NCC Conveys Support for House California Drought Legislation
A letter to House Majority Leader McCarthy (R-CA) on behalf of the NCC and its grower, gin, warehouse and merchandizing members based in California thanked him for co-sponsoring the California Emergency Drought Relief Act of 2014 (H.R. 5781) that was introduced the week of Dec. 1 and for his ongoing efforts to address that critical situation. The NCC said it strongly supports the bill, which is to be considered by the House the week of Dec. 8.
December 4, 2014
The Honorable Kevin McCarthy
Majority Leader
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Leader McCarthy:
On behalf of the National Cotton Council and our grower, gin, warehouse and merchandizing members based in California we are writing to thank you for cosponsoring the California Emergency Drought Relief Act of 2014 (H.R. 5781) introduced this week.
While H.R. 5781 will not provide a long-term solution to the lingering drought and water shortage issues in California, the provisions of the bill will help provide at least a temporary solution by providing operational flexibility to the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project, both of which provide water to the San Joaquin Valley.December and January are usually the wettest months in California and both of these projects need the ability to capture water now to be made available for the 2015 crop year.
The California cotton industry needs this bill to be approved before the end of this year to help improve the opportunity to have some water allocations made to the San Joaquin Valley for the upcoming growing season. In California alone, the 2013 cotton crop was valued at over $620 million and the cotton industry in the state employs nearly 20,000 people and has a total business revenue over $2 billion.In 2014, due to water shortages, cotton acreage was reduced by 50,000 acres and in the last decade several hundred thousand acres of productive farmland have been fallowed due to lack of water availability.
Thank you for your ongoing efforts to address this critical situation and we strongly support H.R. 5781 when the House considers the bill next week. If you have any questions or need any further information or we can be of assistance in any way, please contact me at any time.
Sincerely,
Reece Langley
Vice President, Washington Operations