Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

6 hours ago

‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Kill Bill’ Actor Michael Madsen Dies at 67

7 hours ago

Eyeing Arctic Dominance, Trump Bill Earmarks $8.6 Billion for US Coast Guard Icebreakers

7 hours ago

Trump’s Sweeping Tax-Cut and Spending Bill Wins Congressional Approval

8 hours ago

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

11 hours ago

US Supreme Court to Decide Legality of Transgender School Sports Bans

12 hours ago

Nvidia Set to Become the World’s Most Valuable Company in History

12 hours ago

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

12 hours ago
Cox's Latest Bill Would Repair Sinking Friant-Kern Canal
Bill McEwen updated website photo 2024
By Bill McEwen, News Director
Published 6 years ago on
December 7, 2019

Share

Congressman TJ Cox (D-Fresno) has introduced a bill that would help fix the failing Friant-Kern Canal.
Dubbed the Move Water Now Act, H.R. 5316 would provide $200 million in funds to repair a 33-mile middle section of the 152-mile canal. That amount is expected to cover half of the repair costs. The remainder presumably would come from the state and other sources.


Listen to this article:



“Land subsidence has literally strangled most of the flow of water through the Friant-Kern Canal. Because of this, communities aren’t getting the water they pay for and farms aren’t getting the water they need to feed the world.” — Rep. TJ Cox
The bill’s prospects are promising because President Donald Trump and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy want to see the canal fixed.
The legislation is backed by the Friant Water Authority, the South Valley Water Association, and the California Farm Bureau Federation.

Project Irrigates Farms, Supplies Drinking Water

The canal carries water from the Friant Dam north of Fresno to east side lands and communities, and to the Valley’s southern border. In all, the federal project delivers water to 1 million acres of farmland and more than 250,000 residents.
But decades of groundwater pumping have caused the land to sink. By some estimates, the canal has lost as much as 60% of its capacity because of subsidence. In some years, up to 300,000 acre-feet of water deliveries have seeped into the ground.
“Land subsidence has literally strangled most of the flow of water through the Friant-Kern Canal,” Cox said in a news release. “Because of this, communities aren’t getting the water they pay for and farms aren’t getting the water they need to feed the world.”

Quick Passage Sought

In the same news release, Jason Phillips, CEO of the Friant Water Authority, and Dan Vink, executive director of the South Valley Water Association, praised the move.
“We look forward to the quick passage of this important legislation and the effort to secure the federal appropriations needed to complete the project,” Phillips said.
The bill is co-sponsored by California congressmen Jim Costa (D-Fresno), Josh Harder (D-Turlock), and John Garamendi (D-Fairfield), as well as Natural Resources Committee chairman Raul Grijalva (D-Arizona).

McCarthy’s Comments

“I also want to thank President Trump for listening to our needs in California and acting on them through his presidential memorandum that prioritized this and other water infrastructure projects in the West,” McCarthy said earlier this week. “Restoring full capacity of the Friant-Kern Canal along this stretch will significantly benefit residents along the eastside of the Central Valley and our agricultural community.”
Ernest Conant, regional director for the Bureau of Reclamation, pointed to other benefits provided by a repaired canal.
“This project meets our commitment to repair infrastructure so we can optimize water deliveries, better use floodwaters, and protect the environment,” he said.
Language in the bill says the repaired canal would assist in groundwater recharge and meeting California’s groundwater sustainability goals. The bill also forbids expanding the canal or using the funding to expand existing reservoirs.

Hurtado’s Efforts

Senate Bill 559, authored by state Sen. Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger), proposed $400 million to underwrite the canal’s repairs. But the legislation failed to reach a vote on the Senate floor before this year’s Sept. 13 legislative deadline.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Fresno Crash Involving Unlicensed Teen Driver Sends Woman to Hospital

DON'T MISS

Madre Fire Burns More Than 52,000 Acres in San Luis Obispo County

DON'T MISS

RIP John Harris: Fresno County Rancher, Racehorse Breeder Was a Visionary Leader Who Leaves a ‘Profound Legacy’

DON'T MISS

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

DON'T MISS

US Military Says 200 Marines Being Sent to Support ICE in Florida

DON'T MISS

Boeing Secures $2.8 Billion US Satellite Contract

DON'T MISS

Kaweah Health Names Its New Chief Nurse. She’s From Texas

DON'T MISS

Clovis Police Say At-Risk Missing Woman Found Dead in Mariposa County

DON'T MISS

Over 100 Former Senior Officials Warn Against Planned Staff Cuts at US State Department

DON'T MISS

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

UP NEXT

Madre Fire Burns More Than 52,000 Acres in San Luis Obispo County

UP NEXT

RIP John Harris: Fresno County Rancher, Racehorse Breeder Was a Visionary Leader Who Leaves a ‘Profound Legacy’

UP NEXT

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

UP NEXT

Kaweah Health Names Its New Chief Nurse. She’s From Texas

UP NEXT

Clovis Police Say At-Risk Missing Woman Found Dead in Mariposa County

UP NEXT

Fresno Police Recover Some of the $40,000 in Fireworks Stolen From Bullard High Team

UP NEXT

Riverdale High School Coach Arrested for Allegedly Arranging to Meet Minor

UP NEXT

Could Cuddly Colby Be the Darling Gem for You?

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Sandra Neredia Jaquez

UP NEXT

Trump Impounds Billions in Education Funding. For Fresno Unified, It’s $7.1 Million

Bill McEwen,
News Director
Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

4 hours ago

US Military Says 200 Marines Being Sent to Support ICE in Florida

5 hours ago

Boeing Secures $2.8 Billion US Satellite Contract

5 hours ago

Kaweah Health Names Its New Chief Nurse. She’s From Texas

5 hours ago

Clovis Police Say At-Risk Missing Woman Found Dead in Mariposa County

5 hours ago

Over 100 Former Senior Officials Warn Against Planned Staff Cuts at US State Department

6 hours ago

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

6 hours ago

‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Kill Bill’ Actor Michael Madsen Dies at 67

7 hours ago

Fresno Police Recover Some of the $40,000 in Fireworks Stolen From Bullard High Team

7 hours ago

Eyeing Arctic Dominance, Trump Bill Earmarks $8.6 Billion for US Coast Guard Icebreakers

7 hours ago

Fresno Crash Involving Unlicensed Teen Driver Sends Woman to Hospital

A two-vehicle collision sent a woman driving one of the vehicles to the hospital with a head injury Thursday afternoon in Fresno. Fresno pol...

3 hours ago

A crash causes a traffic jam in northwest Fresno on Thursday, July 3, 2025. (GV Wire/Paul Marshall)
3 hours ago

Fresno Crash Involving Unlicensed Teen Driver Sends Woman to Hospital

The Madre Fire near New Cuyama has burned 52,593 acres with 5% containment, prompting evacuation orders in several San Luis Obispo County zones as of Thursday, July 3, 2025, afternoon. (CalFire)
4 hours ago

Madre Fire Burns More Than 52,000 Acres in San Luis Obispo County

4 hours ago

RIP John Harris: Fresno County Rancher, Racehorse Breeder Was a Visionary Leader Who Leaves a ‘Profound Legacy’

4 hours ago

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

An ICE agent talks with migrants about their scheduled appointments with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Father’s Day, to learn about their immigration status, in Chicago, Illinois., U.S., June 15, 2025. (Reuters File)
5 hours ago

US Military Says 200 Marines Being Sent to Support ICE in Florida

Boeing logo and miniature satellite model are seen in this illustration taken, March 10, 2025. (Reuters File)
5 hours ago

Boeing Secures $2.8 Billion US Satellite Contract

5 hours ago

Kaweah Health Names Its New Chief Nurse. She’s From Texas

Clovis Police are searching for Pathmani Goonawardena, 82, who went missing nearly three weeks ago and was last seen driving a white Volvo near Copper and Auberry, possibly en route to Coarsegold. (CHP)
5 hours ago

Clovis Police Say At-Risk Missing Woman Found Dead in Mariposa County

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend