Imagine my suprise this morning to find that out. Yesterday, Senator DeMint introduced an amendment to an Interior Department funding bill that would have banned federal money being used to restrict exports from the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta. article on aquafornia
It's so nice to know that he cares so much about Californians that he wants to legislate for us now!
Needless to say, I was infuriated. The bill was defeated by a 61-36 vote. Why would he do this you may ask? Follow me below the fold for a light scratch on the surface of our water woes out here.
The Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta is on the verge of collapse. Commercial Salmon fishing is banned for the second year in a row. Populations of native fish and Striped Bass are also crashing. The Delta also supplies drinking water to 23 million Californians. Simply put, what we have here is one big mess that has been decades in the making. The SWP(State Water Project)and CVP (Central Valley Project(feds))pump water from the north to the south. A lot of people will say that all the water goes to LA so that "they" can fill pools and have golf courses in the desert. Somewhat true, but of the majority of the water moved, 80% is used by southern San Joaquin valley agriculture. We're not talking family farms, it's MAJOR corporate agri-businesses and Kern County Water Bank, whose majority owner is Stewart Resnick. follow the money!
We have a system of senior and junior water right holders. If you are a junior water rights holder, you only get SURPLUS water. If there is no surplus water, you don't get any. Junior water rights holders for agriculture should only be planting drought tolerant crops given that they are in dry land. However, the biggest water users in the state, the agri-businesses in the southern San Joaquin valley (junior water rights) have planted perennial crops and are demanding more water. While they are sequestering water they haven't used for future use or resale! Hoarding Water In A Drought We are now in the third year of drought so water deliveries have been cut.
The latest Federal Biological Opinion (issued December 2008)requires that water be set aside to protect endangered species. This has made our Governor and the southern San Joaquin valley water contractors angry.
How angry? If you drive through the San Joaquin valley you will see signs posted saying that it is a Congress Created Dustbowl. So angry that they've enlisted Fox News' Sean Hannity and the Teabaggers to protest against the "two inch fish". YubaNet Coverage Here - Link to YouTube
So angry they've paid farmworkers to march and demand "Turn On The Pumps". CSPA story here The southern San Joaquin valley water contractors claim that the SJ valley's horrid unemployment is the direct result of not getting water that instead is going to save a "two inch fish". The truth is the real culprit is the collapse of the construction industry. San Joaquin Valley Unemployment in 2009: Fish or Foreclosure?
And Westlands Water District is apparently now trying to get their way by using a Senator from South Carolina to attempt to thwart the Biological Opinion.
So I called Jim DeMint's office in Washington today (202-224-6121). Informed the staffer that I wanted to comment on his legislation yesterday. He then asked me if I was from California or South Carolina. I told him that I'm in California and I didn't realize that I was a constituent. I further added that I think that Mr. DeMint needs to keep his nose out of a California issue and that although I am not a wealthy woman that I would be contributing to his Democratic challenger in the next election. He said that he would pass the message on. So if any of you California Kossacks are as mad as I am, please contact Senator DeMint. .Contact DeMint I checked the ActBlue page - there is no challenger yet.
As I stated - this is just a scratch on the surface about the water problems that California faces. We've got Arnold pushing another Peripherial Canal Bay Delta Conservation Plan Link which is to conservation as a pride of lions is to a herd of gazelles. We've got rich SJ Valley landowners trying to influence our "real" Senator Dianne Feinstein to overturn the Biological Opinion and gut the Endangered Species Act. NYT Link
We have very real issues we need to work through and a carpetbagger like Jim DeMint isn't helping anything!
Disclaimer: My husband and I own a pipsqueak recreational business in the California Delta so we've been following these issues closely. We like fish. This is my first diary so I hope I haven't broken too many rules. Thanks for reading