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statement of 



Daniel P. Beard 



Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation 



Department of the Interior 



on H.R. 1906 

 Central Valley Project Reform Act of 1995 



before the 



House Subcommittee on Water and Power Resources 



July 20, 1995 



Thank you for the opportunity to present the 

 Administration's views on H.R. 1906, the Central Valley Project 

 Reform Act of 1995. 



As I will explain in my testimony, the Administration 

 believes the bill is premature at this time. Less than three 

 years ago, the Congress passed by overwhelming margins, and 

 President George Bush signed, the Central Valley Project 

 Improvement Act (Title. XXXIV of P.L. 102-575). The CVPIA is a 

 good law, balancing the needs of Central Valley Project customers 

 including agricultural interests, power users, conservationists 

 and urban areas as well as recognizing the trust responsibility 

 to Native Americans'. The law acknowledged that all these sectors 

 have a legitimate interest in the Central Valley Project. 



Supported by a broad coalition of urban, business, 

 industrial, environmental and editorial organizations, the CVPIA 

 was the culmination of a 15 year battle to insure the Central 

 Valley Project was operated in a manner more consistent with 

 California's current diverse needs. 



We believe that implementation of Title XXXIV continues to 

 progress signi-f icantly . Throughout our efforts to implement the 

 CVPIA, we have met frequently with our stakeholders. About one 

 year ago, we held a series of public meetings where we solicited 

 comment on the need for creating an advisory committee for 

 implementation. Based on the feedback we received, we determined 

 there was not widespread support for an advisory committee. We 

 agreed, however, that the key to our success would be to 

 establish a good, workable process that gives all stakeholders 

 and the public the opportunity to impact significant decisions. 

 We have continued to reach out to all stakeholders and the 

 public. 



We agree with the view of many water users that it is 

 premature to amend the CVPIA. We recognize, however, that not 

 all water users are happy with the law. In response, we have 

 begun to take steps to administratively correct some of the 

 problems water users have expressed. 



