FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Jill Strait, Spencer Pederson, Crystal Feldman Monday, March 21, 2011 202-226-9019
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Monday, April 11, 2011 the House Natural Resources Committee’s Subcommittee on Water and Power will hold a field hearing in Fresno, California on “Creating Jobs by Overcoming Man-Made Drought: Time for Congress to Listen and Act.”
The hearing will examine federal government policies that have created and contributed to California’s man-made drought and the actions needed to supply the San Joaquin Valley with water to put thousands back to work, feed the nation and grow the economy.
“Just like my home state of Washington, a large portion of California’s economy is dependent on a steady and reliable water supply. Over the last few years, government bureaucrats have greatly restricted the water supply to the California farms that help feed our country,” said Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04). “It is inexcusable for thousands to be without work and hundreds of thousands of fertile farm acres to sit fallow. This hearing gives us an opportunity to hear directly from Valley growers and farm workers who have been on the brink of losing their livelihoods due to the government’s man-made drought.”