Farmer co-op group cheers House passage of drought bill

Courtesy of wallpaperlepi.com
The National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC) celebrated House passage on Thursday of the Western Water and American Food Security Act of 2015, which aims to modernize water policy in Western states.

The bill, introduced by U.S. Rep. David Valadao (R-CA), would address some of the challenges the California drought has brought to regional agriculture. The bill updates and clarifies federal water policies in the West and nationwide.

“The Western U.S. is experiencing exceptional drought, with a growing number of communities facing the devastating consequences of this historic natural disaster,” Chuck Conner, NCFC president and CEO, said. “H.R. 2898 will deliver relief to the region and address the complex and contradictory laws, court decisions and regulations at the state and federal levels that have magnified the impact of the drought even further.

“On behalf of the hundreds of farmer co-ops throughout California and the Western U.S., I would like to commend Congressman Valadao for his outstanding leadership in seeing this bill through to passage today,” Conner said. “I urge the Senate to take action on this issue without delay.”