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Recent storms in California brought much-needed relief for firefighters, but even with record-breaking rainfall, extreme drought conditions still remain.
That has two Central Valley congressmen renewing the call for increasing water allotments for farmers. Republican Representatives David Valadao and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy recently sent a letter to President Biden and Governor Newsom requesting a federal and state emergency declaration related to the drought so farms can get more water. They also call for lifting environmental restrictions on pumping water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. A letter the lawmakers sent Tuesday asserted government has a moral obligation to provide relief to California families and farms suffering because of this year's "catastrophic manmade drought."
"Government regulations should not and must not deny our constituents critical water from these storms," the letter stated. "While we cannot make it rain, we must take advantage of opportunities to store water when it does." It added that time is of the essence.
Meteorologists with the National Weather Service have previously said that the storm that broke records across the state did little to help pull California out of its dry conditions.