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Save July 7th on your calendar

 

The governor reinvents the shell game, if we lose it will cost us billions

 

CSPA may need some California "minutemen" to save the state from massive debt and an unwanted canal

 

by Jerry Neuburger

June 24, 2009 -- The governor and his circle of cronies in the legislature have hatched a new plan to finance the peripheral canal and additional dams as part of his, "final solution" to California's water problems. It is anticipated that one or more of  a series of current water bond bills will pushed for passage in both houses of the legislature. The skeleton bill would authorize administrative remedies to deal with California's chronic water shortages but would be designed to lack any details as to how this is to be done including costs.

The governor's plan is to move this vague bill through the legislative policy committee review only to be amended on the floor of both houses once cleared of those committees, in doing so, avoiding public scrutiny and comment. The amendment process would authorize construction of the canal, dams and additional infrastructure estimated to cost many, many billion dollars along with a bond measure to pay for them. It is unknown if they've even considered the many, many billions of dollars in mitigation costs for the adverse impacts of these projects.

 

The scheduled date for these water bills and a possible new or drastically amended bill to be heard is July 7th in front of the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee at 9 a.m. in Room 4202. It's rumored that a joint house hearing may take place with the Senate Natural Resources Committee also sitting in on the hearing.

The governor believes that if he can get these bills to the floor of both houses he can gain passage of them through a party Republican vote along with a coalition of Democrats representing farming districts.

 

While the above sounds far fetched past history tells us that such a plan can indeed succeed. The energy deregulation bill passed in the 90's moved through the legislature in the same manner.

 

What are the consequences of the governor's folley?

 

The bill WOULD be the final blow to fisheries of the delta and central valley, a population of fish equaling 25% of all of California's warm water species and 80% of California's anadromous species.

 

The bill WOULD place additional tax burdens of billions of dollars in bonds on California tax payers at a time when the state budget is in dire shape, with teachers, firemen, policemen laid off in huge numbers and funding for such critical programs such as funding for Alzheimer patients and physically disabled children on the chopping block.

 

The bill WOULD destroy delta farming, farming that produces almost 100 percent food crops rather than cash crops for export and imperil other users who depend on clean delta water for their crops, drinking water and recreation.

 

The bill would NOT solve California's current problems since even the initial phases of construction would not be complete until 2014.

 

The bill would NOT cause one more drop of water to fall from the sky. Any additional water captured by the proposed dams would be allocated as "new found" water rather than used to meet current shortfalls and would further impact the delta since the water captured would have otherwise passed through the system providing the natural flow that the delta is currently being robbed of. The shortages of our current supply of water (now promised at 8.5 times the actual average runoff) would be expanded, not relieved. In addition, if current forecasts are correct, future rainfall may not be enough to fill our current dams on a regular annual basis, not to mention new dams.

 

The bill would NOT address the major problems facing California and its current water practices which include irrigating drainage impaired lands, lack of best irrigation practices because of the low cost of subsidized water, growing water thirsty crops in desert landscapes, agricultural, municipal and industrial pollution, a collapsed recreational and commercial fishing industry, viable delta agriculture threatened because of increased delta salinity from the construction of a peripheral canal, and if new dams were constructed, loss of additional spawning streambed for the state's salmon and trout populations, and loss of rivers and streams for boating, rafting, and other citizen recreation.

 

California's water policies are rife with problems but a series of bills and bonds, secreted through the legislature, with enormous costs and absolutely no benefit except to the few corporate farmers who hold the governor in their pocket is not what the citizens of California or their public trust resources need or deserve.

 

Stay tuned, as the date approaches CSPA hopes to find out additional details about the bills and hearing. We'll keep you informed. Save the date, your presence may be needed to rescue California from mountains of debt and unwanted water infrastructure that will do nothing to relieve California's water problems but will destroy the Delta in the process.