receive zero percent of their contracts, effectively signing a death sentence for their fields.

Acres of half-grown crops meant to feed families across the Nation are being abandoned to dry up and die. Meanwhile, the majority refuses to even consider my legislation, the RENEW WIIN Act, which would help prevent this from happening again in the future.

I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to acknowledge the suffering of California families and get to work to help them.

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