Thursday July 23, 2026
National Fisherman —
A bipartisan bill that would provide an additional $500 million for the San Joaquin River Restoration Program moved one step closer to becoming law after advancing out of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on July 16.
The legislation, introduced by Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and co-sponsored by Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., would raise the federal funding cap for the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act while also increasing authorized funding for improvements to the Friant Division canal system.
According to Padilla’s office, the bill is intended to support the long-term restoration of Chinook salmon to the San Joaquin River while helping reduce or avoid water supply impacts for agricultural users served by the Friant Division of California’s Central Valley Project.
“As droughts, floods, rising project costs, and funding delays continue to threaten watersheds across our state, Congress has a responsibility to restore salmon and improve recreational access to free-flowing rivers in areas like the San Joaquin Valley,” Padilla said in a statement. “I am proud to see my bill to authorize additional funding to support ecological restoration of the San Joaquin River advance.”