REDMOND, OR -- Oregon's 2nd and 5th District U.S. Representative Cliff Bentz and Lori Chavez-DeRemer were at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds Tuesday for a U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee field-hearing.
Local government officials, farmers and ranchers, and other experts testified about water needs in the Deschutes Basin.
"How can we do a better job at the federal level to make sure we're accessing the policies in order for them to have more access to water," Chavez-DeRemer said she'll take the local input back to Washington, "We had a wide array of testimony from five different groups, county commissioners, business owners, ... dealing with wildlife and then the shortage of water."
Congressman Bentz chairs the Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries subcommittee. "One of the many things I learned today was that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife is not doing its job when it comes to reporting back," Bentz said, adding its important agricultural interests aren't left behind, "The farmers and the ranchers are being ignored and they shouldn't be. There needs to be a balanced approach. The idea here is to get this issue before everybody. And so, people just aren't taking for granted how these things work."
The two Republicans were joined on the bi-partisan House panel by 4th District Democrat Val Hoyle along with Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-Utah) and Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Washington).
Witnesses providing testimony at the historic gathering in Redmond included Warm Springs Secretary-Treasurer/CEO Robert Brunoe and Deschutes County Commissioner Tony DeBone. "We haven't had a hearing like this in two decades here in Central Oregon. I think we should highlight that. That's important to bring other congressmen and women out here to see what's happening on the ground. And it's a bipartisan approach," Chavez-DeRemer said.
