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<H2><A
href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/25/EDVM1C78C3.DTL"><FONT
size=2>http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/25/EDVM1C78C3.DTL</FONT></A></H2>
<H2>Feinstein amendment is a water grab</H2></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV>
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<P class=byline>George Miller</P>
<P class=date>Friday, February 26, 2010</P>
<P class=date>Beware of the latest attempt at an old-fashioned water grab - the
last gasp of an outdated approach to California's complex water
problems.</P></DIV>
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<DIV id=articlebox>Faced with a changing climate and an increasing number of
competing demands on our water, most Californians now recognize that we cannot
unilaterally change allocations of our scarce freshwater resources for one group
or another without knowing first what the science says about the effects on the
rest of the state. But the Westlands Water District of Fresno is old school. It
crafted a backroom plan with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-San Francisco, and Rep.
Jim Costa, D-Hanford (Kings County), and Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Atwater (Merced
County), to accelerate water withdrawals from the Sacramento River and San
Francisco Bay-Delta ecosystem to guarantee themselves an increased water
supply.</DIV>
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<P>Its plan is overreaching, unjustified and unfair. It could wipe out the
remaining Sacramento River salmon runs, permanently eliminating the Pacific
Coast fishing industry jobs that were already under assault from drought and the
mismanagement of our river systems during the Bush administration. </P>
<P>Its plan would harm Northern California water supplies and water rights. And
it would undercut and paralyze recent significant statewide collaborative water
efforts.</P>
<P>Members of Congress from across California, Oregon and Washington oppose this
plan, as do California state legislators and county supervisors. Newspapers from
Los Angeles to Sacramento to Oregon oppose it.</P>
<P>What we all understand is that times have changed. There has been a gradual
but important shift toward the understanding that without a healthier bay-delta
system, neither fisheries, cities nor farmers will ever see their water-supply
situation improve.</P>
<P>That's why the Governor's Delta Vision Task Force argued that state policy
must restore the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta ecosystem and create a more
reliable water supply for California.</P>
<P>That's why state lawmakers wrote a package of water bills last year, and
that's why water agencies, environmental groups and others have worked together
on a comprehensive Bay-Delta Conservation Plan. That's why I have pushed through
bills in Congress for Republicans and Democrats across our state to establish
innovative water-recycling programs that free up freshwater and help industry,
agriculture and municipalities.</P>
<P>That's also why I convened a series of meetings last summer with Sen.
Feinstein and Reps. Costa and Cardoza, the Obama administration and others to
work together to accomplish our shared goals of an improved Bay-Delta estuary
and an improved California economy. Out of those meetings, we collaborated on
several efforts, including getting $100 million into the House jobs bill in
December to fund the Obama administration's action plan for California water
needs, including significant ecosystem restoration, drought relief, water
quality improvements, and enhancements to the federal-state partnership. </P>
<P>It is regrettable that some of the people who had joined in this
collaborative, fresh thinking have now turned against the state's better
interests. The Westlands Water District plan is a major step backward. And so is
the fact that Westlands resigned this month from the Association of California
Water Agencies to focus instead on lawsuits to get what they want.</P>
<P>We know that fixing the bay-delta estuary's problems will not be easy. The
heart of our state's water system suffers from many ailments and requires a
wide-ranging cure. One approach that will not fly, however, is the outdated idea
of unilaterally changing water policy without the basis of sound scientific
analysis.</P>
<P class=dtlcomment>Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez, is the former chairman of
the House Natural Resources Committee.</P></DIV></DIV></DIV>
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