Central Valley Water Bill OKd by House Panel

The House Interior Committee on Thursday unanimously approved a long-controversial Central Valley Project water bill that authorizes the restoration of fish and wildlife, but removes an earlier proposal to guarantee 1.5 million acre-feet of water annually for such uses.

The bill would require the secretary of the Interior to double depleted fish populations in the Central Valley within 10 years by ordering, if necessary, the conservation, transfer or reduction of subsidized irrigation water. At the same time, farmers would continue to receive discounted water under new 20-year contracts, although with more restrictive conditions than in the past.

The Central Valley Project, the federal government’s largest water resource project and the single largest water supplier for California, provides farmers each year with more than 6 million acre-feet of low-cost water for irrigation that has been linked to environmental problems.

“This is the most fundamental change in the operation of the CVP since its inception,” said Rep. George Miller (D-Martinez), chairman of the House Interior Committee. “For the CVP, this is the equivalent of amending the Constitution of the United States.”

Many stumbling blocks remain, however, before the bill becomes law. It is headed for the House floor, where the measure is expected to pass before going to a House-Senate conference committee. The Senate recently passed a version introduced by Sen. John Seymour (R-California) that is considered more favorable to the state’s agriculture industry and is opposed by environmentalists.

The Bush Administration, citing concerns about federal interference in the management of California water policy, has threatened a veto of the House bill.

“We’re encouraged that the Congress appears to be moving in the right direction,” said Interior spokesman Steve Goldstein. “Obviously, we would prefer that Congress not tie our hands and not dictate the length and the terms of what contracts should be.”

Four Interior Committee members from California missed the voice vote. They were Rep. Mel Levine (D-Santa Monica), who is running for a U.S. Senate seat, and Reps. John T. Doolittle (R-Rockland), Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley) and Robert J. Lagomarsino (R-Ventura).

The compromise bill was the product of hours of negotiations in recent weeks between Miller and Central Valley lawmakers who feared that the bill would destroy the agriculture industry. The major stumbling block to negotiating a deal was the 1.5 million acre-feet originally set aside for fish and wildlife, sources said.

The measure would provide funds--paid for by a combination of government and private sources--to ensure the restoration of endangered fish and wildlife. It also would allow transfers of water from agricultural to urban areas.

“I think all in all it’s workable,” said Rep. Richard H. Lehman (D-Sanger), who represents farming communities. “It won’t kill the economy in the San Joaquin Valley like previous proposals would have done.”

Representatives of environmental interests expressed nervousness about the bill.

“It’s very much a mixed bag,” said Tom Graff, a lawyer with the Environmental Defense Fund. “We like the fact there is a rhetorical commitment to environmental objectives, but the mechanisms for getting there are weak and that’s of concern.”