Posted by Mike Mckenzie on 6/17/2009, 7:33 pm
76.125.37.58
You Modesto Chapter folks better have a talk with your Congressman MR. Cardoza. He'd rather save Westlands Corporate Ag welfare kings than our striped bass and salmon fisheries..
FYI, this letter was circulated in the House today by Congressmen Cardoza and Costa in support of the Nunes amendment.
VOTE YES on NUNES Amendment!
From: The Honorable Jim Costa
Sent By: jaclyn.murray@mail.house.gov
Date: 6/17/2009
PLEASE VOTE YES ON NUNES AMENDMENT TO CJS APPROPRIATIONS
Dear Colleague:
In light of the distressing biological opinion released on June 4, 2009 by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) we want to take this opportunity to ask for your support of Congressman Nunes’ amendment to the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2010.
As you may know, NMFS’s biological opinion found that the pumping operations of the Central Valley Project jeopardize long-term survival of winter and spring-run Chinook salmon, the green sturgeon, Central Valley steelhead, and Southern Resident killer whales. It calls for substantial reductions amounting to approximately 330,000 acre-feet in Central Valley and State Water Project water exports that are vital to agricultural water users south of the San Joaquin-Sacramento Delta (Delta). The operational impacts on the state and federal water projects are vastly underestimated. Additionally, there are substantial biological assessments that have been performed on the Delta, but NMFS has confirmed that these were not taken into account in the biological opinion.
There are a myriad of factors affecting the decline of fisheries in the Delta. These include tertiary treatment from sewage facilities which cause ammonia to drain into the Delta, unscreened private pump diversions, non-point source pollution from the surrounding urban areas, and invasive species, among other stressors. Meanwhile, the biological opinion focuses on Central Valley Project operations alone. Not surprisingly, these water reallocations have not helped fisheries to improve! The biological opinion is not based on sound, comprehensive science that addresses all these factors. Thus, we believe that it is fatally flawed.
Coupled with past reallocations amounting to over three million acre feet of water and the present reality of a third below-normal rain year, the economic impacts of this biological opinion will be further devastating to our already depressed region. Salmon fishery groups opine that more than $270 million in economic losses and nearly 2,700 jobs have been lost in 2009. Valley agriculture will lose $700 million and 30,000 jobs due to the drought and further limited water supply deliveries. Our Valley cities are facing up to 38% unemployment. We simply cannot give another drop.
Our farmworkers, farmers, and farm communities are looking for hope that someone in Washington cares. We urge you to vote yes on Congressman Nunes’ amendment.
Sincerely
DENNIS CARDOZA
Member of Congress
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