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Water bill passage unlikely

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Negotiations on Capitol Hill regarding much-needed legislation on a water bill for California finds the state’s two Democratic senators—as well as House and Senate Republicans—struggling to find a balance between sympathy for Central Valley farmers and concern for environmental protection.

As the state continues to languish within the worst drought in its history, the water bill would be the most explicit congressional response to the emergency which has dominated the state while decimating the Central Valley also known as the nation’s “bread basket.” So far the White House has remained largely silent regarding support for the bill.

“We’re just going back and forth,” Sen. Diane Feinstein said recently in Lake Tahoe, Nev. “It’s difficult, obviously, because the situation continues to worsen, not get better. And hopefully, we will have something in the next couple of weeks.”

Whether lawmakers side with farmers or with environmentalists, the legislation would be a compromise between a 68-page version passed by the House in February and a 16-page version passed by the Senate in May.

“The House and Senate continue to negotiate throughout the August recess,” said Rep. David Valadao (R-21st District). He added that it is “critical that the Senate and House put in place both immediate and long-term solutions to this water crisis.”

House Democrats, who represent the 1,100-square-mile Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, say they have not been invited to the negotiations, and participants have reportedly imposed a gag order on themselves. Not even staffers or “clued-in” lobbyists are permitted to say a word. Republicans say the Delta-area Democrats won’t vote for the water bill anyway, so there’s no need for significant input from them.

“If there are negotiations underway in secret, we would be concerned and troubled,” said Rep. John Garamendi (D-3rd District).

The dispute has become a delicate balancing act between House Republicans who have insisted on the necessity of authorizing new water storage projects, and a group of Senate Republicans who are reportedly skeptical of passing any bill that has anything to do with spending money.

California Rep. Jim Costa (D-16th District), the only Democrat privy to the negotiations, said last week that “there is a possibility” that the final bill will include a specific project like raising the eastern dam at San Luis Reservoir west of Los Banos, as part of a larger repair job.

But the clock may be running out for congressional action on drought relief. Congress will return from August recess on Sept. 8, and will only be in session 10 legislative days. Then Congress will be off again on Oct. 4 and isn’t expected to tackle much of anything until after the November elections. Prospects for a post-election lame-duck session seem unlikely.

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