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Water, Water Everywhere…Except for California’s Farms
Congressman Tom McClintock ^ | January 19, 2011 | Congressman Tom McClintock

Posted on 01/19/2011 6:30:21 PM PST by Congressman Tom McClintock

By Tom McClintock

House Chamber, Washington, D.C. January 19, 2011

M. Speaker:

The Department of Interior issued an announcement yesterday that perfectly illustrates the irrationality of our current approach to water issues.

California’s precipitation this season has gone off the charts. Statewide snow water content is 198 percent of normal; in the all-important Northern Sierra snowpack is 174 percent of normal. This is not only a wet year – it is one of the wettest years on record.

Yet yesterday, we have this announcement from the Department of the Interior: that despite a nearly unprecedented abundance of water, the Bureau of Reclamation will only guarantee delivery of 45 percent of the California Central Valley’s contracted water supply south of the Delta. This is the same percentage they received last year with barely average rainfall.

This is of crucial importance to the entire nation, since the Central Valley of California is one of the largest producers of our nation’s food supply. California produces half of the U.S.-grown fruits, nuts and vegetables on the nation’s grocery shelves and the prices you pay are directly affected by the California harvest.

The deliberate decision by this administration in 2009 and 2010 to divert hundreds of billions of gallons of water away from the Central Valley destroyed a quarter million acres of the most productive farmland in America, it threw tens of thousands of families into unemployment and it affected grocery prices across the country.

At the time, the administration blamed a mild drought, but never explained why a drought justified their decision to pour 200 billion gallons of water (that we did have) directly into the Pacific Ocean. In a rational world a drought means that you are more careful not to waste the water that you have.

The real reason for this irrational policy, of course, is that they were indulging the environmental Left’s pet cause, a three-inch minnow called the Delta Smelt. Diverting precious water to Delta Smelt habitat was considered more important than producing the food that feeds the country and preserving the jobs that produce the food.

But that issue is now moot. This year we have nearly twice the normal water supply at this point in the season, and yet the Department of Interior will allow only 45 percent of normal water deliveries to California Central Valley agriculture south of the Delta.

The difference comes to 1.1 million acre-feet of water. 1.1 million acre feet.

Now consider this: since December 1st, the Central Valley Project has released 1.4 million acre feet more water into the Pacific Ocean than they did just last year.

Let me repeat that. At the same time this Administration is denying California Central Valley agriculture 1.1 million acre feet of their rightfully contracted water in one of the wettest years on record, it is dumping 1.4 million acre feet of additional water into the Pacific Ocean.

M. Speaker, this is insane. Coleridge’s lament “Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink” appears to have become the policy of this administration.

The American people did not invest billions of dollars into federal water projects so that their water can be dumped into the ocean to please environmental extremists.

This policy may have been cheered by the previous Congress, but it won’t be tolerated by the new majority, nor by the American people.

There was a time when the principal objective of our federal water policy was to assure an abundance of water to support a growing population and a flourishing economy. But in recent years, a radical and retrograde ideology has taken root in our public policy, abandoning abandoned abundance as the objective of our water policy and replacing it with the government rationing of government-created shortages.

I cannot imagine a more disturbing example of this ideology at work than the announcement yesterday by the Department of Interior. Even faced with a super-abundance of water, they are determined to create and then to ration water shortages.

The American people expect better and they deserve better. They deserve a government dedicated to restoring jobs, prosperity and abundance – all of which is well within our reach – if we will simply reverse the folly that was on full display with yesterday’s announcement.

Ironically, this announcement came on the same day that the President ordered his agencies to identify regulatory policies that are harming the economy.

M. Speaker, it appears the Department of Interior missed that memo.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Government
KEYWORDS: calwaterworks; farms; interior; tommcclintock; water
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To: Thank You Rush
Are you the real Tom McClintock?

Not impossible but highly unlikely. He's posted 5 articles since he's been here, almost a year and zero replies.

21 posted on 01/19/2011 7:54:25 PM PST by Graybeard58 (Don't tell Obama what comes after a trillion)
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To: Congressman Tom McClintock

Jerry Brown would shoot up 10 points in the polls if he took this issue head on and made the Feds yield on this denial of water to farmers. I doubt Brown will move on this


22 posted on 01/19/2011 7:55:16 PM PST by dennisw (- - - -He who does not economize will have to agonize - - - - - Confucius)
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To: Congressman Tom McClintock

Pure insanity thanks to Global Warming cultists. Get the gummit out of our farms.

Pray for America


23 posted on 01/19/2011 8:10:06 PM PST by bray (Support Palin to make heads explode on both sides,is that Blood Libel?)
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To: the rifleman

See The Green Agenda:

http://www.green-agenda.com/

“We are close to a time when all of humankind
will envision a global agenda that encompasses
a kind of Global Marshall Plan to address the
causes of poverty and suffering and
environmental destruction all over the earth.”
- Al Gore,
Earth in the Balance

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“In Nature organic growth proceeds according
to a Master Plan, a Blueprint. Such a ‘master plan’ is
missing from the process of growth and development of
the world system. Now is the time to draw up a master plan for
sustainable growth and world development based on global
allocation of all resources and a new global economic system.
Ten or twenty years form today it will probably be too late.”
- Club of Rome,
Mankind at the Turning Point

“The concept of national sovereignty has been immutable,
indeed a sacred principle of international relations.
It is a principle which will yield only slowly and reluctantly to
the new imperatives of global environmental cooperation.”
- UN Commission on Global Governance report

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Democracy is not a panacea. It cannot organize everything and
it is unaware of its own limits. These facts must be faced squarely.
Sacrilegious though this may sound, democracy is no longer well
suited for the tasks ahead. The complexity and the technical nature
of many of today’s problems do not always allow elected
representatives to make competent decisions at the right time.”
- Club of Rome,
The First Global Revolution

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“The emerging ‘environmentalization’ of our civilization
and the need for vigorous action in the interest of the entire global
community will inevitably have multiple political consequences.
Perhaps the most important of them will be a gradual change
in the status of the United Nations. Inevitably, it must
assume some aspects of a world government.”
- Mikhail Gorbachev,
State of the World Forum

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I envisage the prinicles of the Earth Charter to
be a new form of the ten commandments.
They lay the foundation for a sustainable
global earth community.”
- Mikhail Gorbachev,
co-author of The Earth Charter

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“In my view, after fifty years of service in the United Nations system,
I perceive the utmost urgency and absolute necessity for proper
Earth government. There is no shadow of a doubt that the present
political and economic systems are no longer appropriate
and will lead to the end of life evolution on this planet.
We must therefore absolutely and urgently look for new ways.”
- Dr Robert Muller,
UN Assistant Secretary General,

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Nations are in effect ceding portions of their sovereignty
to the international community and beginning to create a
new system of international environmental governance
as a means of solving otherwise unmanageable crises.”
- Lester Brown,
WorldWatch Institute

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Adopting a central organizing principle...
means embarking on an all-out effort to use every
policy and program, every law and institution...
to halt the destruction of the environment.”
- Al Gore,
Earth in the Balance

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Effective execution of Agenda 21 will require a profound
reorientation of all human society, unlike anything the world
has ever experienced a major shift in the priorities of both
governments and individuals and an unprecedented
redeployment of human and financial resources. This shift
will demand that a concern for the environmental consequences
of every human action be integrated into individual and
collective decision-making at every level.”
- UN Agenda 21

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“The goal now is a socialist, redistributionist society,
which is nature’s proper steward and society’s only hope.”
- David Brower,
founder of Friends of the Earth

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“If we don’t overthrow capitalism, we don’t have a chance of
saving the world ecologically. I think it is possible to have
an ecologically sound society under socialism.
I don’t think it is possible under capitalism”
- Judi Bari,
principal organiser of Earth First!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Isn’t the only hope for the planet that the
industrialized civilizations collapse?
Isn’t it our responsiblity to bring that about?”
- Maurice Strong,
founder of the UN Environment Programme

“The only hope for the world is to make sure there is not another
United States. We can’t let other countries have the same
number of cars, the amount of industrialization, we have in the US.
We have to stop these Third World countries right where they are.”
- Michael Oppenheimer,
Environmental Defense Fund

“Global Sustainability requires the deliberate quest of poverty,
reduced resource consumption and set levels of mortality control.”
- Professor Maurice King

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“We must make this an insecure and inhospitable place
for capitalists and their projects. We must reclaim the roads and
plowed land, halt dam construction, tear down existing dams,
free shackled rivers and return to wilderness
millions of acres of presently settled land.”
- David Foreman,
co-founder of Earth First!

“Complex technology of any sort is an assault on
human dignity. It would be little short of disastrous for us to
discover a source of clean, cheap, abundant energy,
because of what we might do with it.”
- Amory Lovins, Rocky Mountain Institute

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“The prospect of cheap fusion energy is the
worst thing that could happen to the planet.”
- Jeremy Rifkin,
Greenhouse Crisis Foundation

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Giving society cheap, abundant energy would be the
equivalent of giving an idiot child a machine gun.”
- Prof Paul Ehrlich, Stanford University

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“My three main goals would be to reduce human population to
about 100 million worldwide, destroy the industrial infrastructure
and see wilderness, with it’s full complement of species,
returning throughout the world.”
-Dave Foreman,
co-founder of Earth First!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Current lifestyles and consumption patterns of the
affluent middle class - involving high meat intake,
use of fossil fuels, appliances, air-conditioning,
and suburban housing - are not sustainable.”
- Maurice Strong,
Rio Earth Summit

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Mankind is the most dangerous, destructive,
selfish and unethical animal on the earth.”
- Michael Fox,
vice-president of The Humane Society

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“A total population of 250-300 million people,
a 95% decline from present levels, would be ideal.”
- Ted Turner,
founder of CNN and major UN donor

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“... the resultant ideal sustainable population is hence
more than 500 million but less than one billion.”
- Club of Rome,
Goals for Mankind

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

there is more go to the website. It explains why they support abortion & why they support taking over the food supply — all our leaders corporate, political, art are convinced that the people who support their lavish lifestyles — flying around the world to go to meetings to figure out how to kill off the rest of us so that they & their progeny can go to wild untouched wilderness without any rednecks to interrupt their vacations.

Let the bears eat them & all their younglings.


24 posted on 01/19/2011 8:45:12 PM PST by Bhoy
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To: Congressman Tom McClintock

When the snow melts in the spring, there’ll be plenty of water. In Sacramento, anyway.


25 posted on 01/19/2011 8:53:45 PM PST by Rocky (REPEAL IT!)
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To: Congressman Tom McClintock

There is a concerted effort by corrupt government to destroy existing Ca farmers, so the the ‘Big Boys’, meaning International Corps, can buy them cheap and control the food supply. IMHO
This is not about the environment whackos, it’s about naked corruption and evil goals to dominate the common populous. It’s the same people who have shipped production over seas, mainly to China and India.
You are watching The Planned Destruction of Our Republic taking place before your wide open eyes!


26 posted on 01/19/2011 10:10:16 PM PST by J Edgar
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To: Congressman Tom McClintock

Well, of course, how else can our leaders drive up the cost of food?


27 posted on 01/19/2011 10:17:49 PM PST by Let's Roll (Save the world's best healthcare - DEFUND Obamacare!)
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To: Bhoy
I've read alot of this over the years and have decided that I will not go quietly. I recognize the Turners and Green peace activists, but never thought that the U.S. government was in cahoots with the ideology. Once that's established, it's revolution time for anyone who wants to live or at least see their prodigy live. Let it come before it's to late say I!
28 posted on 01/19/2011 11:05:41 PM PST by the rifleman
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To: the rifleman

It really does matter what your philosophy is.


29 posted on 01/19/2011 11:31:49 PM PST by Bhoy
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To: sionnsar

Hey, sionnsar, kiss my A$$!!!


30 posted on 01/19/2011 11:40:09 PM PST by vette6387 (Enough Already!)
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To: troy McClure

Me too. Easy call.


31 posted on 01/19/2011 11:41:38 PM PST by karnage
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To: Bhoy
My philosophy is all or nothing, there are no sidelines. The Marxists are playing a game of rope the dope until the point of no return. If patriots in the military or government step froward and say enough is enough, I will be with them to the end, even if it escalates to violence. Better now before it's to late than when all is lost no matter what you do.
32 posted on 01/19/2011 11:48:32 PM PST by the rifleman
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