It's Fish Versus Farmers in the San Joaquin Valley

by Devin Nunes

In 1931, a severe drought began that within a few years engulfed the Oklahoma panhandle and a third of the Great Plains in a "Dust Bowl." Tens of thousands of people fled the region—many traveling to California along Route 66, which John Steinbeck called "the mother road, the road of flight" in "The Grapes of Wrath."

A lot of the "Okies" settled in the San Joaquin Valley. In the decades that followed, state and federal officials built dams and other irrigation projects that helped turn the valley into some of the world's richest farmland.

But today the San Joaquin Valley is being transformed into a dust bowl. Hundreds of thousands of acres are fallow, while almond and plum trees are being left to die in the scorching sun. Tens of thousands of people have been tossed out of work—the town of Mendota alone has an unemployment rate of about 40%—and the lines for food donations stretch down streets. The reason? There isn't enough water to go around this year, and the Obama administration is drawing up new reasons to divert more of it from farms and people and into the San Francisco Bay.

The valley has traditionally been a place where someone with few belongings, little education and even no ability to speak English could prosper by picking grapes, milking cows, or hoeing cotton fields. The hearty people who came here were Portuguese, Mexican, Armenian, Italian, Basque and Dutch, along with westward-traveling Americans and Okies. More recent arrivals are from El Salvador, Vietnam and India. I am the product of a Portuguese family that came decades ago.

California has the largest water storage and transportation system in the world. With 1,200 miles of canals and nearly 50 reservoirs, the system captures enough water to irrigate about four million acres and provide water to 23 million people. In many cases, as with the San Joaquin Valley, water in this system is sold to communities by the federal government.

Some claim that California is facing a three-year-old drought. But, according to the state's Department of Water Resources, California reservoirs have received 80% of their normal amount of water and precipitation in the northern Sierras has been 95% of its yearly average this year. So why isn't there more water for farms? Because theirs is a regulatory-mandated drought. The 1973 Endangered Species Act requires that the government take steps to save endangered species. In California, that's meant diverting vast sums of water into rivers and streams to protect fish. Those diversions this year have forced federal authorities to decide who to serve—fish or farmers.

On Dec. 15, 2008, the Bush administration's Fish and Wildlife Service chose fish, a decision driven by a lawsuit filed in federal court in 2006 by the Natural Resources Defense Council and other environmental groups. To settle the suit, the Fish and Wildlife Service agreed to divert more than 150 billion gallons of water this year away from farmers south of San Francisco in hopes of protecting the Delta smelt—a three-inch bait fish. The water is now flowing underneath the Golden Gate Bridge and out into the Pacific Ocean.

Of course, the Delta smelt isn't a particularly attractive species to protect when it means throwing Americans out of work. On June 4, the National Marine Fisheries Service declared that delivering water to farms in the San Joaquin Valley would harm killer whales in the Pacific. And to save the whales, the Obama administration is now demanding even greater water restrictions beyond what has been diverted for the smelt.

There are 130 animal species in California on the federal endangered list, including five salmon species, five steelhead species, four trout species and the North American green sturgeon. To date, not a single fish within the California water system has been removed from the Endangered Species List over the past 35 years. Despite massive amounts of water diverted to help them, the "protected" smelt, sturgeon and salmon populations have continued to decline. It is hardly unreasonable to ask why farmers should continue to suffer if diverting water hasn't even helped the fish.

Congress has the power to solve this crisis. In 2003, a fish-versus-families debate erupted in New Mexico after water deliveries to Albuquerque from the Rio Grande River were cut off to protect habitat for the silvery minnow—another three-inch bait fish. Congress temporarily suspended portions of the Endangered Species Act and guaranteed that water would be provided to Albuquerque. The situation in California is virtually identical and repeating what was done in New Mexico would do wonders for San Joaquin Valley farmers.

It would also accomplish more than what the administration currently has in mind. Next month Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is planning to hold a hearing on the situation in California, following up on a visit he made to the valley in June.

A spokesman for the Interior Department recently declared that San Joaquin Valley's water problems are a top priority for the Obama administration and that the river that flows through the valley and eventually to the ocean to form the San Joaquin Delta is as precious a natural resource as Florida's Everglades. What is precious and what President Barack Obama should come to see for himself are the 40,000 people in the valley who are desperate for water so they can get back to work.

If it doesn't start flowing any time soon, perhaps he can tell them where they should go. Back to Oklahoma?

Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page A11

“People are awake, watching. They are vigilant.”

"The topics of water and health care dominated a talk by Congressman Devin Nunes this morning in front of Fresno business leaders.

"In the wake of conservatives mobilizing at several town hall meetings across the U.S. to voice displeasure with Pres. Obama and current health care proposals, the Tulare Republican said he is heartened by citizens becoming informed and engaged against what he called 'Obamacare.

"'I’m proud of what’s going on,' Nunes said. 'People are awake, watching. They are vigilant.'

"... Nunes reassured the crowd he will not vote for any health care proposal that includes a public option for coverage. Nunes and other Republican lawmakers have floated alternative proposals, including one that would control costs by allowing people on Medicaid to take those government funds and purchase their own private health insurance plans.

"... He also reiterated his position on the water crisis. Nunes has been one of the most vocal representatives in Congress on relaxing Endangered Species Act rules to allow more water to be pumped to San Joaquin Valley growers."

To read the full article in The Business Journal click here.

Sean Hannity highlights government-imposed water crisis

Tonight, Paul Rodriguez and I participated in a live interview with Sean Hannity on the FOX NEWS CHANNEL. We gathered in Huron with farmers, farm workers, small business leaders and others from throughout the Central Valley. Our message was simple, "turn on the pumps."

Sean's comittment to keeping our crisis in the national spotlight is enormously helpful. It compliments the work of leaders like Paul Rodriguez and Ray Appleton, who have helped increase awareness not only in our region but throughout the United States.

Iraq, Kuwait, the UAE, and Germany

I am currently in the Middle East, visiting Iraq, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with other Members of Congress. This is my fourth visit to Iraq and the region. I wanted to visit Iraq one last time before the drawdown of American troops begins. I was pleased to have a meal with the soldiers from the 1109th Aviation Classification and Repair Depot based out of Fresno.

The situation is greatly improved in Iraq. Baghdad, once strife-torn, is now vibrant. The surge has worked and we owe our military and intelligence community a tremendous debt of gratitude. The surge rooted out the bad guys, many foreign infiltrators, and has left Iraq a much better place than when I first visited in 2005. Iraq still faces the problem of long-term ethnic and religious differences. But the country has the potential to be one of the richest in the Middle East with abundant oil reserves and agricultural resources. I have been impressed with the commitment of many Iraqis to see this happen.

We will finish our trip to the region in the UAE and visit U.S. Navy personnel. Then we will depart for Germany on Friday, where we will visit our military installations in Stuttgart and Ramstein and spend time with some of the wounded soldiers.

Basic Math

Liberal activists and Democratic party faithful continue to blame Republicans for the failure of Congress to pass health care reform. These political operatives apparently failed basic math.

Democrats control the House of Representatives with 256 votes. It only takes 218 votes to pass legislation. Using some simple math, we find the Speaker and the President have 38 votes to spare in their quest for socialized medicine – at least in the House of Representatives.

256 – 218 = 38

Democrats also control the Senate – with a filibuster proof majority. No GOP obstruction possible there either.

So why hasn’t the President been able to get his way? Where are our new government health insurance cards?

The dirty little secret is that the Democrats themselves are scared of Obama care and for good reason.

A man-made drought? "I beg to differ," says Secretary Salazar

by Devin Nunes

Earlier today, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar testified before the House Budget Committee.

You may recall that Secretary Salazar visited Fresno recently to hear your concerns and promised his full cooperation in resolving our water shortages. This hearing provided me an opportunity to follow-up on the Secretary’s promises and to inquire as to whether or not he would be seeking a re-consult on the biological decisions that have kept the Delta pumps from running.

The Secretary refused to answer my question about a re-consult and instead implied that global warming was the reason we are experiencing shortages. He went on to say that there is no “man-made drought” and rebuked me as being unhelpful when describing the problem in this manner.

Of course, the lack of water south of the Delta is the direct result of pumping restrictions imposed by our government – a man-made drought or government-imposed drought is the most descriptive way to describe the crisis.

Click here for a short video of today’s hearing.