Wednesday April 12, 2023
Merced Sun-Star —
Republican Congressional representatives from across California and the U.S. made their way to Fresno and Tulare counties Tuesday for a hearing on a pair of water bills, including one introduced earlier this year by Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford.
Valadao’s bill, House Resolution 215, is dubbed the Working to Advance Tangible and Effective Reforms (WATER) for California Act and has the backing of all of California’s Republican congressmen. The legislation is aimed at providing increased water storage in California reservoirs as well as order large-scale federal and state river and canal systems to operate under relaxed environmental rules established under the Trump administration.
Representatives in the Valley on Tuesday include Bruce Westerman of Arkansas, chair of the House Natural Resources Committee; Water, Wildlife & Fisheries subcommittee chairman Cliff Bentz of Oregon; Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona, and California GOP representatives John Duarte of Modesto, Doug LaMalfa of Oroville and Tom McClintock of Elk Grove.