Sen. Seymour Concedes in Water Battle

Sen. John Seymour (R-Calif.) conceded defeat Wednesday in his effort to block passage of landmark changes in the Central Valley Project, setting up a Senate vote and likely approval of the controversial measure today.

Seymour, Gov. Pete Wilson and the state’s powerful agriculture interests, who oppose the water package, are counting on a veto by President Bush. But Seymour admitted that he has no guarantee the President will reject the legislation, which would authorize dozens of reclamation projects for 17 Western states and sweeping changes for California’s massive Central Valley Project.

“The president has got a very difficult decision to make,” Seymour said.

Campaigning Wednesday in Fresno, Vice President Dan Quayle drew cheers from a raucous group of 250 Central Valley ranchers and farmers by promising to help them keep their water rights. He later said in a television broadcast, “My strong impression is the President would not sign the . . . legislation,” referring to the House-approved bill.

The redistribution of water gathered by the federal water project, which supplies about 20% of the state’s developed water, has long been sought by House Interior Chairman George Miller (D-Martinez). His bill is supported by urban, environmental and many business interests in California.

In a face-saving gesture for Seymour, the Senate on Wednesday unanimously passed his proposal to modify operations of the federal project in a fashion more agreeable to farmers. But the Seymour bill has virtually no chance of becoming law because House leaders are unwilling to call members back to the Capitol to consider it.

Seymour, who failed in his efforts to block a Senate vote on the water package, said that he was hopeful but not optimistic that the House would take up his bill.

“I’ve been unsuccessful,” Seymour said on the Senate floor as he began a monologue lasting more than three hours in support of his legislation. “I tried the best I know how to reach accommodation . . . to meet the needs of all Californians.”

The Senate is expected to approve the House-passed omnibus water package today and send it to President Bush for his signature, Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell (D-Me.) said.

Although Interior Secretary Manuel Lujan Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Edward R. Madigan are recommending a presidential veto, Bush will be under heavy pressure from many Western Republicans who want to see their pet projects in the package approved.

Douglas Wheeler, secretary for resources in the Wilson Administration, said the expected passage of the water package “underscores the desirability of California decisions being made in California by people who are knowledgeable about the consequences. It’s clear California interests were sacrificed on the altar of Western water projects for other members.”

The California section of the water package would halt the practice of automatically renewing highly subsidized, long-term contracts for irrigators who receive Central Valley Project water. It also would make restoring endangered fish and wildlife populations a top priority by setting aside 800,000 acre-feet of water to meet environmental needs and establishing a $50-million-a-year fund to finance fish and wildlife restoration activities.

“It’s a fair compromise between all the different interests--waterfowl, urban, fishermen, farmers and business,” said David Behar, executive director of the Bay Institute of San Francisco. “It begins to address problems, finally provides water to wildlife refuges and allows farmers to sell their water willingly on the open market and make a profit. This is a win-win bill unless your position is the status quo of the last 50 years is what we should have for the next 50 years.”

The Seymour bill would set up a $20-million restoration fund and initially provide 226,000 acre-feet to the environment.

The federally owned and operated Central Valley Project consists of 20 dams and more than 500 miles of canals, reservoirs and pumping facilities and irrigates about 3 million acres of farmland.

Proponents of Central Valley Project reform contend that decades of delivering Sierra-fed water from Northern California to the agriculture-rich Central Valley has depleted salmon populations and destroyed wetlands for ducks and other waterfowl.

“If this bill doesn’t pass, you can count on the extinction of several species, not least of which is California fishermen,” said Sen. Bill Bradley (D-N.J.), who argued against Seymour’s bill on the Senate floor.

The House-approved legislation also is supported by urban water agencies such as the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California because it would allow voluntary transfers of project water from farms to cities for the first time.

Opponents argue that the Central Valleo Project changes would cause economic devastation to the agriculture industry and cost thousands of jobs. They cite an Interior Department analysis suggesting that over the last three drought years no Central Valley Project water would have been delivered to farmers under the House-approved bill. Under current law, water deliveries were 25% last year and 50% the year before.

“It will be a very sad day for us tomorrow (Thursday) if the House version of CVP reform is adopted,” said George Tibbitts, director of national affairs for the California Farm Bureau. “It is a bad bill. It’s very hard on agriculture in California and the general economy, frankly. We’re disappointed that the Seymour version of CVP legislation was not adopted by the House.”

Seymour has fought to retain agriculture’s access to cheap and plentiful Central Valley Project water since he was appointed by Wilson in January, 1991.

Just as Wilson succeeded in killing a reform bill in the Senate two years ago, Seymour threatened to do everything in his power to prevent the Senate from passing the bill this year. But on Tuesday, after the House passed the water package, Seymour was unable to continue a filibuster begun by Sen. Alfonse D’Amato (R-N.Y.) when the majority leadership regained control of the floor.

“I was prevented the opportunity to have my own right to speak on the floor,” Seymour said. After it became clear Seymour could only delay for as long as it took clerks to read the entire 396-page bill, he agreed to take up his own substitute bill in exchange for not attempting to filibuster.

Seymour’s efforts to block legislation were criticized by Miller, who said he was playing the role of obstructionist, and by environmental groups who protested at his San Francisco office Wednesday.

“We’re calling on Sen. Seymour to represent Californians instead of his fat-cat contributors in the Central Valley,” said Patricia Schifferle, a representative of Share the Water, a San Francisco-based coalition for federal water reform. “He refused to negotiate and he refused to really engage in this bill. It’s time to quit stalling and let a vote come forward on this bill.”

At an hourlong news conference, Seymour adamantly denied that he was unwilling to negotiate. “For anyone to point a finger at me and say ‘you didn’t try your level best to get a compromise,’ I say you’re a goddamned liar,” he said.

Seymour claimed victory by forcing the Senate to consent to Wednesday’s vote on his Central Valley Project measure. He said he was giving the House another opportunity to “save tens of thousands of jobs” and prevent an “economic disaster” for California.

But House Speaker Thomas S. Foley (D-Wash.) and Majority Leader Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.) said the House recessed Tuesday without any plans to take up further legislative business, according to Sen. Mitchell. On Thursday, the House is expected to simultaneously adjourn for the year, along with the Senate.

Times staff writer Robert L. Jackson contributed to this report from Fresno.