Today, the Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries held an oversight hearing on the necessity of multiple uses of American water resources. Subcommittee Chairman Cliff Bentz (R-Ore.) issued the following statement in response:

“It was an honor to gavel in and chair, for the first time, the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries. Today’s hearing focused on water and oceans as essential elements of all aspects of life, and the serious damage the Biden Administration’s agencies, in dealing with matters concerning water, are causing to economies, the environment, and rural America. The hearing called out, among other issues, the Administration’s failure to identify and address barriers to water storage, its taking of vast amounts of water away from farmers without measurable benefit to fish, the selection of politically correct rather than biologically appropriate science, and the failure to incorporate peer reviewed private data regarding fish populations into agency analysis. As this Subcommittee and the 118^th Congress progresses, we will remain focused on improving our use of diminishing water resources, protecting our fishermen and the fisheries that sustain them, and balancing protection of species while protecting communities.”

Background

Water resource management is a critical part of our nation's environment and economy, and communities from coast to coast benefit from a well-functioning infrastructure. Access to water resources benefits fish, wildlife and coastal economies, not to mention the many crops and livestock supported by these resources. Historically, various conflicts have jeopardized long-standing water resources, and the Biden administration's policies pose further threats to many local communities and ways of life. Today's hearing explored existing issues and focused on solutions for the future.