Representative TJ Cox Secures Wins for Central Valley Water in House Infrastructure Package

Today, Representative TJ Cox (CA-21) announced big wins for Central Valley water in H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act, which will make game-changing investments in American infrastructure and create millions of jobs. The $1.5 trillion proposal will rebuild U.S. communities with infrastructure that is smarter, safer, and built to last. This includes key investments to make Western water infrastructure more drought resilient in the face of climate change.  

The Moving Forward Act authorizes two pieces of legislation introduced by Rep. Cox that would repair and improve water infrastructure in the Central Valley; 

• H.R. 5347, the Disadvantaged Community Drinking Water Assistance Act, which would provide $100 million in funds for technical support and clean drinking water projects in small, low-income towns in the Western United States that are currently suffering from tainted drinking water. 
• H.R. 5316, the Move Water Now Act, which would provide $200 million in investments to repair the Friant-Kern Canal and $200 million for related river restoration infrastructure.

“When I joined Congress in January 2019, I promised I would do everything in my power to bring water to the Central Valley. We’re one step closer to delivering on that promise,” said Rep. Cox. “Now, two Central Valley water priorities are part of the largest infrastructure package in a generation. One will help cities like Huron, where families are paying $119 a month for water that doesn’t meet disinfection standards. The other, the Move Water Now Act, will help fix the Friant-Kern Canal, which is a critical facility for delivering water to farmers and families on the Eastside of the Valley.” 

The Moving Forward Act has support from Delano Councilmember Grace Vallejo, Wasco City Councilmember Alex Garcia, and several organizations in the Central Valley, including the Friant Water Authority, the South Valley Water Association, and Self-Help Enterprises.  

“Because the Congressman included small communities in his Disadvantaged Community Drinking Water Assistance Act, small towns like Delano will be able to clean up their wells,” said Delano City Councilmember Grace Vallejo “I have been on his back, but fortunately he listens and when this bill was being drafted, they reached out to us to see if it would meet the need of what we needed to do. And when I we said well, there's no language for blending and that's very necessary. Not just in the City of Delano, but in many other cities. They said thank you, we're going to do that, and they sure enough did and for this very reason we are very grateful to have the representation of Congressman TJ Cox.” 

“Current federal standards restrict the classification of a rural disadvantaged communities, like the City of Wasco. By definition, we aren’t rural or disadvantage enough to assist when we need reliable, safe drinking water. Small cities have been saddled with mandates to treat our drinking water without the necessary resources or technical expertise to upgrade our water infrastructure,” said Wasco Councilmember Alex Garcia. “I’m happy the Congressman was able to cut through the red tape to help local governments within the district, and frankly across the nation. Small towns simply cannot afford it alone!” 

“The farmers and communities that depend on the water that flows through the Friant-Kern Canal are thankful that fixing the canal remains a high priority and has not been a political or partisan issue,” said Jason Phillips, CEO of the Friant Water Authority.  “H.R.2 includes the language of H.R. 5316 by Rep. TJ Cox, the Move Water Now Act, that would potentially provide a significant amount of funding for the Friant-Kern Canal Capacity Correction Project and be a tremendous boost for the success of the project. We look forward to swift passage and enactment of the bill.” 

“The Friant Kern Canal delivers water to more than one million acres of farmland and numerous communities in the Central Valley. Repairing the canal will ensure that the San Joaquin Valley’s economy can continue to thrive, even during these uncertain times.” said Dan Vink, Executive Director of the South Valley Water Association. “There is no singular issue more important to our landowners. We applaud Congressman Cox his hard work to advance Move Water Now Act and getting the bill included in the House infrastructure package. The bill will provide much needed federal funding to begin the process of repairing the Friant Kern Canal and we appreciate his leadership on these vital water issues.” 

“Drinking water infrastructure is a fundamental and critical piece to creating livable communities that are healthy, sound affordable, and wonderful places to live,” said Jessi Snyder, Community Development Manager at Self-Help Enterprises. “So we're really pleased to be working with the congressman on this bill because we really do believe that we can't grow communities unless they are underlain by strong effective infrastructure.” 

The Moving Forward Act also includes investments in projects to: 

• Rebuild and reimagine the nation’s transportation infrastructure,  
• Fund a $250 million Rebuild Rural Program focused on rural highways,  
• Fund $130 billion in school infrastructure targeted at high-poverty schools with facilities that endanger the health and safety of students and educators, 
• Address structural challenges and upgrade childcare facilities, 
• Reduce housing inequality,  
• Modernize our energy infrastructure for a clean energy future,  
• Deliver affordable high-speed broadband Internet access to all parts of the country,  
• Modernize the nation’s health care infrastructure, 
• Modernize and strengthen the United States Postal Service, and 
• Promote investments and job creation in communities across the United States.  

Read the full bill text here.