This past week, Congressman Josh Harder called out Sacramento politicians and the California Department of Water Resources for trying to ship the Central Valley’s water south while causing “significant and unavoidable” impacts on Delta communities. In a benefit-cost analysis released on May 16, the state indicated the cost of the project has grown to over $20 billion and would devastate Delta communities with $167 million in damages. The project would be a disaster for Delta communities, Harder charged, by destroying farmland and worsening air quality.

“This new analysis acknowledges what we’ve known all along: the Delta Tunnel is meant to benefit Beverly Hills and leave Delta communities out to dry,” said Rep. Harder. “This $20 billion boondoggle project wouldn’t create a single new gallon of water for anyone. I’m sick and tired of politicians in Sacramento ignoring our Valley voices and I will do everything in my power to stop them from stealing our water.”

Harder has been opposed to the Delta Tunnel project since day one. Delta communities are in nearly unanimous opposition to the project, and Harder has held multiple town halls to amplify the voices of Valley families, farmers, and business owners. He’s advocated at the federal level to stop the project, including introducing a bill to block federal funding for the Delta Tunnel, pushing the country’s top water agency not to support the project, and working to block federal permits for the water grab.