Five Witnesses with Family Farm Alliance Ties to Testify Tomorrow at House Field Hearing

House Republicans to Visit Fresno to Discuss Water Storage Challenges, Impact on Local Communities

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 10, 2023
CONTACT: Dan Keppen (541) 892-6244

FRESNO, CALIF. – On Tuesday, April 11, 2023, House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Chairman Cliff Bentz (R-Ore.) and U.S. Reps. David Valadao (R-Calif.) and John Duarte (R-Calif.) are hosting members for a field hearing and site visits to examine California’s continued water storage issues and their impact on local communities.

California GOP Congressmen Doug LaMalfa and Tom McClintock are also expected to attend. Additional Congressional Member attendees are possible.

Members will tour Friant Dam and a local dairy farm that has been damaged from recent floods beginning at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time. The field hearing will take place at the World Ag Expo (4500 S. Laspina St.) in Tulare and is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. This legislative hearing will focus on two pieces of legislation: H.R. 215 “WATER for California Act” and H.R. 872 “FISH Act”, two bills supported by the Family Farm Alliance.

H.R. 215 (Valadao) focuses on the need for more storage and further helps bring about water supply certainty by codifying federal water operations plans that were built on sound science.

H.R. 872 (Calvert) streamlines and improve the federal regulatory process related to endangered fish protections. The Family Farm Alliance has long supported earlier versions of this legislation, and previously testified on a related bill in the 116^th Congress.

Five of the witnesses testifying at tomorrow’s hearing, have ties to the Family Farm Alliance:

• Mr. William Bourdeau (Director, Westlands Water District, Fresno, California) serves on the board of directors for the Family Farm Alliance;
• Mr. Aaron Fukuda (General Manager, Tulare Irrigation District, Tulare, California) is a former Family Farm Alliance “Farmer Lobbyist”;
• Mr. Jason Phillips (Chief Executive Officer, Friant Water Authority, Lindsay, California) and Mr. Jeff Sutton (General Manager, Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority, Willows, California) are long-time members of the Alliance Advisory Committee;
• Mr. Chris White (Executive Director, San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority, Los Banos, California) has been a long-time supporting member of the Alliance.