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By Michael Doyle
Sacramento Bee
March 9, 2006
Score one for the San Joaquin Valley freshman.
In a choreographed move, the House on Thursday approved
the first bill written by Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton.
The bill could help local communities boost water supplies.
It also could help McNerney position himself for re-election
next year in cities like Tracy, Ripon and Manteca.
"Everyone recognizes the need for clean water,"
McNerney said. "It doesn't matter where you live or
what your political persuasion is. We all need clean
water."
McNerney's bill, approved on a 368-59 vote, offers up to
$125 million in grants for communities seeking alternative
water sources.
These could include wastewater reuse or water recycling
programs.
"It's vitally important to identify new sources of
water for use in agriculture, industry and for residential
consumption," McNerney said.
A member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee, McNerney is listed as the chief author of the
Healthy Communities Water Supply Act. The legislation,
though, predates his service in the House. Therein lies some
political maneuvering.
McNerney took office in January, after defeating
Republican Rep. Richard Pombo of Tracy. Democratic leaders
know McNerney is likely to face a tough challenge in 2008,
as Republicans hold a 53 percent to 45 percent voter
registration advantage in the San Joaquin County portion of
the district.
Leaders frequently secure good committee assignments and
legislative opportunities for potentially endangered
freshmen. Last year, before McNerney was in office, the
chief author of the water grants bill was Rep. Ellen
Tauscher, D-Antioch. Tauscher, in turn, was building on a
grants program begun in 2000.
Tauscher's bill won committee approval in May 2005, but
then died while the House remained under Republican control.
This year, with Democrats in charge, McNerney was listed as
the bill's chief author and Tauscher took a supporting role.
"As Californians, we know how precious every drop of
water is," Tauscher said.
More broadly, House Democratic leaders brought the bill
to the floor as part of what they termed, in talking points
distributed to Democratic press secretaries, "Clean
Environment Week." Several other, generally
noncontroversial bills also were brought up for votes.
McNerney's legislation authorizes the Environmental
Protection Agency to issue grants to state and local
agencies, private utilities and nonprofit organizations. The
bill itself still needs approval by the Senate.
The legislation, though, does not guarantee funding. The
money would arrive only if Congress takes the next step and
appropriates funds.
Still fearful about the potential cost, Republicans threw
up a roadblock with an amendment requiring any spending to
be offset by other cuts. The amendment had the support of
Republican Reps. George Radanovich of Mariposa and Devin
Nunes of Visalia, and it briefly shed light on the fiscal
balancing act Congress undertakes with legislation. In the
end, the amendment failed by a largely party-line 256-176
vote.
"This is a matter of principle," insisted Rep.
Tom Price, R-Ga. "It's a matter of making a
statement."
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