SACRAMENTO-

A bill that would streamline environmental reviews of two Valley reservoirs was killed by the Assembly Natural Resources Committee for a second time.

Despite a rally held by growers, business groups and residents prior to the vote, the committee voted against AB311 by Assemblyman James Gallagher.

Gallagher and his supporters said it was similar to bills passed by the legislature that allowed construction to begin on the Kings basketball arena in Sacramento, even though it was being challenged in court on environmental grounds.

“If we can do that for the Kings arena, we need to do that for these vital water projects that affect us all,” Gallagher told dozens of rally participants.

Voters approved $7.5 billion in bonds to help deal with the drought, and the Sites reservoir in Colusa County and Temperance Flat reservoir in Fresno County are the two water storage projects that are likely to benefit.

The $3.5 billion Sites project would hold almost twice the water that can be held in Folsom Reservoir. That water would be diverted from the Sacramento region during high flows, but many believe the effects on wildlife in the area of the reservoir and fish in the river would be great.

Some may not have seen the urgency of fast-tracking a 10 year project. But those who rely on water for a living and those who want the economy to grow feel that the lack of water storage is a huge problem that has to be resolved as quickly as possible.

“The worst thing that can happen to California is for the financing to be available, the projects to be ready to be built and can’t because they are tied up in court for an endless number of years,” said Modesto Assemblywoman and Assembly Republican leader Kristin Olsen.

Valley water interests say they will continue to seek ways to expedite water storage projects, including trying to gain needed approval from the State Water Commission as soon as it is authorized to distribute the bond money in 2016.