California's Central Valley Project
Credit: USBR

September 30, 2022 - On Thursday, Congressman Kevin McCarthy joined Congressman David Valadao (CA-21) and the entire California House GOP delegation on introducing the WATER for California Act, a bill that would require the federal Central Valley Project (CVP) and California State Water Project (SWP) to be operated consistent with the most recent science-based regulations finalized in 2019, as well as reauthorize a critical surface water storage program from the 2016 Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act.
 
Congressman McCarthy released the following statement:
 
“The state of California is as notorious for drought as it is for water wars, and over the years, Democrats and environmental extremists have made matters worse by politicizing this life-giving resource. But the fact remains: in a state like California, access to reliable and affordable water is more pressing than ever. 
 
“In 2016, Congressman Valadao, my California Republican colleagues, Senator Feinstein, and I shepherded the first major reforms to California water policies into law in more than 20 years. These reforms have since expired, which is why I am glad to join Congressman Valadao in introducing the WATER for California Act.  
 
“This new bill builds on the success of the WIIN Act and the prior administration’s accomplishments related to California water by focusing on three main things. First, it helps ensure that when Mother Nature blesses our state with rain and snow, communities in the Central Valley get the water we contract and pay for. Next, it will help to improve California’s drought resiliency by prioritizing and funding critical water storage projects so we can capture more water during wet years for use in dry ones. And lastly, it brings much-needed accountability to finishing fish and habitat restoration projects required by law.
 
“I look forward to working with Congressman Valadao, my colleagues in the House and Senate, California public water agencies, and local stakeholders to advance the WATER for California Act into law.” 
 
Local stakeholders offered the following quotes:
“We appreciate the tireless efforts of Congressman McCarthy and his colleagues to work with numerous interested parties to fashion approaches that are achievable and provide the best possible opportunity to obtain a stable and adequate supply of water for Kern County and the entire state of California.”
- Tom McCarthy, General Manager, Kern County Water Agency

“Ensuring the greatest availability and supply of water for Kern County’s economy and population is a complex and difficult task. The challenge has become even greater with the changing weather that we have seen in recent years and that are forecast for coming years. A great number of diverse entities are competing for a supply that is simply not adequate to satisfy all of the needs that exist. We look forward to working with Congressman McCarthy and all of his colleagues as this legislation and other initiatives move through the federal decision-making process. The challenges and needs have never been greater; it will take the best efforts of all interested parties to reach results that are acceptable and workable for everyone.” - Ted Page, President, Kern County Water Agency Board of Directors

“As conflicts over water availability in California continues to escalate, we need to find creative, adaptive means of meeting species’ needs while also meeting the needs of communities, farms, and businesses. The WATER for California Act continues the spirit and legacy of two other efforts that began moving things in the direction of that goal: the bipartisan WIIN Act of 2016 and the 2019 Biological Opinion for the Central Valley Project and State Water Project. On behalf the Friant Division’s farms and communities, I thank Reps. McCarthy, Valadao, and each co-sponsor in the House of Representatives for introducing legislation that responds to the urgency and severity of California’s worsening water conflicts.” – Jason Phillips, CEO, Friant Water Authority
 
Background

• In 2016, Congress enacted the first set of reforms to California water policy in more than 20 years under the leadership of Rep. McCarthy through the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act. These reforms included helping ensure that federal Central Valley Project (CVP) water contractors and California State Water Project (SWP) water contractors received more of the water that they contract and pay for on each system consistent with regulations in place since 2008 and 2009.
• In 2019, the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Commerce issued new science-based, double peer-reviewed regulations governing the operation of the CVP and the SWP, using in part the authorities and directives provided in the WIIN Act.
• In 2021, the WIIN Act provisions expired and the Biden administration started the process of re-writing the 2019 regulations, when they were less than two years old. This has injected significant uncertainty into the operations of the CVP and SWP, including potentially reducing water deliveries for federal and state water contractors at a time when many are restricted from pumping groundwater due to state law.
• The WATER for California Act focuses on three key priorities: regulatory stability, infrastructure, and accountability. This bill would:
  • Require that both the CVP and SWP be operated consistent with the 2019 science-based regulations for 7 years and only permit the federal government to modify them under certain circumstances;
  • Reauthorize water allocations for certain northern California water contractors from the 2016 WIIN Act;
  • Reauthorize a key infrastructure program of the 2016 WIIN Act that Congress has used to advance critical surface water storage projects, like building Sites Reservoir and enlarging San Luis Reservoir, and provide funds to enlarge the shovel-ready Shasta Reservoir project; and,
  • Bring much-needed accountability to implementation of the 30-year-old bipartisan Central Valley Project Improvement Act by directing the Interior Secretary to complete outstanding fish, wildlife, and habitat restoration projects required by that law to subsequently reduce certain fees on CVP water and power ratepayers.
    Source: Congressman Kevin McCarthy