Take Action

Urge your federal representative to oppose HR 1837

This bill introduced by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-San Joaquin Valley) would harm salmon, fishermen, the San Joaquin River, and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The bill has recently recently passed out of committee, and will be heard on the House Floor very soon. The bill would:

  • Overturn the 2009 congressionally-approved settlement to restore the San Joaquin River;
  • Undermine Endangered Species Act protections for salmon and other species in California's Bay-Delta estuary;
  • Prevent other recently approved water protections from taking effect; and
  • Overturn existing California water law in favor of junior federal water contractors in the San Joaquin Valley, and create a "state's rights" issue that can reverberate throughout the country. The piece of the bill generating the broadest opposition would change Westlands Water District's place in line for water, giving them priority over Sacramento Valley and Eastside Central Valley Project water users.
What to do
Send a message urging your representative to vote No on H.R. 1837 include some or all of the issues listed above. To identify and email your congressional representative, click here.

Background:
In 2006, NRDC and farmers reached a settlement to restore the San Joaquin River and its salmon populations, including water supply and flood control projects to provide benefits for farmers. The settlement had bi-partisan support in Congress, and was enacted into law in 2009. Rep. Nunes' bill would overturn this landmark restoration agreement, send the parties back to litigation and eliminate the water supply and flood control projects that farmers and environmentalists alike have agreed to support. In addition, the bill would likely lead to the permanent closure of a recently re-opened salmon fishery, costing the state thousands of jobs and harming fishing communities along California's coast.

H.R. 1837 is opposed by Sen. Feinstein and Sen. Boxer, California's state legislative leaders, the federal government, sport and commercial fishermen, farmers and conservation groups.

Bay Delta Conservation Plan

The goal of the federal-state Bay Delta Conservation Plan is to identify water flow and habitat restoration actions that will recover endangered and sensitive species and their habitats in California's Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. To ensure that the plan will be sufficient to meet these goals, and not just become a mechanism to divert more Northern California water to Southern California cities and agriculture, please write to:

Secretary John Laird
CA Natural Resources Agency
1416 Ninth Street
Sacramento, CA 95814

Urge him to ensure that the Draft Bay Delta Conservation Plan:

  • Provides mechanisms to ensure that the BDCP's Ecosystem restoration goals and objectives are actually met;
  • Incorporates the recent findings of studies conducted by the National Academy of Science and the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) as the best available science regarding the health of the Delta and possible remedies;
  • Develops quantified biological objectives that will produce a healthy Delta ecosystem, and evaluate a scenario based upon the SWRCB's flow criteria;
  • Evaluates measures that would reduce reliance on the Delta (and its tributaries) consistent with State law;
  • Retains Federal and State control over habitat planning, adaptive management, monitoring, scientific studies, staffing and budgeting,instead of delegating these responsibilities to water users;
  • Does not revive the failed approach of the Environmental Water Account which contributed to the decline of the Delta's ecosystem over the past decade; and
  • Addresses financing and plan economics, and focuses on developing a plan that will be cost-effective.