[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 16]
[House]
[Pages 21081-21082]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           CALIFORNIA DROUGHT

  (Mr. COSTA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, Congress has come back here in September and 
the primary focus is on health care, as it should be. But I rise today 
to speak about the health of millions of Californians that are 
dependent upon a reliable water supply. I'm speaking on behalf of 
farmers, farm workers, and people who live in our cities.
  This manmade--with the aid of Mother Nature--drought crisis will not 
go away. It could go a fourth year. We are living on borrowed time to 
fix California's broken water system. Wishful thinking will not wish it 
away.
  With over 30 lawsuits pending on two biological opinions, we can't 
have the courts making the most important decisions. It is time that we 
take action. Now is the time for the Federal Government to keep its 
commitment to being a partner in helping to solve California's water 
problems. We need administrative flexibility immediately. We need near-
term assistance with the Two-Gates and Intertie projects. And in the 
long term, we must address all the stressors that are impacting water 
quality and fisheries in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. And 
finally, we need to increase our water supply.
  This is not, nor should it be, a partisan issue.

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