Bipartisan Group of California Congress Members & State Lawmakers Call on Governor Brown to Declare Drought Emergency
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) December 18, 2013 -- More than 50 California lawmakers – including U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, U.S. Congressman and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, and state Republican State leaders Bob Huff and Connie Conway – are calling on Governor Jerry Brown and President Barack Obama to address California’s dire water supply conditions by declaring a state drought emergency, the California Water Alliance announced today.
The requests, made in three separate letters this week, directly respond to an announcement last month by the California Department of Water Resource that it plans to allocate just 5 percent of what farms and cities need for 2014, according to officials from the California Water Alliance, a non-profit organization advocating for policies to resolve the state’s chronic water crisis.
“Such an allocation will result in the continued depletion of local groundwater resources, fallowing of thousands of acres of productive farmland, rising food costs, skyrocketing agriculture and urban water rates, and the elimination of countless jobs in our state,” wrote the signers of the letter.
Excessive environmental mandates placed on California’s water systems and two years of dry conditions have depleted reservoirs and reduced carryover storage to historically low level not seen since 1977.
“We cannot conserve our way out of this problem – a five percent water allocation is clearly untenable and will drive up the price of food, rent, construction projects, and it will take up a larger piece of every paycheck, said Aubrey Bettencourt, Executive Director for the California Water Alliance. “We need immediate action from the state and federal government to ensure Californians get the water they need and deserve. Declaring a state of emergency is the logical first step toward a solution.”
Links to the letters addressed to President Obama and Governor Jerry Brown can be found on the California Water Alliance web site:
Sen. Feinstein & Rep. Costa Letter:
http://www.californiawateralliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2013-12-09-LTR.DF-and-Costa-to-Gov-Brown-re-Drought-Declaration.pdf
State Bi-partisan Letter:
http://www.californiawateralliance.org/wp-content/uploads/131211_drought_letter.pdf
California Delegation Letter:
http://www.californiawateralliance.org/wp-content/uploads/CA-Delegation-Letter-FINAL.pdf
###
About the California Water Alliance: The California Water Alliance is a non-profit, non-partisan organization comprised of 4,000 members statewide that is dedicated to achieving both short term relief and a long term solution to the water emergency afflicting California. To this end, California Water Alliance supports the development of a water infrastructure bond that is comprehensive, and takes into account the needs of all Californians. To learn more, please visit http://www.californiawateralliance.org
Stevan Allen, +1 916-718-2999, [email protected]
Share this article