Subcommittee Chair Harriet Hageman (Wyoming)
On Wednesday, the House Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries held a hearing considering eight proposed bills. Some were relatively noncontroversial. A Florida bill that would allow destruction of wetlands and the killing of wildlife, including manatees, raised serious concerns.
We were most interested in H.R. 177, The Yosemite National Park Equal Access and Fairness Act (Rep. McClintock). The bill would improve visitor recreation opportunities at Hetch Hetchy, including nonmotorized boating, swimming and camping. There was no opposition.
First, it was gratifying to hear “San Francisco’s Sweetheart Deal” (as described by Subcommittee Chair Harriet Hageman) openly discussed in a Congressional hearing. Many of the comments reflected the findings in our 2021 report: Keeping Promises: Providing Public Access to Hetch Hetchy Valley, Yosemite National Park.
Rep. Jared Huffman, the ranking Democrat on the Subcommittee, spoke in favor of recreation and access but noted there needed to be balance without further explanation. He also opined that he wished the National Park Service had been invited to testify.
Huffman also took a moment to criticize the administration’s proposed land swap on the western edge of Yosemite. Rep McClintock announced he too was opposed and called the proposal “idiotic”. It was nice to see the two gentlemen agree.
McClintock explained San Francisco’s sweetheart deal dated back to the Raker Act of 1913. He sharply criticized the minimal rent ($30,000) that the city pays as well as the inability to swim, boat and camp at Hetch Hetchy. He acknowledged that San Francisco would need to filter its water, but that doing so is no different from what every other water agency does.
Brett Barbre, General Manager of the Yorba Linda Water District, testified in support of the bill. Barbre explained that the bill would provide a recreation benefit that is “consistent with every other major reservoir in California and the west” and opined “Hetch Hetchy should be treated no better and no worse than any other system.” Barbre said San Francisco was “hostile” to improved recreation and further added that he agreed that San Francisco’s rent of $30,000 should be raised.
Chair Hageman encouraged Barbre to expand. They both opined that the proposed rent increase to $2,000,000 was too low. Hageman closed the conversation by saying that H.R. 177 was a good bill.
We agree with pretty much everything said by Hageman, McClintock and Barbre, even though none of them are likely to support our end goal of restoring Hetch Hetchy valley to its natural splendor.
Passage of H.R. 177 would indeed provide significant benefits to park visitors. Further, we believe that greater appreciation of Hetch Hetchy will help build even more support for elimination of the reservoir. We would like to see the bill pass, but note it is being heard very late in the session and is unlikely to make it through both houses. Still, we will cross our fingers.
For more information, see our letter to Chair Hageman and our 2025 letter (with supporting material) we sent to Rep. McClintock in 2025.
You can also watch the hearing – it is about two hours long.