[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 104 (Tuesday, June 15, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H2755]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                THE CALIFORNIA DROUGHT MUST BE ADDRESSED

  (Mr. VALADAO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. VALADAO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to share the disastrous 
consequences of the House majority's failure to address the California 
drought.
  As you can see in this photo, California's water levels are 
dramatically low. This water is supposed to be up all the way at the 
tree line. The reservoirs are low at this point because of disastrous 
policies that force us to waste water during the wetter years.
  Countless communities are relying on this water. If this is what we 
are seeing in the beginning of the system in the north, how are we 
supposed to supply the entire State of California with enough clean 
water to survive?
  Across the State, communities rely on water supplied by the federally 
managed Central Valley Project. Last month the Bureau of Reclamation 
announced that Central Valley farmers would receive zero percent of 
their contracts, effectively signing a death sentence for their fields.
  Acres of half-grown crops meant to feed families across the Nation 
are being abandoned to dry up and die. Meanwhile, the majority refuses 
to even consider my legislation, the RENEW WIIN Act, which would help 
prevent this from happening again in the future.
  I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to acknowledge 
the suffering of California families and get to work to help them.

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