California committee OKs bill on desert water-pumping plan

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A key California committee has passed a last-minute bill requiring more oversight of a plan to pump water from underneath the Mojave Desert.

The Assembly Natural Resources Committee passed the oversight measure Tuesday. U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Gov. Jerry Brown backed the bill.

Los Angeles-based Cadiz Inc. wants to pump water from its wells below the Mojave Desert and distribute it in Southern California. The company says the project will create thousands of jobs and provide water for hundreds of thousands of people each year.

Critics argue it will dry up the desert and destroy cultural and natural resources.

The full Assembly will likely take up the bill later this week. The measure needs approval from both houses and the governor to become law.