While a Californian will not be in the White House next week, the state has been on the minds of lawmakers in Congress. During confirmation hearings for new administration appointees on Thursday, several senators raised the specter of the Los Angeles fires.
President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to withhold disaster aid if California does not free more water for farms and cities. That prompted Sen. Alex Padilla to ask Doug Burgum, who is up for Interior secretary, if aid for LA should “come with conditions.” Burgum deflected, saying each situation is different but agreed to supply all the necessary resources for such fires and recognized the LA fires will likely be the country’s most expensive urban wildfire disaster.
Sen. Adam Schiff posed the same question to Lee Zeldin in a separate hearing for his EPA administrator appointment. Zeldin said he would do everything in his power to assist.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., meanwhile, called the scene in LA apocalyptic during Zeldin’s hearing. He blamed the fossil fuel industry for exacerbating the fires through climate change and for California’s severe property insurance crisis.
On that note: The Department of Water Resources has stepped into Trump’s water fight with California. DWR has issued a fact sheet showing the Biden administration’s new biological opinions for Delta pumping operations are preserving more water this week than would have happened under Trump-era rules.
Water districts are backing the claims. According to the State Water Contractors, the state and federal endangered species plans are using the best science to protect both the supply and the fish. Small cuts now avoid big cuts later, the trade group reasons. The interim general manager for LA’s massive water district said the biological opinions “strike a critical balance” through adaptive management based on real-time conditions.
But: The Water Blueprint for the San Joaquin Valley, an infrastructure-focused coalition, warned that limiting pumping will nevertheless lead to devastating consequences for farms, food security and jobs.
Central Valley lawmakers introduce bills for groundwater recharge
San Joaquin Valley representatives on Thursday introduced two groundwater bills to reduce funding barriers and expand support for recharge projects.
The bills would use federal infrastructure funding for underground storage, clean drinking water and flood protection.
The lawmakers emphasized how necessary drought resilience will be in the valley. Friant Water Authority and the Water Blueprint support the legislation.
Vilsack: ‘I gave it my all’
After serving 12 of the last 16 years as agriculture secretary, Tom Vilsack will end his tenure leading USDA at the change of administration Monday.
In an exit interview for Agri-Pulse Newsmakers, he talked with our Lydia Johnson about how his vision for USDA has changed since he first took office in 2009. Vilsack also discussed his ongoing concerns for ag, and he offered some advice for his successor.
“I walk out of this place knowing that I gave it my all. I walk out of this place knowing that we made a difference. I think things are better than they were when I came in, in many, many, many respects,” Vilsack said. “That’s all you can ask for.”
Watch the Newsmakers episode released today at Agri-Pulse.com.
Take note: President-elect Donald Trump named four USDA undersecretaries on Monday, including former Farm Service Agency Administrator Richard Fordyce as undersecretary for farm production and conservation, Dudley Hoskins to lead marketing and regulatory programs, and Luke Lindberg as trade undersecretary. Catch up on the nominees at Agri-Pulse.com.
It’s easy to be “in the know” about what’s happening in Washington, D.C. Sign up for a FREE month of Agri-Pulse news! Simply click here
Burgum commits to Colo. River collaboration
At Interior Secretary-designate Doug Burgum's confirmation hearing Thursday, the former North Dakota governor pledged to ensure use of federal lands would be balanced among multiple uses and promised to work toward consensus on Colorado River water reductions.
Burgum said he sees federal lands as "America's balance sheet" and that they need to be open for grazing, mining and recreation. He wasn’t directly asked whether he would undo a recent BLM rule to allow conservation leases, but his comment came after North Dakota Republican John Hoeven expressed frustration with the rule.
When asked by Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., if he would work to craft a post-2026 water reduction framework for the Colorado River that was "not overly burdensome to any one state," Burgum said, "I think you can count on that we're going to look for a collaborative solution that serves everyone."
Zeldin appearance draws praise from Republicans
Lee Zeldin, nominated to be EPA administrator, was careful not to promise much beyond compliance with the agency’s “obligations under the law” and cooperation with Congress at his confirmation hearing Thursday.
Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman of Arkansas, also a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, asked Zeldin how he would get EPA and USDA to work together “to create a predictable, science-based and efficient regulatory system to ensure the timely availability of products and tools farmers and ranchers depend on.”
“I agree with everything that you just said, senator, that must be our goal,” Zeldin said. “That should be the relationship between all agencies, including the interaction between the EPA and the USDA.”
After the first round of questioning, Boozman said he was encouraged by Zeldin’s support of the biofuel industry. Zeldin was a critic of biofuel policy while he was in Congress.
“I think he’s very open-minded about it and I think it’s really positive in the sense that he’s somebody that we will have direct access to that is willing to sit down and talk,” Boozman said. “That’s always very helpful.”
Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., said Zeldin appears cooperative and collaborative and has a history of working toward a clean environment. “He seems like someone who’s going to work hard to make sure that we find common ground where it can be found,” Moran said.
Read our full report at Agri-Pulse.com.
Final word:
“I’ve got friends on both sides of this issue, and I stand with my friends.” — Sen. Adam Schiff, taking the safe route in his first hearing in the Senate, after his colleagues in West Virginia, Colorado and Alaska competed over the best mountains.
