releases: https://ruiz.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/trump-signs-spending-bill-could-send-millions-dollars-salton-sea
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://ruiz.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/trump-signs-spending-bill-could-send-millions-dollars-salton-sea | Trump Signs Spending Bill That Could Send Millions of Dollars to the Salton Sea | 2020-12-29 | 2020 | 2020-12 | Democrat | House | CA | Raul Ruiz | R000599 | ruiz.house.gov | legacy | President Donald Trump on Sunday signed a roughly $900 billion stimulus package meant to tackle both COVID-19 relief as well as federal spending. Tucked in the 5,593-page-long law, courtesy of Southern California Democrats, are provisions that hold the potential to unlock millions of dollars of new federal spending to address the Salton Sea. The bill notably modifies the Water Resources Development Act by authorizing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to expedite a study on the feasibility of constructing a perimeter lake around the Salton Sea. It's one of the large-scale plans floated to address the lake's woes, and this move could speed up the process. The law also includes more than $150 million for the Army Corps to carry out such studies on water issues at the Salton Sea and elsewhere. "I am proud of the results delivered to my constituents,"Rep. RaulRuiz, D-Calif., said in a statement announcing Congress' passage of the appropriations bill. Alongside Rep. Juan Vargas, D-Calif.,Ruizand his officedrafted the bill's Salton Sea language. Trump sat on the bill for several days when he sided with Democrats in wanting to provide larger relief checks to Americans. Senate Republicans ultimately prevailed in blocking the move, and Trump signed the bill without getting more money out to taxpayers. As the Salton Sea recedes, the region loses thousands of acres of vibrant migratory bird habitat and is left with a sandy mixture called "playa," which is laden with pesticides and other toxic runoff from agriculture in the Imperial and Coachella valleys. Once airborne, that dust can harm human health, but the state and federal governments have been slow to implement solutions. According to the Pacific Institute, a think tank, the Salton Sea's level hasdropped nearly 10 feet since a water transfer was signed in 2003, sending water away from nearby farm fields thatdrain into California's largest lake. The Salton Sea legislation and directives passed by Congress come at the end of a difficult year that brought much greater visibility to the challenges faced in the Salton Sea region, particularly public health challenges faced by disadvantaged communities, Altrena Santillanes, secretary of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians tribal council and a director on the Salton Sea Authority's board, said in a statement. We look forward to working with our Congressional delegation and the next administration to quickly mobilize federal action at the Salton Sea in the coming year," she added. While the state has so far allocated roughly $350 million to address the Salton Sea, spending about $53 million of that, the federal government has spent only about $20 million to date. The COVID-19 relief bill includes $559 million "for water resource projects and direction to the Bureau of Reclamation to consider Salton Sea projects for funding," according toRuiz'soffice. As G. Patrick O'Dowd, executive director of the Salton Sea Authority, sees it, there's still "work to do to get the appropriations." But, the big win for the lake comes in pushing the Army Corps to complete its perimeter lake analysis. "If the Corps has an acceptable perimeter lake study, that puts them in a position to fund the full project," he said. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |