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Valley lawmakers can’t block water legislation (bi-op); Democratic leaders block vote on Nunes water amendment

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 26, 2009 at 7:14 am

From the Fresno Bee:

San Joaquin Valley lawmakers have failed again in their effort to block the environmental rules steering irrigation water toward the protection of endangered species.

With Interior Secretary Ken Salazar now planning a Fresno town hall meeting for Sunday, a powerful House panel decided to quietly bury the controversial San Joaquin Valley amendment. Unlike a similar effort last week, this latest amendment never reached the House floor.

The proposed amendment to a $32 billion Interior Department funding bill would have blocked spending on two so-called “biological opinions” governing crucial California water flow. These biological opinions amount to federal water management rules that protect the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and species including salmon and the delta smelt.

“For the San Joaquin Valley, the majority in this House has chosen fish over working families,” Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Visalia, declared Thursday.

Read more from the Fresno Bee by clicking here.

Congressman Nunes issued this statement on his website:

“The hypocrisy of this situation is that the Democratic majority champions the working family but backs the radical environmentalists instead. For the San Joaquin Valley, the majority in this House has chosen fish over working families,” said Nunes.

“What we are witnessing, is the greatest elected assembly in the history of the world starving its own citizens of water, acting like a despot, who tortures the innocent just to stay in power. And make no mistake, raw power is what we are witnessing. Power that injures and wounds, exercised at highest levels of government, straight from the Obama White House and the Democratic leadership in the Congress. They will say and do anything to keep hold of the reins of power. And their victims are my constituents, the people of the San Joaquin Valley, who have done nothing to deserve such cruelty at the hands of the government,” said Nunes.

June 26, 2009 · Filed Under Salmon

Comments

One Response to “Valley lawmakers can’t block water legislation (bi-op); Democratic leaders block vote on Nunes water amendment”

  1. dfb on June 27th, 2009 10:34 pm

    Beyond demanding the pumps be turned on full bore, Mr. Nunes has declined to provide the leadership necessary to resolve the many complex issues involved with water management and the various constituencies beyond a few big, wealthy farmers in his district who will not receive full contractual water allotments from the projects. As the Cal Supreme Court has said over and over, “the scope and technical complexity of issues concerning water resource management are unequaled by virtually any other type of activity presented to the courts.” Environmental Def. Fund, Inc. v. East Bay Mun. Util. Dist., 26 Cal.3d 183, 194 (1980). The issue is more than just farmers versus fish. It has to do with fisherman who depend on the salmon; coastal tourist industry who serves the fishing, whale watching, and other coastal communities who depend on salmon and other sealife implicated; Delta communities whose livelihoods are interconnected with the health of the delta or who moved to the delta specifically for the lifestyle it provides; delta farmers; city dwellers who enjoy the delta for recreation; city dwellers who get their water from the Delta; farmers who get water from the delta; future generations of each; and so on. And in each group there are a variety of perspectives and needs. Moreover, each has a particular priority in their water rights or contractual rights. I expect more of Mr. Nunes, that he begin to realize the complexity of the situation and leads accordingly. Otherwise, he should expect to be soundly ignored in the future.

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