Sacramento – Today, the Assembly Appropriations Committee rejected AB 62, AB 64, and AB 66, bills that were authored by Assemblyman Mathis. Assemblyman Mathis issued the following statement upon the rejection of these bills:
“Once again, the Appropriations Committee’s priorities do not line up with our states’ water goals. Our state is facing a severe water crisis yet the Appropriations Committee failed to address this issue. AB 62 is not a partisan bill; in fact, it would simply codify Governor Newsom’s water storage strategy into law. At the same time, AB 66 would streamline the currently burdensome permitting process for water storage projects, which would allow us to reach the Governor’s ambitious statewide water goals, and we all know that this is a top issue with getting projects built. The Committee also rejected AB 64, Beavers, “Natures Engineers”, which would authorize the Department of Fish & Wildlife to allow the release of beavers onto public lands. Beavers are critical in promoting fish spawning, while also reducing the spread of forest fires and boosting carbon sequestration. Furthermore, studies have shown that the presence of beaver populations in an ecosystem can increase watersheds by over 50% within 3 years. The Appropriations Committee’s decision to hold these bills is all the more disappointing considering the fact that all 3 bills had passed the Assembly Water, Parks & Wildlife Committee with bipartisan support and no opposition. I look forward to the day that the Appropriations Committee truly prioritizes increasing our water storage capacity and protecting our ecosystem.”
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