2015 Scorecard Vote
Representative David Valadao (R-CA) sponsored H.R. 2898, the Western Water and American Food Security Act of 2015, which would weaken the protections for fish, birds, and other wildlife in California's Bay-Delta. H.R. 2898 would undermine the Endangered Species Act, jeopardizing populations of salmon and other local fisheries, threaten the habitat of millions of birds by reducing funding sources and undermining the water rights of wildlife refuges, and put at risk thousands of jobs that rely on a healthy Bay-Delta. H.R. 2898 also includes provisions that would have ramifications across other western states, including reducing public input and review of water projects, reducing funding for the Bureau of Reclamation, and limiting states' and the federal government's ability to manage and protect water resources. H.R. 2898 prioritizes the interests of large agribusinesses and uses California’s current low water supplies as an excuse to weaken federal and state environmental laws, when the real driver is the historic drought afflicting the state. On July 16, the House approved H.R. 2898 by a vote of 245-176 (House roll call vote 447). NO IS THE PRO-ENVIRONMENT VOTE. The Senate took no action on this legislation.
pro-environment position