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December 10, 2016

Western Growers’ Statement on Senate Passage of Water Bill

After the Senate passed the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act by a vote of 78 to 21, Western Growers President & CEO Tom Nassif released the following statement:

“For the past several years, Californians have looked to Congress to help bring relief to drought-stricken communities up and down the state. We are thankful to Senator Feinstein and Senators from across the country who have remained diligent – in spite of intense political pressures – in their efforts to produce bipartisan legislation that provides temporary improvements to the operations of the Delta pumping plants while maintaining the integrity of the Endangered Species Act, as well as laying the foundation for long-term investments in the state.

“With passage of WIIN today, we commend the Senate for taking this important first step toward restoring the communities and livelihoods that have been devastated by a combination of Mother Nature and broken policies governing California’s water system.

“The focus now shifts to the White House. As President Obama considers the merits of WIIN, we point to the overwhelming support demonstrated by the House vote, including California representatives on both sides of the aisle and in all geographic regions, including the Delta. We urge the President to quickly sign this bill into law as too much time and water has already been wasted. Any further delay will only sentence Californians to another year of hardship if the runoff from upcoming winter rains cannot be judiciously diverted to storage.”