It looks like the change in congressional leadership the election brought may push this restoration plan, crafted ever so carefully over some time, into next year, and the new house resource committee leadership, whose focus is more on the east coast and coal mines rather than the San Joaquin Valley and salmon, may not be as dedicated to it.
San Joaquin revival bill hits a snag
By Michael Doyle - Bee Washington Bureau Published 12:00 am PST Monday, November 20, 2006
WASHINGTON-Time is rapidly running out for Congress to pass a San Joaquin River restoration plan that meets a court- endorsed deadline.
The Dec. 31 deadline was always a stretch. The consequences of missing it remain unclear. But with lawmakers now gone from Capitol Hill until December, prospects are certainly evaporating quickly for a bill that hasn't even been introduced.
"I don't think it's possible this year," Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., acknowledged.
Instead, Feinstein is waiting on some unresolved questions. They include how farmers served by Friant Dam will cope with reduced irrigation deliveries, and how California will fund its share of the ambitious river restoration.
"I anticipate introducing legislation next year," Feinstein said.
Another longtime player in California water politics, Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, agreed that "it would be very doubtful at this point" whether Congress can finish the San Joaquin River legislation in December.
And this is where pressing political questions arise.
"We can't afford to wait until next year," said Rep. George Radanovich, R-Mariposa.
Radanovich and Feinstein are allies in the San Joaquin River fight.
Together, they leaned on farmers and environmentalists to settle differences over restoring the river. Together, they celebrated in October when the warring sides filed in federal court in Sacramento the documents formally ending the 18-year lawsuit.
Restoring chinook salmon to the river below Friant Dam will require water, work and somewhere between $250 million and $800 million. That requires legislation. In an aggressive touch, the negotiators drafted legislative language and declared that if it or something "substantially similar" were not signed into law by Dec. 31, either side could void the carefully crafted agreement.
Having survived so many harrowing negotiations, neither farmers nor environmentalists would likely rush to push the eject button. The timing, though, also has a political dimension.
"If this slips into next year, I would say the chances of it actually happening are pretty slim," warned Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Tracy.
Pombo will chair the House Resources Committee until the 109th Congress adjourns. With his close Valley ties and a history of negotiating well with Feinstein, he is better positioned than most lawmakers to champion the river legislation. His probable successor as committee chairman, West Virginia Democrat Nick Rahall, is inherently more interested in issues such as coal mining.
