California water politics complicate House panel’s oversight
Roll Call, Washington D.C. 2/16/19
Natural Resources chairman wants to investigate Interior secretary’s role in water allocation report that benefited a committee member’s district
“Grijalva and Huffman want to know if Bernhardt was involved in changing the report’s findings. If the committee finds evidence of undue meddling in the science, that could result in future decision-making over California water supply getting overturned in federal court. Grijalva may need to issue subpoenas to complete that investigation.”
Costa, Cox in pickle as House panel wants to probe Valley water boost
San Joaquin Valley Sun 2/17/19
Prepping a probe to see if U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt influenced a plan to deliver far more water to the San Joaquin Valley, House Democrats have placed Reps. Jim Costa (D–Fresno) and TJ Cox (D–Fresno) in a pickle.
House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl Grijalva (D–Ariz.) is pushing to have his committee grant him wide-ranging subpoena authority to probe the Interior Department. Among the investigations Grijalva wants to delve into is whether Bernhardt, who once represented Fresno-based Westlands Water District, unduly influenced the release of biological opinions governing the operation of the Central Valley Project.