WASHINGTON -- San Joaquin Valley lawmakers failed Wednesday in efforts to turn a San Francisco Bay Area water recycling bill toward the Valley's advantage.
Following heated debate and some political gamesmanship, a key House committee blocked Valley representatives from trying to add irrigation delivery provisions to the Bay Area bill.
The unadorned bill comes to the House floor today.
"If we're going to have a bill that affects the Bay Area, we ought to have a bill that helps the rest of the state, too," said Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Visalia.
Nunes and Rep. George Radanovich, R-Mariposa, brought five separate amendments designed to increase irrigation deliveries or, at the least, send a political signal about the Valley's water shortages.
The proposals included suspending the Endangered Species Act and speeding construction of certain water-delivery projects.
The House Rules Committee blocked the proposed water-delivery amendments by a series of largely party-line 6-5 votes. Rep. Dennis Cardoza of Merced was the only Democrat to support bringing the amendments to the floor for a vote of the entire House.
The Rules Committee had previously blocked most other San Joaquin Valley water-delivery proposals, primarily written by Nunes.
Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez, testified that the Bay Area Regional Water Recycling Program Expansion Act was an uncontroversial measure that enjoyed widespread state support and deserved routine approval without being burdened by unrelated Valley water provisions.
The legislation authorizes federal funding for water recycling work in Contra Costa County and the cities of Petaluma, Redwood City and Palo Alto.
On Sept. 30, Miller's bill came up for a vote under rules designed for noncontroversial measures. Led by Nunes, House Republicans blocked it from securing the two-thirds vote necessary.
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