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Democratic Rep. Josh Harder, author of Stop the Delta Tunnels Act, wins reelection in District 9 [1]
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Date: 2022-11-16
Democrat Josh Harder, the author of legislation to stop the Newsom administration’s Delta Tunnel project, will win the race for U.S. House District 9 over Republican challenger Tom Patti, according to the Associated Press.
“I’m incredibly honored that our community has put their faith in me once again to fight for all of us in Congress,” Harder said in a statement. “From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I won’t let you down.”
AP called the race at 7:14 p.m. on Nov. 15. With 79% of votes counted, 56.3% of the district’s voters cast their ballots for Harder versus 43.7% for Patti.
After AP called the election, Patti told his supporters in a statement, “I would like to thank all those who voted and had their voices heard. It is an honor continue to serve as your county supervisor. I look forward to accomplishing many more great things over the next two years and tackling the important issues facing our region. I am forever grateful to my supporters who share my belief in a better America for our us and our children.”
Harder first entered the House of Representatives in 2019 and currently represents District 10. After redistricting, the area representing much of the Central Valley in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties will now be located in District 9.
”Republicans are one seat away from winning the 218 seats necessary to claim a House majority,” according to projections from CNN. “while Democrats would need to win all of the 11 remaining races to retain control. Six of the 11 undecided races are in California, where counting mail-in ballots typically takes weeks.”
After the results of the CA-9 Congressional Election came in, Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of Restore the Delta, issued a statement congratulating Harder’s win over Tom Patti:
“Restore the Delta would like to congratulate Josh Harder for his election victory. Representative Harder returning to Congress ensures that an advocate for a healthy and sustainable Bay-Delta estuary will continue to represent us in Washington, D.C.
“We look forward to collaborating with Representative Harder on many projects in the future. We support his ‘Stop the Delta Tunnels Act' which would prohibit the Army Corps of Engineers from issuing a federal permit necessary for the State of California to build the Delta Conveyance Project, commonly known as the Delta Tunnel. He also understands the need for flood infrastructure that will protect both farming and urban Delta communities in his district from the impacts of climate change.
“Harder has called the Delta Tunnel a ‘zombie project.’ We agree. It’s time for state and federal water funding to go to sustainable water projects that protect farming, fish species, and people who depend on a healthy San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary. California’s water planning must face the reality of aridification and not base rules on water that no longer exists.”
On September 19, Representative Harder introduced a bill in Congress to prohibit the Army Corps of Engineers from issuing a federal permit necessary for the State of California to build the Delta Conveyance Project, also known as the Delta Tunnel.
Harder’s bill, the Stop the Delta Tunnels Act, is co-sponsored by Representative John Garamendi (D CA-3).
Rep. Harder said he is a longtime opponent of the Delta Tunnel project, first voicing his opposition in 2018.
“The Delta Tunnel is a zombie project,” said Rep. Harder. “Every time we kill it, the Governor brings it back. My bill will put an end to this $16 billion boondoggle once and for all and make sure every drop of Valley water stays right here where it belongs,”
“This is a choice between watering a family farm right here in the Valley, and watering someone’s manicured green lawn down south. I’ll do what’s right for the Valley every single time,” he added,
The proposed 45-mile-long tunnel would divert water from the Sacramento River before it reaches the Delta and then ship it south from Clifton Court Forebay to big corporate growers and Southern California water agencies.
Critics and independent scientists say the tunnel would have a devastating impact on family farms in San Joaquin, Sacramento and other Delta counties, as well as on imperiled fish populations and the ecology of the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary.
Powerful arguments have been made that the project, by diverting more water out of the Delta, would hasten the extinction of Delta and longfin smelt, Sacramento River winter-run and spring run Chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead, green sturgeon and other fish species.
Harder’s current district, which centers on Modesto, includes part of San Joaquin County, a Delta county that would be directly impacted by the Delta Tunnel. His district also encompasses Stanislaus County.
Specifically, the bill text states, “The Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, may not issue a permit under section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 2 1344) relating to the Delta Conveyance Project referred to in the document published by the California Department of Water Resources on January 15, 2020, entitled ‘Notice of Preparation of Environmental Impact Report 6 for the Delta Conveyance Project.’”
In July, Rep. Harder introduced an amendment alongside Reps. Garamendi & McNerney to prohibit the Army Corps of Engineers from issuing a Clean Water Act (Section 404) permit for the state of Delta Tunnel that would export water out of the Delta, but that effort did not move forward.
The California Department of Water Resources, or DWR, recently released the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Delta Tunnel Project for public review and comment. The new end date for the comment period, originally set for October, is now Friday, December 16, 2022.
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