Padilla’s Water, Public Lands Conservation Bills Advance to the Full Senate for Vote

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources advanced two bills led by U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) to strengthen California's long-term water supply and support conservation efforts across the state. Padilla's Making Our Communities Resilient through Enhancing Water for Agriculture, Technology, the Environment, and Residences (MORE WATER) Act and Monterey Bay National Heritage Study Act advanced out of committee by voice vote and head to the Senate for a full vote.

"California is on the front lines of drought, extreme weather, and the growing impacts of climate change," said Senator Padilla. "Today's committee vote brings us one step closer to expanding water recycling projects, strengthening our water infrastructure, and protecting some of California's most treasured public lands and its iconic Chinook salmon populations. I look forward to continuing our work to help communities become more resilient while preserving California's natural resources for future generations."

Padilla's MORE WATER Act would address the drinking water deficit impacting Californian communities by reauthorizing expiring Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) programs that support the development of water recycling projects. The bill would also reauthorize a Reclamation environmental restoration program with multiple goals including improving habitat for salmon in the Sacramento Valley.

"As California's water resources are increasingly impacted by climate change, support from our federal partners is essential to ensure our communities have the water supplies they need," said John Bednarski, Assistant General Manager of Water Resources and Technical Services. "Sen. Padilla's bill will help boost water supply reliability by extending Reclamation's water recycling and environmental restoration programs. This is important legislation, and Metropolitan is grateful for Senator Padilla's leadership on these issues."

"The MORE Water Act's investment in multi-benefit salmon recovery projects recognizes what the science has been telling us: the Sacramento River Basin is the backbone of California's water supply, its salmon fisheries, and its Pacific Flyway habitat," said David Guy, President, Northern California Water Association. "By investing in floodplain reactivation, fish passage, and habitat restoration in the Sacramento River Basin, we can recover salmon runs while strengthening water supply reliability for 30 million Californians, and reduce the pressure California is facing on the Colorado River System. The MORE Water Act is a big step forward! Senator Padilla understands that improving water management in the Sacramento River Basin is one of the best investments the federal government can make for the entire Western United States."

"The Sacramento River Basin delivers 35 percent of California's developed water supply and provides rearing habitat for 70 percent of all salmon caught off the California coast," said Roger Cornwell, President, Sacramento River Settlement Contractors. "The MORE Water Act's authorization for salmon recovery projects in the Basin will help reverse the fishery closures and economic losses that have devastated our fishing communities while strengthening the water supply system that serves farms, cities, and ecosystems from the Sacramento Valley to Southern California. Healthy salmon runs and reliable water deliveries go hand in hand, and the MORE Water Act puts significant federal resources behind the partnerships to deliver both."

Additionally, Padilla's Monterey Bay National Heritage Study Act would direct the National Park Service (NPS) to initiate a study to assess whether the coastal communities surrounding the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary qualify as a National Heritage Area.

Today's committee action builds on Padilla's broader efforts to strengthen California's water infrastructure and conserve public lands. Padilla's MORE WATER Act was introduced with the Growing Resilient Operations from Water Savings and Municipal- Agricultural Reciprocally-beneficial Transactions (GROW SMART) Act, which would authorize Reclamation to fund the development of voluntary demonstration projects for innovative agricultural water efficiency measures and agricultural partnerships with municipal, industrial, and commercial entities.

Last year, Padilla reintroduced a public lands package, the Protecting Unique and Beautiful Landscapes by Investing in California (PUBLIC) Lands Act, whichwould protect and restore more than 1.7 million acres of California's public lands throughout northwest California, the Central Coast, and Los Angeles County.

Video of Padilla's remarks is available here.

Transcript of Padilla's remarks is available below:

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I also do want to thank you for including on today's markup my MORE WATER Act and other bills to address drought across the West. The MORE WATER Act is a companion to Senator Cortez Masto and Senator Curtis's Large Scale Water Recycling Reauthorization Act, which the committee previously marked up, and Senator Gallego's Water Security and Drought Resilience Act, which the committee also marked up today. Together, these bills renew Reclamation's programmatic authority to support a range of water recycling and other drought resilience projects, which are essential for combating severely dry conditions that we're finding in the Colorado River Basin and elsewhere throughout the West. Without these bills, Reclamation's programmatic authority to support these projects would expire later this year. The MORE WATER Act and related legislation advance on a bipartisan basis the goal of speeding up federal assistance to our drought-stricken communities and avoiding the cost increases that inevitably result from delays in project approvals. So I greatly appreciate your action on this critical topic.

I also appreciate your inclusion of both my Monterey Bay National Heritage Area Study Act and Senator Schiff's Bay Area Ridge National Scenic Trail Feasibility Study Act. The Monterey Bay National Heritage Area Study Act would assess the feasibility of designating certain land along California's central coast as a national heritage area, Monterey Bay, and I know many of you have visited. It's not just a beautiful area, beautiful region, but has many notable sites with unique cultural, historical, and ecological significance-including Cannery Row, Big Sur, Highway One, Hurst Castle and several John Steinbeck literary sites. The designation would allow for public-private partnerships to empower local conservation efforts, provide technical assistance, and spur economic activity in the region. I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this legislation to recognize the unique cultural, historical, and environmental treasures of the Monterey Bay region. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

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