House Dems ask for hearing on Western water shortage

E&E News
By Anne Mulkern
February 3, 2014

A group of House Democrats from California, Oregon, Arizona, Nevada and other states today asked for an emergency hearing on the Western drought.

"Over half of the contiguous United States is experiencing moderate to severe drought," the group said in the letter to Natural Resources Chairman Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) . "The drought impacts all aspects of our jurisdiction, including water and power deliveries, wildlife and fisheries, and forest health and wildland fire management. As part of our oversight responsibilities, we are writing to request a bipartisan hearing on the drought impacts across the nation."

The Department of Agriculture has declared 11 states disaster areas due to drought, the Democrats said. California is experiencing the driest conditions in 500 years, and drought affects more than 62 percent of the state. Oregon is experiencing severe drought in more than three-fourths of the state. In Nevada, nearly 40 percent of the state is in extreme drought.

"The Bureau of Reclamation's core mission involves drought management, and many of its projects are already feeling the impacts of drought," the letter said. "One of the largest Reclamation projects is the Central Valley Project in California. The latest Department of Water Resources snowpack survey showed that the snowpack is 20 percent of normal. Shasta Dam, the largest federal reservoir in the system, is currently at 36 percent of capacity.

"California also experienced the driest year on record in 2013. With limited carryover storage and projected dry year, the drought will significantly impact the management of the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project in 2014."

The Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power will hold a hearing Wednesday on two bills and a discussion draft. One is the "Accelerated Revenue, Repayment and Surface Water Storage Enhancement Act," from Hastings, which would allow water users to repay the federal government early for long-term water contracts. The early payments would be used to fund surface water storage projects.

Also up is Rep. Tom McClintock's (R-Calif.) "Water Supply Permitting Coordination Act," which would streamline permitting of new water storage projects on public lands, as is a discussion draft that would amend the Secure Water Act of 2009 to give the Interior Department $400 million annually to build surface water storage (E&E Daily, Feb. 3).

The letter was signed by Reps. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.), Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), Jim Costa (D-Calif.), Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), Carol Shea-Porter (D-N.H.), Colleen Hanabusa (D-Hawaii), Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Matthew Cartwright (D-Pa.), Tony Cardenas (D-Calif.), and Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.); Dels. Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (D-Northern Mariana Islands) and Madeleine Bordallo (D-Guam); and Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi (D-Puerto Rico).

Click here to read the letter.

Correction: An earlier version of this story referenced the wrong bill at the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power hearing.