House Democrats float new Calif. water bill
By Michael Doyle, McClatchy Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — California water bills continue to fill the Capitol Hill hopper, and now one comes with a new twist.
It’s crowd-sourcing drought solutions, in a long-shot bid to break a congressional stalemate.
On Wednesday, House Democrats from Northern California who have complained about being shut out of drought negotiations took matters into their own hands. They unveiled a sprawling proposal and, in a pointed gesture, opened it for public suggestions before it’s formally introduced.
“This is what a good serious congressional response to the drought looks like,” Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., said in an interview, stressing a need to “do no harm” and to avoid reigniting “the water wars.”