A bipartisan water bill that includes drought relief for California could be put to a vote in Congress before the end of this week, said House and Senate leaders after agreeing on terms of the $558 million package. California Sen. Barbara Boxer said the bill tramples on the Endangered Species Act in order to divert more water to agriculture at the expense of salmon and the imperiled Delta smelt, said The Associated Press.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, of California, called the bill “an important moment for the state” because it would bring more water to California for farming and other uses. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, of California, said if the water bill is not passed now, “we run the real risk of legislation that opens up the Endangered Species Act in the future, when Congress will again be under Republican control, this time backed by a Trump administration,” reported the AP.
The bill would allow increased diversion of water to the Central Valley Project from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta for up to five years, said Agri-Pulse. Water releases have been limited in order to protect fish in the delta. Feinstein said the bill includes $43 million for salmon and Delta smelt habitat restoration.