[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 73 (Thursday, May 24, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E941]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   THE WATER ENHANCEMENT SECURITY ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. GARY A. CONDIT

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 24, 2001

  Mr. CONDIT. Mr. Speaker, I join with Mr. Calvert today in introducing 
the ``Water Enhancement Security Act''. This bill is the culmination of 
almost one decade of work by the Congress and the state Legislature, 
federal and state agencies and the California business community, 
agricultural and urban water districts and environmental groups.
  For years, the water system in California seems to have been 
``broken''--our main water system, the Sacramento-San Joaquin River 
Delta and San Francisco Bay has been in a state of crisis due to 
conflicts between environmental protection, water use and water 
quality. In a state where we seem to either feast on water or famine 
without water, the drought of 1987-92 demonstrated just how vulnerable 
California is to water shortages, and the flood of 1997 demonstrated 
how vulnerable we are to the effects of flooding. Frequent conflicts 
between water quality, fish protection and water supply magnify the 
problem and demonstrate just how little ``give'' there is in our 
current system. With the state's population expected to grow from 34 
million today to 59 million in 2040, the need to conserve, to better 
manage our existing supplies and to attain greater storage capacity is 
critical.
  Despite the years of recognition by most Californians as to the need 
to attain these goals, no major achievement in our water policy had 
taken place since the 1960s, when, under Governor Pat Brown's 
leadership, the State Water Project was conceived. That was, however, 
until CalFed was formed in 1994.
  In response to the water conflicts and the feast or famine 
predicament that we were under, the state and federal Administrations 
began talks, known as ``CalFed''. Over a period of years, 18 state and 
federal agencies have conducted hundreds of meetings, public hearings 
and negotiations with stakeholders regarding ways to better manage the 
Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta for those who depend upon it, as 
well as ways to restore the Bay-Delta's ecosystem. It seemed that there 
was everything to loose and everything to be gained.--as the hub of 
California's water supply, the
  Last year, I worked closely with California Governor Gray Davis and 
then Secretary of the Interior, Bruce Babbitt on a package that would 
move the CalFed program forward. Then, in June, 2000, Governor Davis 
and Secretary of Interior Babbitt announced a historic blueprint--the 
CalFed Framework for Action, followed by the Record of Decision in 
July, 2000. The legislation being introduced today is the crucial next 
step for the program. It authorizes the CalFed program to move forward, 
and expands this blueprint to other regions of the state.
  Balance is the cornerstone of this bill. This bill ensures a long-
lasting balanced program with the visionary and innovative approach of 
linking progress on water supply and water quality with progress to the 
environment, and with linking environmental progress to improvements in 
water supply and water quality. This theme of balance is echoed 
throughout the bill--there is balance in the structure for governance, 
balance in ecosystem/non-ecosystem programming, balance among the 
various regions of the state and balance in funding.
  The bill is comprehensive and action-oriented. This bill provides 
real, tangible improvements for the environment, water quality and 
water supply throughout California. It commits to desperately needed 
additional surface and groundwater storage by authorizing water supply, 
water quality and flood control infrastructure improvements for a 
system that hasn't seen any major improvements in over 30 years. It 
contains short-term water supply improvements for water users that rely 
upon Delta exports and that have been disproportionately impacted by 
federal regulatory requirements. It expands environmental restoration 
projects in wetlands, the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Bay Delta 
estuary, and rivers and streams. It expands and funds state-of-the art 
water recycling and conservation programs throughout California. Each 
of these program elements is essential to improving the reliability and 
quality of California's water supply.
  We are at a crossroad in California, as well as in most other regions 
of the country. For decades, we have benefited from the foresight of 
our predecessors--in their vision of what infrastructure would be 
necessary to meet our energy needs, our water needs, our transportation 
needs, our educational needs. I believe that it's time for us to 
exercise that same leadership, that same vision. I believe that it is 
time to prepare our generation and the generations that will follow us 
for the future. In meeting these needs, I believe that we can benefit 
from the things that we have learned over the last several decades 
about how to better protect the environment and about how to better 
conserve, while at the same time, providing for greater economic 
progress. This bill charts a course for attaining that vision.
  I want to thank Mr. Calvert for his leadership and efforts. I know 
that he and his staff have worked tirelessly to craft a fair and 
balanced program. I am committed, and I know that Mr. Calvert is 
committed as well, to continue to work with Senator Feinstein on her 
bill, and with the state and federal agencies and Administrations, and 
with all stakeholders on refinements to the bill to ensure that its 
potential benefits are met.

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