Fw: Radanovich: Valley Agriculture Needs Water, Not Committees andStudies

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From: "Pederson, Spencer"
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:25:32 -0500
To: Pederson, Spencer<Spencer.Pederson@mail.house.gov>
Subject: Radanovich: Valley Agriculture Needs Water, Not Committees and Studies

       
For Immediate Release

Contact: Spencer Pederson

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Phone: 202-225-4540

Radanovich: Valley Agriculture Needs Water, Not Committees and Studies

Washington DC – Congressman George Radanovich (R-Mariposa) today released the following statement after participating in the Department of Interior's California water forum.

"Without a doubt, the long term solutions to solve California's water problems are a heavy lift and I appreciate Secretary Salazar and Senator Feinstein's commitment to the issue.  However, what is needed right now is an immediate, short term solution for San Joaquin Valley agriculture.  Unfortunately, we are no closer to short term solutions than we were a year ago.

"It's time to get our priorities straight and put people before fish.  If the Department of Interior thinks government committees and lengthy studies are necessary, let's focus on those efforts after we take care of our farmer's economic future.

 "In order to move California's water supply, storage and infrastructure forward, the three major stakeholders—agriculture, urban and environmental—need to be moving together, equally gaining and sacrificing.  Today, that is not the case—environmental and urban water users dominate the landscape, receiving 90 percent of their priorities, leaving California agriculture on the short end of the stick.

"Valley agriculture needs to see immediate results, particularly when it comes to the interim projects like Two Gates and the Canal Intertie that provide a bridge to long term water solutions to for California.

 "While I applaud the efforts to achieve a guaranteed long term water supply for all California, the short term effort to produce an interim solution for agriculture gets an 'F'."

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Spencer Pederson

Press Secretary

Legislative Assistant

U.S. House of Representatives

Congressman George Radanovich

p. 202/225.4540

f. 202/225.3402