Congressman David G. Valadao and House Natural Resources Ranking Member Bruce Westerman Host Water Roundtable with Central Valley Water Stakeholders

WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman David G. Valadao and House Natural Resources Ranking Member Bruce Westerman hosted a water roundtable in Five Points, California, with local water stakeholders. This provided an opportunity for them to convey their experiences with the drought directly to Rep. Valadao and Rep. Westerman.

“The worsening drought in western states is growing more and more troubling by the day,” said Congressman Valadao. “It is incredibly important that our leaders in Washington pay attention and help alleviate the situation when and where they can, which is why I’m thankful that Ranking Member Westerman came out to the Central Valley today to learn more about the crisis in our backyard. 

“Since I returned to Congress, I’ve worked closely with Ranking Member Westerman to relentlessly draw attention to the worsening drought. Unfortunately, our colleagues in the Majority have chosen to turn their backs, refusing to work with us to alleviate the drought and prevent future droughts from devastating western states. My hope is to continue the conversation we had here in Five Points back in Washington, putting pressure on the Majority to help our constituents in need.” 

“I am grateful for the opportunity to join my colleague David Valadao in his district today to hear first-hand the difficulties brought on by this drought. The stories and challenges shared make it more evident that we must continue our fight to find short and long-term solutions to mitigate this drought and avoid future ones,” Ranking Member Westerman said. “His leadership to extend the WIIN Act and work to bring attention to this issue will help us immensely as we pursue solutions to this crisis.”

Local water stakeholders in attendance are as follows:
Justin Mendes, Tulare Lake Basin Water Storage District
Ryan Jacobsen, Fresno Irrigation District
Patty Poire, Kern Groundwater Authority
Dan Waterhouse, Kern Groundwater Authority
Tom Birmingham, Westlands Water District
Frank Galaviz, Teviston Community Services District
Jason Gianquinto, Semitropic Water Storage District

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