Current Action

How To Protect the Endangered Species Act and The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta

There are three ways that you can help to protect species, stop the water grab, and protect Northern California’s Delta economy.

1) Contact Senator Feinstein, Senator Boxer, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Let them know that the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) should not be weakened to allow for the construction of the peripheral canal. Tell them that there are better ways to solve California’s water needs including conservation, water recycling, and restoration of flood plains for underground water storage in the Central Valley.

Let them know that you do not support the destruction of the Pacific Coast’s largest estuary and the Delta’s multi-billion dollar annual economy in order to support corporate agri-business in the southern part of the state.

Senator Diane Feinstein can be contacted at:
Washington Office — (202) 224-3841
San Francisco Office — Phone: (415) 393-0707

Senator Barbara Boxer can be contacted at:
Washington Office (202) 224-3553
San Francisco Office (415) 403-0100
Sacramento Office (916) 448-2782

Speaker of the House Nance Pelosi can be contacted at:
Washington Office (202) 225-4965
San Francisco Office (415) 556-4862

2) Send a letter to Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality letting her know that you expect the Federal Government to protect species and the environmental health of Delta communities.

Here’s a sample letter:

Ms. Nancy Sutley
Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Ms. Sutley,

Currently, the governor of California and a handful of Congressional Representatives from the Central Valley are trying to side-step the Endangered Species Act to construct, at a cost of $12-25 billion, a huge new water diversion called the peripheral canal. The peripheral canal could have a devastating negative environmental impact on the Sacramento Delta and the wildlife (including the Federally Endangered smelt) that call it home. Can we count on you to stand up for the Endangered Species Act again and block this horrible plan, which would benefit a handful of large agribusiness firms, and would hurt, not only fish and animals, but a multi-billion dollar annual economy that includes fisherman and Delta family farmers who depend on clean Delta water?

3) Learn more about water management practices in California on how decisions made by State and Federal agencies are the primary reason for the ecological decline of the Sacramento-San Jaoquin Delta. Click here to sign up for Restore the Delta’s email newsletter Delta Flows.