A federal bill that would increase the ability to store water, especially in times of drought, has passed the House.

The bill was introduced by Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Garden Grove. It is called the Water Supply Permitting Coordination Act. The House approved it 233-180.

The congressman, who represents Lake Tahoe, on the House floor said, “It simply says the process needs to be more efficient, and that government agencies should coordinate and corroborate with each other, rather than talking past each other as isolated, and often inscrutable, fiefdoms. Five years of drought in California brought entire cities within months of exhausting their water supplies. The epic drought has now been followed with the wettest year on record, and we have helplessly watched our dams spilling millions of acre ft. to the ocean, because we have no place to store the excess for the next drought.”

The bill now goes to the Senate.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report