Jim Costa represents California’s 16th Congressional District. He has served the San Joaquin Valley in the U.S. House of Representatives since January of 2005. Raised on a dairy farm in Fresno’s Kearney Park area, Congressman Costa is a third-generation family farmer. As a Member of Congress, Costa has applied his farming background to fighting for Valley water, agriculture, and the economy.
A lifelong resident of the Valley, Costa’s committee assignments allow him to effectively advocate for the district. Costa uses his position on the Natural Resources Committeeto fight for the Valley’s fair share of water. This includes securing funding for dams, working to overturn unfair federal water regulations, and increasing Valley water allocations.
Our Valley is an energy rich region, supplying the state with power from oil, gas, and renewable sources like hydropower, biomass, wind, and solar. This vital sector of our economy is a job creator in our communities and a key player in reducing our nation’s dependence on foreign sources of energy.
For these reasons, I took the lead on this issue with a bipartisan group of legislators in the 112th Congress in introducing the Infrastructure Jobs and Energy Independence Act. Unlike the “cap and trade” bill which I opposed and voted against, this bill outlines a practical, responsible energy plan for America that would further develop domestic energy production of traditional oil and gas, provide a funding stream to clean up the environment and fully develop clean energy technologies.
In addition, our Valley’s energy economy has been bolstered through the Recovery Act. These funds have gone toward creating good-paying jobs, allowing Valley cities to develop and implement projects to improve energy efficiency and reduce fossil fuel emissions in our cities.