[background noises] chair whitehouse good morning, everyone. I will calloke all this hearinge Senate Budget committee to order. Let me begin by expressing condolences to might distinguish Ranking Member for the loss of life in iowa. H no doubt described as a pop rock elliptic touchdown. And cause considerable death and destruction. Today we have a different topic thank you for. Yes, sir. We address how Climate Change is making drought more severe question magnifies so many of the other risks we talked about in this committee. Climate change exacerbates the severity of droughts. Major agricultural regions like the American West of the mediterranean precedent less precipitation in many places art whiplash bite wild swings between drought and delusion. Almost everywhere is experiencing increased heat. The most straightforward of these is increased heat. Hotter weather means higher demand for water to drink, to support agriculture but even to cool power plants. Without cold weather less snowfall commits an mountains ts theres less runoff into streams, rivers and watersheds during the summer months. Snowpack across the American West is down almost 25 since 1955. As temperatures go up the pace of water returning to the atmosphere from soils and plants also goes up. Global warming is turbocharging evaporation and transpiration. Without water the agriculture industry suffers rate manufacturing slows, communities empty out in a real estate values can plummet. The cost of running out of water can be existential. Since 1980, 31 droughts across the nation average of 11. 6 billion each in a physical and economic damages notably not counting loss of life and other non monetary harms. The true cost of drought or more systemic and amplify dangers this committee is heard about. The increase of a wildfires, these fires along with climate driven flood risks are creating an insurance crisis the economists says could cause a 25 chilean dollars hit to Global Property values. This was cover article two issues ago and i commend it to anyone who is interested. Worsening droughts threaten National Security per droughts have contributed to conflict and instability in syria, guatemala, honduras and el salvador United Nations 1. 84 billion people worldwide nearly a quarter of humanity lived under Drought Conditions between 2022 and 2023. The vast majority and a low and middle income countries. Drought strippers sure worlds most important waterways and Food Production raising prices and growth trails years of drought depleted the panama canal couldnt ship traffic in this major thoroughfare by nearly 40 . Intensive ministry in drought costs Global Olive Oil prices to rise 133 in 2023. Former executive director of aggregate giant, cargo, warned as a result of Climate Change including amiri, u. S. Production of corn, soybeans, wheat and cotton could decline by 14 by mid century. By as much as 42 by late century. Our infrastructure, the foundation of our economy is also harmed. Glen canyon dams electric generating infrastructures damaged by the low water levels new expanded reservoirs channels even plants could be needed to make up water loss. Much of this infrastructure will likely be funded by the federal government. More infrastructure means higher capitol and operating cost Utility Companies will raise rates putting the burden ultimately on households and businesses. Claimant flows downstream. As droughts worse in some places just will not have water to meet demand. Hard choices likely to fall most heavily on farmers and low income households. Development options will wither in places where increased list to real water scarcity. Even committees that were loyal on oil and gas for tax revenues should be concerned about the risks of drought water supports fossil fuel production cools of fossil fuel power plants. Water shortage can lead to stranded assets for companies at a declining tax base for communities. Today will hear about the crisis of water scarcity from three different witnesses who all face the same fundamental challenge, how do we make do with less . The hard choices and mounting costs associated with water scarcity are the result of decades of negligence on climate. We have a chance still to make a different decision and i hope we will. I recognize senator grassley. First of all i thank you for recognizing the tragedy that happened in greenfield, iowa. If youre watching Morning Television that is national you wouldve seen on television this very morning. So before we start, since the sun is in session and i cannot be in iowa i want to share my thoughts are with the people of iowa during these troubled times. Especially those in adair county. My staff is on the ground right now im greenfield touring on a measurable destruction from storms yesterday. I want to commend the First Responders and Emergency Managers for caring and humane work. I stand ready to help as our communities recover. Sadly, several fatalities have been reported so barbara and i are praying for the families whove lost loved ones and for those who have lost their homes and businesses so unexpectedly. As to the subject of todays hearing, as with the previous 17 hearings ive invited qualified scientists to provide a reason view on the very real challenges that we face as a result of changing climate. I welcome to the committee formally by scientists of the Natural Center for atmospheric research. He will tell tell the International Panel on Climate Change is uncertain as to the impact of Climate Change on drought. In fact the ipcc has not detected strong trends in any of the three types of drought meteorological, agricultural or hydrological. In any region of the entire world. I also look forward from Iowa State Department of work on compensation shows us there is no reason white farmers cannot adapt to Climate Change. Preserve our Environmental Health and turn a profit at the same time. Rather than speculate on Climate Change doomsday we iowans prefer to confront problems head on. Its a problem we know better than most americans. I keep track of ring levels each week when i going to the grassley farm. Finally mr. Chairman elect to submit an article titled quote the importance of distinguished distinguishing Climate Science and climate activism of the university of cambridge and put that in the record. Without objection. Hes worried about activists who pretend to be scientists. We should all make sure we are following sound science. He hit the nail on the head when he wrote quote activists often adopt scientific as a source of moral legitimation for their movements which can be a radical and destructive rather than a rational and constructive. We have seen our fair share of activist testify before the Budget Committee on matters oh well outside of what this committee was set to do i welcome all of our Witnesses Today. Thank you very much we have five Witnesses Today including from new mexico and california and oregon who will be introduced by their senators. Welcome tonya and senator lujan you have the floor to introduce your witness. Good morning to a Ranking Member thank you for holding this important hearing on the risks worsening droughts have on our economy. And on our budget today monitor the opportunity to introduce my good friend fellow new mexican. I always feel grateful when mexicans appear before our committee sharing their expertise with our committee colleagues. To answer questions to tough questions and especially providing perspective with more extreme Drought Conditions do mexicans know drought like few others but we have lived in it for centuries. Mastering innovative techniques to conserve precious Water Resources and protect diverse wetland ecosystems. Water is new mexicos way of life. The foundation for the food we eat, the businesses we create, and the cultural traditions we pass on. The testimony will illustrate the challenges facing water managers in the southwest and do it with extreme drought. It is not just new mexico seamless impacts on our economy. As a child it will make clear the future of our nations water supply could no longer be dependent on lessons from the past but states are losing the tools they have relied on for a long time to anticipate future supply and manage competing needs. In the end it will be all water lead users, consumers, businesses, farmers and ranchers and more that will bear the brunt of these decisions in higher costs and reduce supply. Mr. Hill also brings this committee are decades of experience on a water litigation, professional development, support, along with tireless Public Service to our country. As assistant secretary to the department of interior for water in science, ms. Trujillo oversaw key agencies and Management Development of freshWater Resources but she now serves as water policy advisor for the office of new mexico governor Michelle Lujan grissom or uncluttered counsel be used to help new mexican secure their water future. Thank you again chairman white has sent Ranking Member grassley for this opportunity to introduce our weight as i look forward to hearing from ms. Trujillo and the rest of our witnesses for quick thank you very much senator lujan. Our next witness will be introduced by senator padilla of california prehave the floor to make your introductions. Think it mr. Chairman it is certainly my pleasure to introduce my friend and our witness today a fellow engineer, a fellow angeleno fellow immigrant chief executive officer for the metropolitan Water District of Southern California. The largest wholesale Drinking Water supplier in the country that provides water to 26 member public agencies. Which collectively serves 5 , not just at the los angeles pop not just california population but 5 of our nations population. Roughly 19 people rely on the metropolitan Water District. Just to put that into context for my colleagues, that is more people served by his agency alone then the entire population of every other state represented on this dais. Under mr. Hagekhalil leadership is entering a new era of sustainability and resiliency in the face of Climate Change. And other threats to Southern Californias water reliability ap for joining metropolitan he was executive director general manager of the city of Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services where he worked to integrate Climate Adaptation into the largest principal street system in the nation. I first came to know adele when he was assistant general manager of the Los Angeles Bureau of sanitation. There are a few water managers anywhere in the country, and i would argue in the world, who have more experience with a better understanding the impact of more extreme droughts on Water Utilities and their budgets. And what drought impact to utilities to adapt their Water Supplies and infrastructure to meet our Drinking Water and sanitation needs. And as mr. Hagekhalil and we have spent time collaborating he has been laser focus on what all of this means for Household Water rates. And especially for low income communities water rates. So i want to thank mr. Hagekhalil for flying hear from los angeles to participate today. Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding this critical meeting. Thank you very much senator. Our next witness mr. Kevin richardson of oregon who will be introduced by his fellow oregonian senator merkley print saturday have the floor. Thank you, thank you very much mr. Chairman i am delighted Kevin Richards is here accompanied by his two cents a share on the ground experience of farming in our home state. Our farmers and oregon are facing immense challenges. The west is in the midst of historic drought. Demands of art water have never been higher, while water levels have never been lower. Climate chaos is making our summers hotter, drier, and longer. And oregon, his temperatures have climbed the average snowpack in the Cascade Mountains has dropped an average of more than 20 feet over the last 90 years. That means less water for our streams, less water for our farmers, and less water for our ranchers. And the supply of snow melts runs out earlier in the spring or summer than in the past. Farmers across oregon have been grappling with these challenges. One of those farmers is our Kevin Richards from fox hollow ranch in oregon. Hes a secondgeneration farmer. His family specialize in growing seed crops like carrots and kentucky bluegrass it pretty also goes peppermint oil, wheat, alfalfa, hay, before mr. Richards dug into the soil of jefferson county, he fought for our farmers here in washington d. C. As director of regulatory relations for the American Farm bureau federation. He has felt the effects of this prolonged drought in Central Oregon firsthand. Last summer, he was among hundreds of farmers who received only half as much water as usual. Which means of course, fewer crops and less income. To address the shortage of water, mr. Richards has invested irrigation modernization programs like drip irrigation and wireless irrigation monitoring to improve the efficiency of his farms. To ensure the crops we need and more farming does not fall fallow, its about we support a family farmers like mr. Richards. It is also important irrigation districts include efficiency in their delivery of water. That is why i worked across the isle with former senator thad cochran of mississippi to revive the department of agriculture watershed and Flood Prevention Operation Program known that cope is a pl 566. To invest in irrigation modernization projects specifically piping of irrigation districts to decrease the loss both to the ground and to evaporation. We need many more of these investments across oregon and across the west said that in the future, mr. Richards can pass on his fox hollow family farm to his sons like his father pass it onto him. Its a pleasure to welcome him here today be good to have you. Ways sustainable. He teaches and writes on a diverse range of politics related to science, technology, environment, innovation and sports. He is also a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise institute where he focuses on science and technology policy, the politicization of science, government science advice and energy and climate. We will begin with you, you have five minutes to make your Opening Statement and your complete Statement Like those that of other witnesses will be made as a matter of record. Please proceed. Thank you, mr. Chairman, for the opportunity to testify on this important subject. Thank you senator luhan for the introduction and thank you senator grassley for looking out for the iowans. My mom lives in des moines and im happy to say hello to her. As Western Water manager from state im keenly aware of the need to be prepared for future Drought Conditions. On todays Drought Monitor map, unfortunately new mexico takes the prize in a bad way, but many areas have seen improvement this year. Two years ago, the trout monitor map painted a very different picture with well over half the nation experiencing some of the worst Drought Conditions in recent history and major reservoirs hit record low levels. Communities impose drought restrictions on water use and emergency actions were taken within the Colorado River basin and california to protect infrastructure. In new mexico over 40 miles of the rio grande went dry. Last october on a return trip to iowa city i participated in the discussion regarding the severity of the on going to the drought there in iowa. We know that Drought Conditions pose challenges for every sector of our economy, farmers make planting stations based on the availability of surface water and grounded water, cities and towns have a responsibility to ensure that residents have water regardless of the hydrology that we have seen and subsequent rainstorms can produce brief flows. Fortunately, we are working on these issues and in many cases, weve been able to develop strategies to manage and adapt to the trout. We are also working in parallel on strategies to be able to store and capture water during water times if those are the conditions that we see and if we have the infrastructure available to do that. In new mexico li