Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

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Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, I rise to introduce the bipartisan ``Salton Sea Projects Improvement Act'' to expand the Bureau of Reclamation's ability to participate and invest in projects at the Salton Sea.

This legislation would ensure Reclamation can meaningfully partner with state, local, and Tribal governments to address both the public health and environmental crises at the Salton Sea.

Under current law, the Bureau of Reclamation is only able to engage in projects that have a research focus. This means that Reclamation can only engage in projects to research how to protect habitat, enhance fisheries, enhance recreational opportunities, or control salinity. Reclamation also operates under a $10 million authorization.

This effectively prohibits Reclamation from participating in the Salton Sea Management Program run by California.

This legislation would expand Reclamation's authority so they can participate in large-scale projects, even if they don't have a research focus. Projects could improve air and water quality, restore fish and wildlife habitat, and improve public health at the Salton Sea. It would also increase Reclamation's authorization for Salton Sea efforts from $10 million to $250 million.

The Salton Sea, located in southern Riverside and northern Imperial counties, is California's largest inland body of water. It formed after Colorado River floodwater breached an irrigation canal and flowed into the Salton Sink.

The current Salton Sea maintains water levels from irrigation runoff but has been shrinking for many years. The water has become increasingly salty, so much so that its salinity is 50% higher than the Pacific Ocean. This has led to major water quality issues with devastating impacts to the Salton Sea's ecosystem, which serves as critical habitat for migratory waterfowl and other species.

But this ecological crisis has even more widespread impacts. The declining water levels have also exposed wide swaths of lakebed at the Salton Sea, polluting the air with dust and pesticides. The largely disadvantaged communities who live nearby suffer from toxic, poisonous air and experience higer levels of related health conditions like asthma.

It is an environmental and public health crisis, and we need to ensure that the Bureau of Reclamation has the authority it need to partner with the State of California, Tribal and local governments, and nonprofits to adequately address these crises.

I thank Senator Feinstein for co-leading this bill with me, and for her decades of efforts at the Salton Sea. I also thank Congressmen Ruiz and Vargas for their relentless leadership to address this environmental hazard.

I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass the bipartisan ``Salton Sea Projects Improvements Act'' as quickly as possible.

Thank you, Mr. President.

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