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Appropriations Committee approves bill to preserve State Water Project water-rights deadline
Summary
The Assembly Appropriations Committee on April 29 approved AB 2215, which would preserve Department of Water Resources water-rights for the State Water Project through 2046. Supporters said the measure protects affordability and supply for about 27 million Californians; opponents warned it bypasses administrative review and could set a costly precedent tied to the Delta Conveyance Project.
Assemblymember Calderon told the Appropriations Committee that AB 2215 would preserve the Department of Water Resources’ existing State Water Project water-rights through 2046 to "maintain water reliability and affordability for the majority of Californians." Jennifer Pierre, general manager of the State Water Contractors, said the bill gives certainty to ratepayers and would not approve any projects or circumvent environmental review: "This bill simply provides the department and the millions of California ratepayers certainty that they will have more time to develop its existing water right."
Supporters registered in the hearing emphasized the scale of the State Water Project, noting it delivers water to about 27,000,000 Californians and serves hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland. Multiple regional water agencies and coalitions told the committee they back the extension as a way to preserve affordability while DWR completes infrastructure and climate-change adaptations.
Opponents, including Morgan Snyder of Restore the Delta, urged the committee to reject the bill. Snyder said AB 2215 "seeks to undermine existing processes for extending water rights permits," warning that shifting permit authority to statute would bypass the State Water Resources Control Board’s administrative hearing process and could set an adverse precedent for other water-rights holders. Snyder also tied the bill to the Delta Conveyance Project and cited widely varying cost estimates, saying the project could cost "anywhere from 20,000,000,000 according to DWR to upwards of 100,000,000,000 according to other experts."
Karen Lang of the Delta Counties Coalition said the apparent beneficiary of the bill is DWR and that DWR is not listed as a bill sponsor; she warned that placing a statutory permit in law could reduce the board’s oversight and invite costly legal disputes. Other local governments and environmental organizations also registered opposition, saying the administrative process is designed to evaluate environmental and financial impacts with full public participation.
After questions and closing remarks from the author, the committee took a motion to "do pass." The chair announced the motion passed on a roll call; the record shows Assemblymember Hoover voting no and Assemblymember Krell not voting. The committee did not specify a full tally in the hearing record.
