The Press Democrat-PD Editorial: House should reject hasty drought bill

It's a given that recent rains and prospects of a major storm on Wednesday offer hope of relief for California, but they do little to mollify concerns about the state's historic drought conditions.

It's also a given that the Golden State needs federal financial and political help if it is avoid becoming known as the Perennially Brown State. But a Republican-driven bill now being pushed through Congress is not the answer.

The bill, HR 5781, by Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, seeks to accelerate the pumping of Delta water to Central Valley and Southern California. But in doing so it would allow the state to bypass federal environmental regulations, which could put California fisheries and other resources at risk.

One major problem is that the public doesn't have much time to analyze any of this as Central Valley Republicans, supported by Los Angeles water interests, have tried to fast-track the legislation. HR 5781, known as the California Emergency Drought Relief Act of 2014, could come up for a floor vote as early as today.

Backers of the bill claim that it would free up more water for drought-stricken farms and is bipartisan. But that's only if you don't count what Northern California environmentalists, commercial fisherman and congressional Democrats think.

The bill is a last-ditch effort by Republicans to salvage a back-room deal negotiated with Sen. Dianne Feinstein before Feinstein dropped out of talks, pressured by environmental groups, fishing groups and Democrats including Reps. Mike Thompson, D-Santa Rosa, and Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael.

"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," said Zeke Grader of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, John McManus of the Golden Gate Salmon Association and several other leaders in North Coast fishing industry in a letter to Congress.

The bill comes at a particularly vulnerable time for the North Coast fishery. The salmon fishing season was canceled in 2008 and 2009, resulting in a $1.4 billion hit on the state economy and the loss of some 23,000 jobs. Commercial and recreational fishermen note that the closing of the fishery came three years after record water diversions from the Bay Delta.

At a time when salmon populations are showing signs of recovery, this legislation would allow increased diversions while introducing a new standard for how the Endangered Species Act would apply to protecting the Central Valley salmon and Delta smelt.

Supporters and backers differ on how clear these standards are and what the impacts would be, particularly in protecting fish. This is all the more reason that this legislation needs a more thorough public review.

The recently approved state water bond, which was adopted by the state Legislature, endorsed by Gov. Jerry Brown and supported by 67 percent of state voters on Nov. 4 is an example of the kind of real bipartisan effort the state is capable of to address its water needs. This is not it.

The House should dump HR 5781 and pursue a more open and bipartisan relief effort for California's water woes.