Calif. Democrats decry federal inaction in Congress' first hearing on Salton Sea in 23 years
In a congressional hearing Thursday that starkly illuminated partisan divides, California Democrats called on the federal government to provide greater assistance in remedying environmental and public health crises at the Salton Sea. All but one GOP members were absent, and the one who did attend criticized the organizers for holding the hearing.
Hosted by a water-focused subcommittee of the House Committee on Natural Resources, it was the first hearing Congress has held on the matter in 23 years. It came at the request of Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., and Rep. Juan Vargas, D-Calif., who represent the Coachella and Imperial valleys.
The water level at the Salton Sea has been falling for nearly two decades, exposing thousands of acres of lakebed that are laden with toxic chemicals carried there by agricultural runoff. The concoction can become airborne as wind whips up dust and is believed to be a contributing factor to high rates of asthma and other respiratory illnesses in nearby communities.
While California is in charge of responding to the problem, local officials argued at the hearing that Congress needs to act because the federal government owns much of the land under the lake and once mandated that the body of water be an agricultural sump.
"The federal government has key interests and responsibilities at the Salton Sea," said Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians Chairman Thomas Tortez Jr. About 11,000 of the tribe's 24,000-acre reservation lies submerged under the lake, he said.
Ruiz recently unveiled draft legislation called the Salton Sea Public Health and Environmental Protection Act. If it were to become a bill and pass, it would bring more federal funding to the lake and require the U.S. Department of the Interior to work closely with the state on solutions. State-led dust suppression and habitat restoration projects around the sea are years behind schedule, but Ruiz pointed to movement over the past several years to say that he, the state and others are now pushing harder to mitigate more acreage around the lake.
"We must get the same level of commitment from this administration and its agencies to use their authority to make a difference for my constituents," Ruiz said. "My patience is running thin.”
The committee's Democrats invited Commissioner Brenda Burman of the Bureau of Reclamation — the federal agency that oversees water resources in the West — and Director Aurelia Skipwith of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to attend the virtual meeting. Neither did.
Conner Swanson, a spokesperson for Interior, which oversees both agencies, sent The Desert Sun a statement saying the department was boycotting congressional hearings until they are held in person. He did not explain the rationale for the decision.
Wade Crowfoot, who oversees the California Natural Resources Agency —the lead government body on the Salton Sea issues — said that lawmakers need to acknowledge not only the human health toll but also environmental impacts. California has lost 97% of its wetlands over the past 200 years, he said, making the Salton Sea a vital part of the Pacific Flyway, a massive corridor for migratory birds.
He asked the federal government for funding, streamlined permitting and the use of federal land for projects around the lake. “Without federal funding, congressman, we’re not actually going to be able to materialize these projects in the timeframe that we need,” Crowfoot said in response to a question from Vargas.
Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., the subcommittee's ranking member, joined the call from Capitol Hill to protest that the meeting was being held virtually. The only Republican official to attend, his questions included a mix of false statements about climate change and COVID-19. For example, he questioned whether humans have caused changes to the climate — they have — and whether cloth masks protect against the coronavirus — cotton masks do offer an important degree of protection.
He also blasted the committee for focusing on the public health disaster at the Salton Sea — which he labeled a "colossal environmental mistake” — at the same time that years of poor forest management were contributing to record-shattering wildfires around California. While this subcommittee focuses on water and wildlife, there is a separate subcommittee tasked with discussing forests.
“Sorry that you’re feeling lonely there in your alternate universe where climate change and the pandemic are both hoaxes," subcommittee Chair Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., retorted.
When McClintock did speak about the Salton Sea, he argued that the state took on all the liability for the lake when it signed a 2003 water transfer deal called the Quantification Settlement Agreement, thereby releasing the federal government from any responsibility for long-term solutions.
"There are two ways to address this issue. One is to continue to spend enormous sums of money to maintain a salt lake where nature doesn’t want one. That’s money much better spent on watershed and forest management and water development," McClintock said. "The other is to recognize that there are much higher priorities that should take precedence.”
He questioned E. Joaquin Esquivel, chair of the California State Water Resources Control Board, as to why the federal government should get involved in California's problem. Esquivel said that liability has been batted back and forth for years, but falls, to some degree, to both levels of government.
"In that entire course it’s been the local communities who have suffered from inaction," Esquivel said.
By: Mark Olalde
Source: Palm Springs Desert Sun
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