Today, Congressman David G. Valadao introduced three amendments to the Energy and Water Appropriations bill, which funds various federal agencies. Each of which would make strides toward alleviating the devastating California drought. The House Committee on Appropriations is responsible for appropriating funding for most of the functions of the federal government. Read more »

Today, Congressman David G. Valadao introduced the Necessary to Ensure Expeditious Delivery of Water Act, or NEED Water Act, to provide emergency drought relief for the Central Valley. Read more »

Today, Congressman David G. Valadao and California State Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) sent Governor Newsom a letter to ensure that Fresno, Kings, Kern, and Tulare counties, whose jobs depend directly on farms, are given full consideration when contemplating actions to mitigate the negative impacts of a second year of a critically severe and dangerous drought. President Biden’s Interagency Working Group was copied on the letter. Read more »

Water is the backbone of our local economy, vital to tens of thousands of jobs, and the complete elimination of CVP water allocations for Central Valley farmers and families threatens the livelihoods of our entire community. Read more »

Today, Congressman David G. Valadao released the following statement in response to Governor Newsom’s drought emergency expansion: Read more »

“RENEW WIIN is critical for combating this detrimental drought to ensure families in rural communities and our farms in the Central Valley and have access to clean, reliable water,” said Congressman Valadao. “While there are many important issues the Natural Resources Committee is tasked to examine, addressing this water crisis cannot wait. Read more »

“It is not a secret that we find ourselves dealing yet again with a major drought,” said Congressman Valadao. “It is imperative we do all we can as elected leaders to ensure our constituents, and the communities they live in, have access to the resources they need during this time, namely water. In order for all of us affected by this critical situation to get through it, we need the state government to be willing to help out as well. We cannot rely on the federal government alone. Please step up to the challenge and provide this designation so our farmers, agriculture workers, and communities can have some certainty and stability in an otherwise tumultuous and scary time.” Read more »

“As a lifelong farmer, I know firsthand the challenges government overreach places on the day-to-day operations of farms and businesses,” said Congressman Valadao. “It is critical Congress affirms the importance of prioritizing clean water and defends the Navigable Waters Protection Rule. This commonsense rule protects the quality of American waters and lands while ensuring the prosperity of farms and businesses.” Read more »

“I am concerned and disappointed to learn of the Bureau of Reclamation’s decision to suspend the already low South-of-Delta 5% allocation,” said Congressman Valadao. “The Central Valley farming community has survived not only devastating drought conditions and burdensome regulations for decades, but also a global pandemic; however, our farms cannot survive without greater water allocations for South-of-Delta agriculture. Halting the allocation entirely is simply irresponsible. It is critical that allocations of California’s water supply reflect the needs of our farms so they may continue to produce the food our nation relies on.” Read more »

Today, Congressman David G. Valadao and the entire California Republican delegation sent a letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior (Interior) and the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) to emphasize California’s water needs and to express strong support for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s new coordinated long-term operations plan for the Central Valley Project (CVP) and the California State Water Project (SWP). This includes the associated biological opinions developed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) within the Interior and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) within Commerce that were completed last year. Read more »