Boxer Testifies on Critical Water Legislation

WASHINGTON, DC– Today, U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on legislation she introduced with Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) to permanently allow voluntary water transfers throughout the San Joaquin Valley.

Senator Boxer’s prepared testimony follows:

Madam Chairman, thank you for holding this hearing today to discuss S. 1759, the Water Transfers Facilitation Act of 2009. Senator Feinstein and I have introduced this legislation to facilitate voluntary water transfers within the San Joaquin Valley.

This is about getting water where it’s needed, when it’s needed. It’s about finding ways we can all come together to find pragmatic solutions to the water crisis, rather than everyone just going to their corners.

Three years of below-average precipitation have restricted water supplies for much of California. Drought conditions have particularly affected agricultural communities in the San Joaquin Valley, where more than 500,000 acres of cropland have been fallowed, further compounding existing economic struggles in this region.

I am deeply concerned about this crisis and the impacts it is having on agricultural communities in the San Joaquin Valley. That’s why Senator Feinstein and I joined to introduce the Water Transfers Facilitation Act of 2009. This legislation will facilitate voluntary water transfers among some water users in the San Joaquin Valley, improving flexibility in water management and providing water to those communities who need it most.

Senator Feinstein and I worked with Representatives Cardoza and Costa to include a measure in the Energy and Water appropriations bill that temporarily allowed voluntary water transfers between water users on the east and west sides of the San Joaquin Valley. This provision became law last week. All of the affected water districts negotiated and supported that amendment, and I am very pleased.

I am grateful to Senator Bingaman for not only working with us on that amendment but also for committing to hold prompt hearings on permanent legislation building upon that successful amendment. The Feinstein-Boxer Water Transfers Facilitation Act of 2009 permanently extends and builds upon the provisions in the two-year Energy and Water appropriations amendment.

The water users on the east and west sides of the valley who will benefit from this legislation have written many strong letters of support for the Feinstein-Boxer bill, as has the Governor of California, and I ask unanimous consent that these letters be entered into the record.

Now, farmers who have excess amounts of water one year need to fallow their productive fields in order to transfer water to other farmers experiencing shortages. Our legislation provides more flexibility to move water around the valley.

The bill also directs the Department of the Interior to use a more pragmatic approach to environmental review for water transfers so that appropriate transfers can be approved more quickly. Transfers will still have to undergo all applicable reviews, but those will be conducted in a more efficient and timely way.

Finally, the legislation requires the Department of the Interior to prepare a report and submit recommendations on how to facilitate water transfers throughout California, including between the state and federal water projects. This will guide future efforts to improve the flexibility of water management statewide.

The Bureau of Reclamation has told us that the Feinstein-Boxer legislation will transfer as much as 250,000 to 300,000 acre-feet of water per year to communities in need. This is 130 to 150 percent more water than the west side got from the federal water project last year. To put this amount into perspective, 300,000 acre-feet of water would serve 600,000 typical families for one year.

I am committed to working with the Committee, the Administration, and our stakeholders to advance the Water Transfer Facilitation Act of 2009. I thank the Committee for considering this important legislation, and look forward to working with my colleagues to secure its passage through the Senate.