Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015
Floor Speech
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Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Chair, over the past four years, I have been heavily engaged in the BDCP process, actively promoting Sacramento's interest to President Obama's administration, Governor Brown's administration and the many stakeholders that would be affected by the project.
It has not been an easy road as we all know.
While I support a Delta solution because a sustainable system is necessary, I continue to have serious concerns that the BDCP process will ultimately create significant and irreversible harm to the Sacramento region.
GOVERNANCE
First, the BDCP process must respect northern California's interests. Unfortunately, it currently does not. The current governance structure of the BDCP includes the Delta water exporters and the state and federal water agencies. There is no representation for us in that structure. We cannot affect the process at all. We are left to a spectator role.
Given that this project is the largest water infrastructure project ever undertaken by California and that it has a permit for 50 years attached to it--this governance structure is totally unacceptable.
Here is why governance matters. Northern California was clearly harmed this year by the poor operations of our reservoirs. Yes, the drought has caused the low water levels in our reservoirs, but we should NEVER have a community on the brink of running out of drinking water. That is totally unacceptable. And with a BDCP in place and no role in the governance structure we would not be able to prevent operations, like this year, from happening again.
OPERATIONS
Sacramento County is the home of the BDCP's three water intakes; this will forever change our County's landscape not to mention how much water is available in the river.
The current BDCP framework does not specify how the project will be operated, quite literally building the project first and then figuring out how much water to send south later. This is also unacceptable.
You can imagine that after the Delta water exporters spend over $15 billion building a new conveyance structure there will be tremendous pressure to maximize its water delivery output.
There have been times where the entire flow of the Sacramento River has been less than 15,000 cfs. Under the BDCP framework announced today, this would mean the Sacramento River would be reduced ..... to a trickle.
In addition, this plan must recognize senior water rights in northern California. Currently there are no assurances that those will be preserved.
THE DELTA
I also need to mention that the BDCP was created to solve two pressing issues--restoration of the Delta and a stable water supply for Delta water exporters. All I have seen is an urgency to push a new water conveyance with a guaranteed water supply for the exporters. I have not seen glowing reports from the fish agencies that the BDCP is going to guarantee restoration of the Delta ecosystem. To the contrary the state and federal Fish and Wildlife and National Marine Fisheries sound doubtful that the BDCP will recover the salmon and smelt species.
In conclusion, I will just say that what I have seen of the BDCP is alarming. I do not believe that its current form will achieve California's co-equal goals. And as for Northern California--there are no benefits--only negative impacts.
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