(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) commended the announcement of a $30 million award to the Sites Reservoir Project:
“This winter's rain and snow gave California plenty of water and a record snowpack. Increasing water storage, like the Sites Reservoir Project, must be a priority going forward or the next drought will be just as painful as the last. Sites has been a priority for California for many years and has been successfully obtaining Federal funding. Sites Reservoir Project has the funding and the public support, now it needs the necessary water right permit,” said Congressman LaMalfa.
This announcement brings the total direct funding from Congressionally authorized grants up to $244 million, more than double where it was at this time last year. Congressman LaMalfa has been an adamant supporter of the Sites project for years and delivered federal authorization for the project and millions of dollars to get it ready for construction. In 2018 President Trump announced a $449 million USDA Rural Development grant to support the Sites Reservoir Project - the single largest award in the program’s history – at Congressman LaMalfa’s recommendation. In 2019, Congressman LaMalfa and Garamendi introduced the bipartisan Sites Reservoir Project Act to direct the Bureau of Reclamation to complete a necessary feasibility study for the project and, if deemed feasible, authorize additional funding and technical support. In 2021, he led a bipartisan letter to the EPA asking them to allow the Sites Joint Project Authority to apply for a WIFIA loan, and because of this the EPA formally invited Sites to apply for a Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act program loan. Sites (under the Bureau of Reclamation) was originally not eligible to apply. This loan may account for up to 49% of the project’s costs: $2.2 billion.
Congressman Doug LaMalfa is a lifelong farmer representing California’s First Congressional District, including Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama and Yuba Counties.
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