Bill would bring federal funds to sea restoration

SALTON SEA – Congressman Raúl Ruiz, a physician, is proposing a bill to bring matching federal funds with state money to address the many health and safety concerns at the Salton Sea.

The Democrat, who represents California’s 36th Congressional District, is promising to seek federal help for public health and restoration efforts at the sea.

The Salton Sea Public Health and Environmental Protection Act of 2020 would codify a 2016 memorandum of understanding between the state of California and the federal government to collaborate on habitat and dust suppression projects.

Coachella resident Frank Ruiz, who is Audubon California’s Salton Sea program director, said the federal government has been in contact with Salton Sea representatives on its needs.

“They need to be more active in funding,” he said, pointing out little action, despite repeated promises, has been started at the Salton Sea.

“We need a congressional hearing to bring the opportunity to have more discussions,” Audubon’s Ruiz said.

Frank Ruiz said what might be more important than anything else is to bring attention to the air quality at the sea, which he added has become a public health crisis.

“We need to have better coordination with all of the agencies,” he said.

The Audubon official said he understands the bill still has a long way to go, but remains hopeful something can be accomplished. He also said it will take both federal and state funding.

“At this point we don’t know how much, but we are talking about matches,” he said.

He added stakeholders are positive this bill will receive a lot of support from all elected officials on the federal level.

“It is a crisis here, so I am hoping this will lead to more engagement with the federal government. We need the people’s clout, so more information can be provided.”

Frank Ruiz said he thinks the federal government is largely responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the Salton Sea.

One reason he believes Rep. Ruiz’s bill will be successful is this would be a big benefit to both Imperial and Coachella counties.

The Imperial Irrigation District is also watching the bill with a lot of interest.

“IID is encouraged to have Reps. Ruiz and Juan Vargas take a leadership role in introducing H.R. 8775, which can significantly help address issues at the sea, including public health concerns,” said IID Public Affairs Officer Antonio Ortega. “We hope it will lead to more commitment on the part of our federal partners.”

The bill would also require the U.S. Department of the Interior to match efforts by the state to implement restoration and dust control projects, enhance interagency coordination, expedite permits, and require reports to Congress and the public about public health hazards and progress of mitigation projects.

The months ahead are crucial to controlling dust emissions and providing habitat as the sea continues to shrink, Frank Ruiz said.

“We welcome Rep. Ruiz’s leadership and legislation on the Salton Sea.

By catalyzing more robust engagement from the federal government, this will go a long way to bringing much-needed relief to the long-overlooked communities and ecosystems around the

Sea,” said Pablo Garza, California political director for ecosystems with the Environmental Defense Fund.

With an estimated surface area of 350 square miles, the Salton Sea is by far California’s largest lake, as well as a vital stop for migrating birds along the Pacific Flyway.

Threatened by contaminated runoff and reduced inflow from changing water-usage patterns, the sea is degrading rapidly, exposing airborne dust from the dry lakebed that endangers the health of the thousands of residents who live in the immediate area.

Plans and initial funding are in place to restore portions of the sea and mitigate the health effects of airborne contaminants, but progress has been slow.

IID Director-elect for Division 2 J.B. Hamby said he is aware of the bill, but has not done any research on it yet.

Hamby said he fully supports efforts to improve the conditions at the Salton Sea.

“As an IID director I am looking forward to working with Rep. Ruiz’s office to address these concerns,” Hamby said.