To provide emergency drought relief in California, U.S. Rep. David Valadao (R-CA) last week led nine Republicans in introducing the Necessary to Ensure Expeditious Delivery of Water Act.
Also known as the NEED Water Act, H.R. 4018 would protect water currently in the Central Valley Project system for human needs and reduce regulatory burdens to lessen the negative impacts of the current state drought, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Valadao’s office.
“The lack of rain this year is exacerbating the ongoing drought, and my constituents are in desperate need of immediate relief,” Rep. Valadao said. “While the NEED Water Act is not a long-term solution, it would provide temporary operational flexibility for the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project to reduce water supply shortages in valley communities.”
Specifically, H.R. 4018 would extend the California provisions of the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act, according to the summary of the bill, which is cosponsored by the entire California Republican delegation, including U.S. Reps. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Ken Calvert (R-CA), and Young Kim (R-CA).
“Burdensome regulations continue to prevent communities in my district from getting the water they desperately need. The reservoirs are currently extremely low because of disastrous policies that force us to waste water during wet years,” said Rep. Valadao. “The severity of the effects of this drought could have been lessened by commonsense actions during years with more rain.”
Rep. McCarthy added that it is critical to ensure California families, farmers and communities get the water they need. “No one knows this better than Congressman David Valadao. He has been a key champion on water policies, and I look forward to continuing to work with David to help ensure a reliable water supply for those living in the Central Valley and throughout California,” he said.
Rep. Calvert added that H.R. 4018 also would provide regulatory agencies with the flexibility necessary to respond to the current drought emergency. “Congress must take action to address this crisis for our state, and the NEED Water Act would be a great place to start,” he said.