Bill Designed To Provide Drought Relief In CA And Aid To Flint Passes
By Peak Johnson
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have passed a bill that seeks to provide drought relief for California and emergency aid for Flint, MI.
The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) and a continuing resolution will “provide $100 million for lead removal projects in Flint, Michigan through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and another $20 million to EPA to begin issuing loans under the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program,” according to the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies.
Simultaneously, the bill will look to change water use in California as a way to ease drought, although Senator Barbara Boxer threatened to obstruct it.
“Over frayed feelings and filibuster threats, both chambers overwhelmingly passed the bill, which changes how much water is pumped from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to San Joaquin Valley farmers and Southern California,” reported the Los Angeles Times.
WRDA was hotly debated and passed just as the House and Senate reached the deadline for their legislative work in 2016.
The legislation was expected to go through the House of Representatives for approval but is back in the Senate as Democrats and Republicans actively work to reach a consensus on a two-part bill that would hopefully pass both houses and benefit Flint by the year’s end.
The legislation had been expected to go through the House of Representatives for approval earlier but returned to the Senate as Democrats and Republicans worked to reach consensus on a version of the bill that would pass both houses and benefit Flint, a press secretary from Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow’s office told Atlanta Black Star.
“We will continue working to reach a final agreement and will hold Republican leaders accountable to their promise to pass assistance by the end of the year," Stabenow said in a statement.
As Flint dealt (and continues to deal) with its lead crisis, California has faced extended drought. Late last year, the state passed a new set of laws that would, for the first time, require California to account for its groundwater resources and measure how much water is being used.
The House Majority Leader, Kevin McCarthy, and other California Republicans had been working towards diverting more water to the drought-stricken areas in central and southern California, The Hill reported.
While providing resources for Democratic drought priorities like conservation, efficiency, and recycling efforts, McCarthy stated that the drought language placed into the water bill “will bring more water to our communities and supports critical storage projects.”
While Democratic senators expressed worry over the drought language, Senator Dianne Feinstein of California said that she supported the proposal despite reservations.
“This bill isn’t perfect but I do believe it will help California and it has bipartisan support including Republicans and Democrats in the House, and that’s why I’m supporting it,” she said in a statement obtained by The Hill.