Congressman Jerry McNerney from Stockton presented a bill Monday as an alternative to the Twin Tunnels that will concentrate on ways to create new water.
Congressman Jerry McNerney spoke to a crowd on the edge of the San Joaquin Delta in Downtown Stockton.
“Research estimates that 2 trillion gallons of water is wasted each year because of leaky and broken pipes,” McNerney said.
McNerney calls it the WEST Bill, short for Water and Energy Sustainability Through Innovation.
McNerney says the bill creates water by fixing the infrastructure, recycling water, and improving water and energy efficiency not just in California but the whole nation.
“If we can focus on saving money and creating water at the same time, make sure people understand it’s much more sensible approach than spending 20, maybe, 25 billion dollars on tunnels that aren’t going to create any new water,” McNerney said.
McNerney says the cost would be offset by eliminating tax credits for certain oil production projects.
“And if you do these things, it pays for itself. It’s about 12 billion dollars,” McNerney said.
