Congressman Dennis Cardoza
18th Congressional District of California

WASHINGTON, DC – After the House of Representatives voted against allowing drought-relief amendments to aid California’s Central Valley today, Congressman Cardoza voted against a water recycling bill sponsored by Congressman George Miller (D-Martinez) that would have aided the Bay Area.

“The federal government is in part responsible for the regulatory drought, and it is time for the federal government to take action to address this crisis,” remarked Congressman Cardoza in his statement.  “But quite frankly, I am completely fed up with the lack of a response to our water crisis in the San Joaquin Valley. My definition of ‘crisis’ is a disaster that requires an immediate response.”

Congressman Cardoza further added that he has a list of 26 projects that the federal government can work on to relieve the pressure that the lack of water has created on the Valley, but that there has been no action on it.

At issue was H.R. 2442, the Bay Area Regional Water Recycling Program Expansion Act of 2009.  Congressman Cardoza had joined with his colleagues from the San Joaquin Valley in a bipartisan effort to direct water from the San Joaquin Delta to local Valley growers and farmers.

A federal judge’s ruling has ordered curtailments of water from the San Joaquin Delta to Valley farmers as a means of protecting endangered fish in the Delta. Cardoza and others have countered that the pumps are not the sole cause of declines in fish populations and that a comprehensive study of the Delta ecosystem is needed before placing undue and severe hardship on Valley farmers.

Congressmen George Radanovich (R-Fresno) and Devin Nunes (R-Visalia) each offered two amendments to the Bay Area Regional Water Recycling Program Expansion Act of 2009. One set of amendments would have blocked the Bay Area water recycling legislation from taking effect until certain steps were taken to aid Valley farmers. The other set of amendments would have provided an exemption from the Endangered Species Act to the pumps that provide water from the Delta to the Central Valley.

Congressman Cardoza voted both in the Rules Committee and on the House floor to allow a vote on the amendments. However, in both instances, there were not enough votes to allow for full consideration of the amendments.

“My folks need relief. They are suffering and can’t wait any longer,” said Congressman Cardoza. “Farmers in the Valley have planting decisions to make in the near future. They simply can’t go through another farm season not knowing if they will have any water.”