Why Rep. Vince Fong believes Trump’s action on water is right for California

Originally published in The Fresno Bee

California’s water policies are getting needed national attention. Now more than ever, ensuring Californians have reliable, stable, and abundant supplies demands urgent and bold action. For too long, radical environmental agendas have taken precedence over the needs of the people of California. The Central Valley and Southern California have persevered through constant uncertainty of reduced water supplies due to bureaucratic decisions, and it is time to prioritize people over politics. Many want to ignore the fact that water deliveries are down, needed infrastructure projects remain trapped in red tape, and California’s water future continues to be focused on more restrictions instead of creating more abundance. The State Water Project, which sends water from Northern California, accounts for 30% of Southern California’s water supply. The amount of water delivered has gone down because of regulations costing the region billions of gallons of water each time. The same uncertainty that affects the Central Valley’s water supplies also impacts Los Angeles. President Trump’s decisive actions, taken on day one of his new term, demonstrates his commitment to Californians and our water supply, putting political differences aside to deliver practical, commonsense solutions. His leadership in California water shows that he recognizes the poor policy decisions that have led to the most agriculturally productive region in the nation suffering from limited water availability, causing agricultural land to be fallowed and straining California’s aging water conveyance infrastructure. What it also shows is that finally --,after almost 30 years of deliberate decisions, piled on top of regulations, smothered with an onslaught of litigation that has brought the two major water delivery systems in California to their knees -- there is now a national spotlight to the error of California’s decisions and a path toward common sense and balanced water policies.

California’s water policies have long been shaped by over-regulation and placing environmental protections on a pedestal, often at the detriment of agricultural producers and municipalities. The years-long quest to save the Delta smelt serves as the overly politicized poster child for these misguided priorities. State regulations prioritize saving this tiny fish at the expense of expanding the water resources for a state prone to droughts, even when species recovery efforts have failed time and time again. These policies result in massive amounts of water funneled into the Pacific Ocean rather than being redirected to where it is most needed – to our homes, businesses, cities, and farmers.

The consequences are severe: entire communities in the Central Valley are sinking due to subsidence and our farmers are forced to ration the dismal water resources they do receive, threatening agricultural productivity in a region that grows nearly a quarter of the nation’s fresh fruit and nut supply. Meanwhile, families in Southern California’s urban areas are burdened by rising water costs and increasing regulations to conserve water. It is clear that the current system is failing to meet our citizens’ needs, and that bold policy changes are necessary. Moving more water for cities and counties is common sense. We do this by coordinating the state and federal water systems to maximize water supplies, upgrading aging water infrastructure and storing this water in needed water storage facilities. President Trump’s recent executive order represents a pivotal shift in how California will address its ongoing water challenges. This reform calls for federal agencies to prioritize people over fish by redirecting water from the water-abundant Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to drought-stricken areas in Central and Southern California. The truth is that these actions strike a much-needed balance between conservation and practicality and have bipartisan support.

The president’s actions will maximize water availability while addressing immediate environmental challenges, such as expanding supplies for drinking water and wildfire prevention. These actions are designed to meet the state’s pressing needs today while also preparing for the future, ensuring long-term water security as California’s population grows and its drought cycles intensify. President Trump’s leadership on this issue isn’t just a response to the current crisis; it is a forward-looking plan that seeks to secure California’s future. By maximizing water deliveries to where it is needed most, the president is ensuring a stable water supply for generations to come, supporting cities and counties with more water for every day needs and for the farmers and the millions around the world who eat California-grown produce. His day-one action demonstrates that he is not waiting to secure the nation’s growing region – he is acting immediately to deliver the resources our state desperately needs.

The last time President Trump took action on water, Gov. Newsom refused to partner. I welcome the discussion and debate on how to move and store more water for Californians now and into the future. If Gov. Newsom wants to maintain the status quo, the result will be continued water supply reductions. There is a better path that creates water abundance.

Having the President of the United States actively engaged in California’s water policy is critical to our efforts to modernize and improve California’s water storage and conveyance system. Recent actions created additional capacity through recharge for upcoming storms and with the additional pumps operating at the Jones Pumping Plant, we are seeing additional action to move water throughout California. Keeping the pumps operational at Jones Pumping Plant now and moving forward and building more water infrastructure continues to be my high priority to get more water to our Central Valley farmers and communities. I urge my colleagues to join us in setting aside partisan divides and work toward real solutions for our water crisis. Let’s take this moment to embrace the possibility of putting the well-being of our communities above political agendas. California’s well-being and future depends on it.