<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div>Good Evening</div><div><br></div><div>Here's an update on H.R. 5781.</div><div><br></div><div>Thanks</div><div><br></div><div>Dan </div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.fishsniffer.com/blogs/details/conservation-groups-call-on-feinstein-to-oppose-valadao-drought-bill/">http://www.fishsniffer.com/blogs/details/conservation-groups-call-on-feinstein-to-oppose-valadao-drought-bill/</a> </div><div><a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/12/05/1349771/-RTD-calls-on-Senator-Dianne-Feinstein-to-keep-Her-word-on-drought-legislation">http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/12/05/1349771/-RTD-calls-on-Senator-Dianne-Feinstein-to-keep-Her-word-on-drought-legislation</a></div><div><a href="https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/12/05/18765098.php">https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/12/05/18765098.php</a></div><div><div> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); "><blockquote class="summary" style="line-height: 16px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana"><i>"We urge a no vote on H.R. 5781, to avoid Congress micromanaging water usage and allocation in California," EWC Co-Facilitators Conner Everts and David Nesmith wrote. "Before allowing disruption of California’s 150-year old water rights system and major federal environmental protection laws, EWC wants Congress to undertake careful deliberation over H.R. 5781 by both houses." </i></font><br></blockquote><center style="font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; "><div class="media" style="font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; text-align: center; padding-top: 12px; padding-right: 12px; padding-bottom: 12px; padding-left: 12px; "><a href="https://www.indybay.org/uploads/2014/12/05/ewc-letter-on-h.r.-5871-valadao_1_1.pdf" style="border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; color: rgb(22, 52, 92); "><strong><img style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; " height="633" width="468" src="cid:8F5A8711-DEB4-4BCA-9E1D-9DE3B0E55651"><br>ewc-letter-on-h.r.-5871-valadao_1_1.pdf<br>download PDF (133.4 KB)</strong></a></div></center><br><div class="article" style="line-height: 16px; margin-top: 12px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana" size="6">Conservation groups call on Feinstein to oppose Valadao drought bill </font><br><br><font class="Apple-style-span" face="verdana, arial, sans-serif">by Dan Bacher </font><br><br><font class="Apple-style-span" face="verdana, arial, sans-serif">Restore the Delta (RTD) and a coalition of environmental groups, fishing organizations and Indian Tribes today urged Senator Dianne Feinstein to keep her word regarding drought legislation and to ensure that H.R. 5781, Congressman David Valadao's salmon-killing "drought relief" bill, is not converted into language that is added on to other pieces of federal legislation in the lame duck session. </font><br><br><font class="Apple-style-span" face="verdana, arial, sans-serif">“It is our understanding that if H.R. 5781 passes it could jeopardize future urban water supplies because reservoirs could be over pumped in the present for agricultural water needs,” said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of Restore the Delta. “Furthermore, by bringing this bill to Congress in lame duck session, Congressman David Valadao has once again started a secret negotiation process for water management in California that excludes 99% of California’s population." </font><br><br><font class="Apple-style-span" face="verdana, arial, sans-serif">“As Representative Louise Slaughter noted in the rules committee congressional hearing yesterday, California should work out how to manage its own drought,” concluded Barrigan-Parrilla. </font><br><br><font class="Apple-style-span" face="verdana, arial, sans-serif">Restore the Delta is a member of the Environmental Water Caucus (EWC) that sent a letter to Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer expressing opposition to H.R. 5781: </font><a href="http://restorethedelta.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/EWC-Letter-on-H.R.-5871-Valadao.pdf" style="font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; color: rgb(22, 52, 92); ">http://restorethedelta.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/EWC-Letter-on-H.R.-5871-Valadao.pdf</a><font class="Apple-style-span" face="verdana, arial, sans-serif"> </font><br><br><font class="Apple-style-span" face="verdana, arial, sans-serif">"We urge a no vote on H.R. 5781, to avoid Congress micromanaging water usage and allocation in California," EWC Co-Facilitators Conner Everts and David Nesmith wrote. "Before allowing disruption of California’s 150-year old water rights system and major federal environmental protection laws, EWC wants Congress to undertake careful deliberation over H.R. 5781 by both houses." </font><br><br><font class="Apple-style-span" face="verdana, arial, sans-serif">"EWC and its member groups urge that Congress devise programs and provide funds to relieve real suffering from this drought. Our undersigned communities, tribes, and organizations urge you to undertake more focused efforts with your legislative colleagues to directly relieve the suffering in the San Joaquin Valley. Since 2009, the EWC has offered solutions for California as a whole to plan for more water, and more efficient approaches and methods in times of recurrent shortage," they stated. </font><br><br><font class="Apple-style-span" face="verdana, arial, sans-serif">Everts and Nesmith said they would like to discuss EWC's Responsible Exports Plan with the Senators and their staffs at a meeting in San Francisco as soon as possible. </font><br><br><font class="Apple-style-span" face="verdana, arial, sans-serif">EWC’s Responsible Exports Plan is available online at </font><a href="http://www.ewccalifornia.org/reports/responsibleexportsplanmay2013.pdf" style="font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; color: rgb(22, 52, 92); ">http://www.ewccalifornia.org/reports/responsibleexportsplanmay2013.pdf</a><font class="Apple-style-span" face="verdana, arial, sans-serif"> </font><br><br><font class="Apple-style-span" face="verdana, arial, sans-serif">Six fishing groups, including the Golden Gate Fishermen's Association (GGFA), Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA), Water4Fish, Coastside Fishing Club, San Francisco Crab Boat Association and Golden Gate Salmon Association (GGSA), also sent a letter to Senators Boxer, Feinstein, Merkley and Wyden today calling on her to oppose H.R. 5781. </font><br><br><font class="Apple-style-span" face="verdana, arial, sans-serif">"On behalf of the undersigned organizations, we write to urge you to oppose HR 5781 (Valadao, R-CA), a bill that would dramatically weaken protections for salmon and other fish and wildlife in California's Bay-Delta estuary and its tributaries," they wrote. "This legislation would harm, potentially disastrously, the communities, families and thousands of fishing jobs in California and Oregon that depend on the health of the Bay-Delta and its salmon runs." </font><br><br><font class="Apple-style-span" face="verdana, arial, sans-serif">Valadao is trying to ram his dangerous drought bill through Congress at a time when Governor Jerry Brown is rushing the construction of the peripheral tunnels under the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP). </font><br><br><font class="Apple-style-span" face="verdana, arial, sans-serif">The construction of the giant twin tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta would hasten the extinction of Central Valley winter-run Chinook salmon, Delta and longfin smelt, green sturgeon and other fish species, as well as imperil the salmon and steelhead populations on the Trinity and Klamath rivers. </font></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); line-height: 16px; "><div style="font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; "><br></span></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana"><i>The Environmental Water Caucus includes the following organizations and Tribes (<a href="http://www.ewccalifornia.org/members/">http://www.ewccalifornia.org/members/</a>): <br>AquAlliance <br>Butte Environmental Council <br>California Coastkeeper Alliance <br>California Save Our Streams Council <br>California Sportfishing Protection Alliance <br>California Striped Bass Association <br></i></font></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); line-height: 16px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana"><i>California Water Impact Network (C-WIN)</i></font></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); line-height: 16px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana"><i>California Water Research Associates</i></font></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); line-height: 16px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana"><i>Center for Biological Diversity<br>Clean Water Action <br>Citizens Water Watch <br>Desal Response Group <br>Environmental Justice Coalition for Water <br>Environmental Protection Information Center</i></font></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); line-height: 16px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana"><i> <br>Environmental Working Group</i></font></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); line-height: 16px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana"><i>Earth Law Center <br>Fish Sniffer Magazine <br>Foothill Conservancy <br>Friends of the River <br>Food & Water Watch <br>Institute for Fisheries Resources <br>The Karuk Tribe <br>Klamath Riverkeeper</i></font></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); line-height: 16px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana"><i>North Coast Environmental Center <br>North Coast Stream Flow Coalition</i></font></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); line-height: 16px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana"><i>Northern California Council, Federation of Fly Fishers <br>Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations <br>Planning & Conservation League <br>Restore the Delta <br>Sacramento River Preservation Trust <br>San Mateo County Democracy for America</i></font></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); line-height: 16px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana"><i>Save the American River Association</i></font></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); line-height: 16px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana"><i>Sierra Club California</i></font></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); line-height: 16px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana"><i> <br>Sierra Nevada Alliance</i></font></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); line-height: 16px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana"><i>Southern California Watershed Alliance <br>The Bay Institute</i></font></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); line-height: 16px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana"><i>Winnemem Wintu Tribe </i></font></span></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><div style="float: left; padding-left: 6px; width: 865px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); "></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: arial, sans-serif; "></span></div></div></body></html>