The House of Representatives today passed a comprehensive water bill, the GROW Act (H.R. 23), that would resolve the perpetual water crisis in the San Joaquin Valley. Introduced by Rep. David Valadao, this legislation is vital for many Valley families and communities that are suffering from the debilitating effects of our water crisis. Although the Valley is still benefitting from our recent big r... Read more »
The recent storms in California have brought some relief to families and farmers suffering from the water crisis. Reservoirs are filling up for the first time in years, while the snowpack in the Sierra Nevadas has increased significantly. And yet, those who are rushing to declare an end to the crisis are acting on little besides hope. The problems that caused the crisis—laws and environmental reg... Read more »
Congressman Devin Nunes (CA-22) released the following statement today after joining the executive committee of Donald Trump’s transition team: “Today I was honored to have been named to the executive committee of President-elect Donald Trump's transition team. In this role, I will advise President-elect Trump on the appointments of his Cabinet members and on appointments to other top positions in... Read more »
I'd like to thank all my constituents who came to my water forum on Wednesday—with nearly a thousand people attending, the event was an extraordinary demonstration of our community's commitment to overcoming our government-made water crisis. As I argued at the forum, our best hope for resolving our 2.5 million acre-foot water shortfall is for our elected officials, ag groups, and water districts ... Read more »
I'd like to offer you a final reminder to register for my water forum taking place in Tulare on August 31. At the event KMJ's Ray Appleton, farmers, water district representatives, and I will discuss the likely consequences of the ongoing water crisis and possible solutions to the problem. It will be held at the Heritage Complex at 4500 S. Laspina St. from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm PST. The event is fr... Read more »
The 2015 Fresno County Crop Report found that Fresno’s crop value declined by $400 million last year. A Fresno Bee article on the report quotes Fresno County Agriculture Commissioner Les Wright as saying simply, “The lack of a reliable water supply continues to fallow productive land.” The story also quotes West side farmer Dan Errotabere: “The water shortage with the fallowing and cost of farmin... Read more »
Capay Valley, a rural area northwest of Sacramento, recently had a big turnout to celebrate its 101st annual Almond Festival. This caught my eye because extreme environmental groups have blamed California farmers in general and almond growers in particular for the state's water crisis. Of course, they rely on grossly distorted statistics to make their case, but that doesn't seem to bother many of... Read more »
As Governor Jerry Brown continues to wring his hands amid the California water crisis, I offer my take on the problem in an extended essay for Investor’s Business Daily. I’m sure the governor’s anguish about global warming and over-population is sincere, but those issues have little connection to the water crisis. The bottom line is this: the crisis is the direct result of a long-term plan by rad... Read more »
This week, the media continued to bemoan the California drought while downplaying how much water we’re losing due to environmental regulations. I took on some of the media spin about the water crisis last week in an article for National Review. Writing for the same magazine, Kevin Williamson has a piece out today debunking the common argument that global warming is to blame for the crisis. Read h... Read more »
The effects of Governor Jerry Brown’s water restrictions continue to reverberate across the state. A lot of the media coverage blames farmers for the crisis without even mentioning the environmental regulations that have been decimating the Central Valley water supply for decades. I offer a corrective to the media’s reporting in a new article here, and I argue my points in a Fox News report here. ... Read more »
