Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3719 Aug 31- Sept 14 | Page 30
30
Aug 31 - Sept 7, 2018
VOL.37 • ISS. 19
Legislative Budget Committee
Postpones Hearing on Extending
SWP Contracts to Fund Delta Tunnels
C
alifornia’s Joint Legislative Budget
Committee announced Thursday,
August 9, that they have postponed indef-
initely a hearing on extending State Water
Project contracts to fund Governor Jerry
Brown’s Delta Tunnels, despite pressure
from Brown and the Department of Water
Resources.
That hearing would have cleared the path
for the DWR to force ratepayers to assume
the $17-$25 billion cost for the project
without legislative oversight over future
contract amendments, according Brenna
Norton, senior organizer of Food & Water
Watch, in a statement.
“We are thankful to Senator Mitchell and
California’s legislative leaders for post-
poning a hearing that could have resulted
in Californians shelling out billions for
the wasteful Delta tunnels,” said Norton.
“This project won’t provide any additional
water, but would force higher taxes and
water bills on millions of Californians. The
state already has costly water infrastructure
priorities such as fixing the crumbling and
leaking pipes under our cities. California
families should not be burdened by a
tunnels project that does not benefit them.”
Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D-Dis-
covery Bay) also thanked the Joint Legis-
lative Budget Committee for postponing
the hearing on State Water Project contract
extensions and amendments that has impli-
cations for the proposed Delta Tunnels
project.
“As I said in my letter last week to
Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon,
Senate President pro Tem Toni Atkins,
and the co-chairs of the Joint Legislative
Budget Committee, it is far too early
to hold hearings on State Water Project
contract extensions and amendments,” said
Frazier in a statement. ‘This was another
attempt to ram the proposed tunnels
disaster through the process by the Depart-
ment of Water Resources and the governor.
Getting the hearing postponed indefinitely
is a victory for the Delta.”
“We have a win to celebrate today,”
said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Executive
Director of Restore the Delta, after hearing
the news of the postponement. “Your
calls, tweets, and emails have success-
fully POSTPONED the Joint Legislative
Budget Committee hearing indefinitely!
This small victory is a testament of what
we can achieve when we work together
for a common goal (and the power of an
impending deadline).”
“Our coalition of NGO’s, activists, and
supporters demanded that key legislators
involved in this hearing do not proceed
until AFTER the tunnels financial plan is
available to the public. You can count on us
to hold them accountable. Though we may
have won this battle, it’s on to the next,”
she noted.
While Brown portrays himself as a
“green governor,” he has in fact pushed
the federal government to collaborate with
him in granting the necessary permits for
construction of the Delta Tunnels, consid-
ered by opponents to be the most environ-
mentally destructive public works project
in California history.
The 35 mile long tunnels would devastate
West Coast salmon and other fish popula-
tions by diverting Sacramento River water
before it reaches the estuary, as well as
imperil the salmon and steelhead on the
Trinity River, the major tributary of the
Klamath River, that is diverted via a tunnel
through the Trinity Mountains into the
Sacramento River watershed at Whiskey-
town Reservoir.
GGSA Responds to Secretary’s Directive
on California Wildfires
On August 8, Secretary of Commerce
Commerce Wilbur Ross issued a directive
stating that the protection of life and
property takes precedence over agreements
regarding water use in regions impacted by
California wildfires.
“The California wildfires are a direct
threat to life and property and all measures
available must be taken to protect both,”
said Ross. “Today, I direct NOAA’s
National Marine Fisheries Service to make
clear to all its Federal agency partners that
the protection of life and property takes
precedence over any current agreements
regarding the use of water in the areas of
California affected by wildfires. Public
safety is the first priority.”
“Consistent with the emergency consul-
tation provisions under the ESA, Federal
agencies may use any water as necessary
to protect life and property in the affected
areas. Based on this directive, NOAA
will facilitate the use of water for this
emergency. Going forward, the Depart-
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ment and NOAA are committed to finding
new solutions to address threatened and
endangered species in the context of the
challenging water management situation in
California,” said Ross.
John McManus, President of the Golden
Gate Salmon Association (GGSA),
responded to Ross’s statement, noting that
he was puzzled by “what additional actions
he was asking federal employees to take.”
He also said he disagreed with Ross that the
“federal government should hijack Califor-
nia’s wildfires to impose weaker protec-
tion