Republicans pushing water plan

From the Capital Ag Press regarding Schwarzenegger’s water plan:

It has the backing of major agricultural organizations and water agencies, and a state Republican leader believes he can convince his colleagues in Sacramento to put Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s makeover of the state’s water system before voters next February.

Assembly Republican leader Mike Villines, R-Fresno, along with state Sen. Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto, are authors of legislation to advance Schwarzenegger’s $9 billion fix for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

“It is one of the most significant policy issues that we can deal with – not just this year but as a broad issue for all of California,” Villines said. “The water delivery system in California was really frankly built in the 1960s. There haven’t been any major changes to it since then. This is an important, critical piece that was left out of last year’s bond package and probably the most important in terms of the growth of the state and the quality of life in the state.”

Villines has introduced a bill that would use $600 million from already approved propositions to help address environmental concerns in the delta.

Schwarzenegger’s bill has the support of California’s farming organizations, such as the Western Growers and the California Farm Bureau Federation:

“New surface reservoirs will bring significant value for urban and environmental water uses. And they will relieve pressure to fallow a lot of farmland during future droughts,” said California Farm Bureau President Doug Mosebar in a statement. “We need to keep farmland producing affordable, locally grown food for our people, and to maintain our rural communities.”

To read the full text of the story from the Capital Ag Press, click here.

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