In the News

The House of Representatives Thursday unanimously passed America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018. It includes provisions authored by Congressman Jeff Denham that authorizes long-delayed flood control protection measures needed to enhance the safety of more than 50,000 residents in San Joaquin County. Denham also was successful at inserting language that requires federal agencies to expedite feasibility studies of Reclamation District 17’s efforts to meet a state mandate to upgrade flood prote... Read more

The House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials conducted a hearing Thursday on the implementation of positive train control in the United States. “This important, life-saving technology is one of the most complex safety mandates ever undertaken by the railroad industry,” said Subcommittee Chairman Jeff Denham, R-Calif., in his opening statement Thursday. Denham said nine railroads are at risk of not meeting federal deadlines for implementation. Positive Train Control, or ... Read more

The Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials for the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held its second hearing of the year to focus on implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC) on Sept. 13. ... In an opening statement, Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA-10), who chairs the subcommittee, said, “We’ve seen a great deal of progress, from freight rails as well as commuter rails across the entire country. But we’ve still seen challenges. We’ve still seen accidents. W... Read more

California officials have been pushing for more natural water storage since the last large-scale facility was built in 1979. Now they’re finally going to get it, thanks to political pressure, President Donald Trump and some congressional creativity. ... Denham’s proposal allows local irrigation districts to apply for low-interest federal loans from the Environmental Protection Agency to build new reservoirs, below ground storage projects, recycling and desalination projects. Those are desperatel... Read more

The western United States — including the San Joaquin Valley — could see significant increases in water storage capacity due to legislation that passed the House of Representatives on Thursday. Overcoming the continuing rancor in Congress, the legislation cleared the House with bipartisan backing and also has the support of the Senate’s Republican and Democratic leaders. Valley Congressmen Jim Costa (D-Fresno) and Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) championed and played major roles in America’s Water Infra... Read more

“I will use every option I have to fight the Water Grab,” Costa said. “This is about fighting bad science used to justify taking water from one region of California. This is about the future of the Valley and protecting our way of life.” “Sacramento’s water grab is in violation of federal law,” Denham said. “We will not allow them to take our water; the future of the Valley depends on it.” “The proposal to regularly drain our reservoirs for the sole purpose of dumping water into the ocean is lun... Read more

With only a few legislative days remaining to prevent a lapse in authorization, U.S. Reps. John Katko (R-NY) and Rodney Davis (R-IL) led colleagues in urging U.S. House leaders to quickly advance a vote on the bipartisan Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which is set to expire Sept. 30. ... “Domestic violence is far too common in the United States,” added Rep. Denham. “The Violence Against Women Act has helped to address this issue and we must continue preventing and improving how we deal with ... Read more

Northern San Joaquin Valley farmers — frustrated with their input being completely ignored in a state plan to commandeer water from the Stanislaus, Tuolumne, and Merced rivers in a bid to boost endangered Chinook salmon by 1,103 fish — are lauding a push by 14 congressmen to pull the plug on what has been characterized as a massive state water grab. ... Calling the effort by the State Water Resources Control Board “Sacramento’s water grab,” Denham – who will have his occupation listed as “farmer... Read more

U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA) and a 13-member California congressional contingent want to ensure that his U.S. House-approved, home-state water amendment remains part of a larger spending bill being debated in Congress. “My amendment halts the disastrous Bay-Delta Plan that would see 40 percent of our water flushed out into the ocean,” said Rep. Denham. “Congress must act to protect the [Central] Valley.” The congressman and his colleagues reiterated that stance in a Sept. 7 letter sent to Speake... Read more

U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA) thinks the next term of Congress will present an unprecedented opportunity for federal lawmakers to reshape the nation’s critical infrastructure, especially regarding water, for generations to come. He hopes to remain California’s representative in the U.S. House to help make it all happen. “As an almond farmer, I know firsthand how important a stable water supply is to staying in business and feeding families across the nation,” Rep. Denham recently told The Ripon A... Read more