Photo: Padilla highlights three California watershed restoration bills at ENR committee hearing.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a hearing on three of U.S. Senator Alex Padilla’s (D-Calif.) bipartisan bills to promote ecosystem restoration, water conservation, and drought resiliency across the Colorado, Sacramento, and San Joaquin River watersheds. The Committee considered his legislation to increase funding for the Lower Colorado River Multispecies Conservation and the San Joaquin River Restoration Programs, as well as the Sacramento RIVER Act to support drought resiliency and water conservation in the Sacramento watershed.
“California’s rivers provide essential water resources for municipal, agricultural, and environmental use in California, but long-term drought, historic flooding, and rising project costs are threatening these watersheds,” said Senator Padilla. “My bipartisan bills would support ecological restoration across the Sacramento River, San Joaquin River, and Colorado River watersheds to bolster our drought resiliency and water supply for California’s water users.”
Padilla’s bipartisan legislation would increase the funding available for species conservation by creating an interest-bearing account for funds that the Colorado River Lower Basin states and the federal government contribute to the Lower Colorado River Multispecies Conservation Program (LCR MSCP). Currently, the Bureau of Reclamation holds the funding that states contribute in an account that does not collect interest. Representatives Ken Calvert (R-Calif.-41) and Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.-31) are leading companion legislation in the House of Representatives.
The LCR MSCP, formally established in 2005, aims to establish over 8,000 acres of native riparian and aquatic habitat from Lake Mead to the Mexican border. The program has already been successful in stocking thousands of native fish and increasing numbers of breeding migratory birds within 5,000 acres of new riparian habitat.
However, the value of the program’s $626 million budget for its 50-year term has eroded over time as inflation has increased project costs. The lack of reinvestment due to the fact that the account is not able to collect interest effectively costs the LCR MSCP at least $2 million annually that could be used to fund future program work. Creating an interest-bearing account would significantly improve the program’s ability to restore riparian and aquatic habitat in the Lower Colorado River.
The legislation is cosponsored by Senators Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.). The House bill is cosponsored by Representatives Dina Titus (D-Nev.-01) and Susie Lee (D-Nev.-03).
Earlier this year, Senator Padilla applauded the Colorado River Lower Basin states’ conservation proposal for the Post-2026 Coordinated Operation of the Colorado River Basin. Last December, Padilla applauded the Department of the Interior’s announcement of approximately $367 million to California partners to protect the Colorado River Basin, including nearly $295 million for several water conservation agreements with California water agencies.
Full text of the bill is available here.
To further support the ongoing implementation of the San Joaquin River Restoration Program (SJRRP), this bipartisan legislation would raise the cap on federal appropriations for the program by $500 million while increasing the authorization of appropriations for Friant Division canal improvements.
Congress authorized the San Joaquin River Restoration Program (SJRRP) following the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement, which was the result of an 18-year lawsuit over […]
Full article: www.padilla.senate.gov
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