DROUGHT: Calif. governor urges against finger-pointing as water woes worsen Anne C. Mulkern, E&E reporter Published: Thursday, April 9, 2015 California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) yesterday urged people not to assign fault as the state’s drought worsens. “The key challenge here, aside from getting the water, is to be able to collaborate together and not try to blame other people and point fingers,” Brown said. “This water system in California is extremely complex. It affects different people differently. Some people do much better than other people.” He made the comment to reporters before meeting with representatives from agriculture, major water utilities and environmental groups in Sacramento. That conclave took place a few days after Brown in an executive order required [...]
california water
In case you missed it: “My thoughts on Governor Brown’s reasons for not including agriculture in mandatory water restrictions”
In case you missed it… From: On the public record Blog Tuesday, April 7, 2015 My thoughts on Governor Brown’s reasons for not including agriculture in mandatory water restrictions. Governor Brown lists three reasons in the ABC interview below. The lack of delivery from the water projects and water rights curtailments of junior appropriators is already sufficient cutback. It would end Californian food production and displace hundreds of thousands of people.’ Our historical water rights system gives (some) farmers precedent. 1. This argument doesn’t impress me much, because we know that farmers are still getting water. They had a cheap surface water cutback, but replaced that supply with groundwater. About 500,000 acres out of 9,500,000 acres were [...]
New Analysis Finds Harm in Gov. Brown’s Drought Order: Suspends CEQA, Abandons Public Rulemaking
For Immediate Release: Friday, April 3, 2015 Contact: Steve Hopcraft 916/457-5546; [email protected]; Twitter: @shopcraft; Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla 209/479-2053 [email protected]; Twitter: @RestoretheDelta New Analysis Finds Harm in Gov. Brown’s Drought Order: Suspends CEQA, Abandons Public Rulemaking Drought Barriers for up to 10 Years, Decimate Fisheries, But No Restrictions on Mega-Farms Stockton, CA – Restore the Delta (RTD), opponents of Gov. Brown’s rush to build water export Tunnels that would drain the Delta and doom sustainable farms, salmon and other Pacific fisheries, today responded to Gov. Brown’s executive order. “While urban water conservation measures are desperately needed, Governor Brown is not calling for shared sacrifice,” said RTD Executive Director Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla. “What he is enacting is sacrifice by 98% of Californians, and the [...]
Drought Barriers to Push Delta Closer to Collapse: Threaten Salmon, No Restrictions on Mega-Farms
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, April 1, 2015 Contact: Steve Hopcraft 916/457-5546; [email protected]; Twitter: @shopcraft; Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla 209/479-2053 [email protected]; Twitter: @RestoretheDelta Drought Barriers to Push Delta Closer to Collapse: Threaten Salmon, No Restrictions on Mega-Farms Stockton, CA – Restore the Delta (RTD), opponents of Gov. Brown’s rush to build water export Tunnels that would drain the Delta and doom sustainable farms, salmon and other Pacific fisheries, today responded to Gov. Brown’s latest drought measures. “Governor Brown has had two responses of opposite extremes to the drought crisis,” said executive director Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla. “The first response is to place the largest burden of conservation on urban water users. His second response is to push the Delta further toward ecological collapse [...]
MWD Emails Show Water-Takers’ Secret Influence; Move to Gut Endangered Species Act Protections
Tunnel Critics: MWD Emails Show Water-Takers’ Secret Influence; Move to Gut Endangered Species Act Protections Stockton, CA – Restore the Delta (RTD), opponents of Gov. Brown’s rush to build water export Tunnels that would drain the Delta and doom sustainable farms, salmon and other Pacific fisheries, today responded to a report in Energy & Environment Daily that shows water-takers are exerting undue influence over legislation, and directing a move to gut Endangers Species Act (ESA) protections. “S. Calif. water district exerts heavy influence on legislative negotiations Debra Kahn, Energy & Environment reporter E&E Daily: Friday, March 27, 2015 “As congressional talks continue over California’s historic drought, one participant in the negotiations has been more influential than it has claimed. “Metropolitan [...]
Public Records Request show MWD was lobbying heavily last year to override Endangered Species Act
Read original story here. S. Calif. water district exerts heavy influence on legislative negotiations Debra Kahn, E&E reporter E&E Daily: Friday, March 27, 2015 As congressional talks continue over California’s historic drought, one participant in the negotiations has been more influential than it has claimed. Metropolitan Water District, a consortium of 26 public agencies that supplies water to 19 million people in Southern California, sent Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.) proposals for managing the state’s water that made it into bills that passed both houses last year, according to documents obtained through a California Public Records Act request. Emails between Met staff, Feinstein’s staff and others also reveal extensive negotiations last year over a draft bill [...]
False Advertising by Gov. Brown, Exporters Expert Debunks Myth of Farm Jobs Loss: Drought Worse for Environment than for Farm Jobs
For Immediate Release: Friday, March 20, 2015 Contact: Steve Hopcraft 916/457-5546; [email protected]; Twitter: @shopcraft; Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla 209/479-2053 [email protected]; Twitter: @RestoretheDelta Tunnel Critics: False Advertising by Gov. Brown, Exporters Expert Debunks Myth of Farm Jobs Loss. Drought Worse for Environment than for Farm Jobs Stockton, CA – Restore the Delta (RTD), opponents of Gov. Brown’s rush to build water export Tunnels that would drain the Delta and doom sustainable farms, salmon and other Pacific fisheries, today responded to Gov. Brown’s drought response as “false advertising,” and a Valley economic expert’s finding that the claims of farm job losses by water exporters are unfounded. Water exporters use farm job loss claims to whip up hysteria to overcome fact-based examination of the tunnels. [...]
Media Alerts of Interest on Recent Smelt Finding & New Water Use Rules
San Jose Mercury News: Fate of Delta smelt sinks as numbers drop By Denis Cuff POSTED: 03/17/2015 10:41:07 PM PDT EXCERPT: "The relaxed standards were aimed at storing water in reservoirs for a long, dry summer, but environmentalists say the emergency rule has hastened the decline of the smelt. "Excessive water pumping by the state and federal water exporters has led to the collapse of the estuary," said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of Restore the Delta." Read San Jose Mercury News article here. East Bay Express: California Targets Wrong Water Wasters By Robert Gammon MARCH 18, 2015 EXCERPT: "Environmentalists, however, are concerned the current record-drought conditions will only lead to dumber decisions about water. They're worried that instead of calling for the end of [...]
Fishermen, Delta Leaders: Exporters “Destroy Delta Smelt”; If Endangered Species Become Extinct, Fault Will Be With State Water Board and Captive Fish Agencies
Fishermen, Delta Leaders: Exporters “Destroy Delta Smelt” Export Projects Overpumping Delta During Drought Destroys Fisheries If Endangered Species Become Extinct, Fault Will Be With State Water Board and Captive Fish Agencies Stockton, CA – Restore the Delta (RTD) and other opponents of Gov. Brown’s rush to build massive underground Tunnels that would drain the Delta of freshwater and doom sustainable farms, and salmon and other Pacific fisheries, today responded to the finding that Delta Smelt may be extinct. The latest state trawl survey found just six smelt to date. The smelt may be reaching the point of no return if swift action is not taken. The tunnels opponents criticized a move by the State Water Board to further weaken Delta [...]
Delta Flows: March 16, 2015
Articles • Temporary urgency, permanent extinction? • While Westlands Drives the Regulatory Process… • Would Delta Barriers Really be a Last Resort? • Curtailing water use during drought? Temporary urgency, permanent extinction? By: Tim Stroshane and Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla Releasing his latest Delta water quality order late on March 5th, Tom Howard, executive director of the State Water Resources Control Board, added a loophole allowing state and federal water contractors reliant on Delta exports to tell the state and federal water project operators they need more health and safety water supplies. State and federal operators must merely inform the State Water Board they will export more from the Delta to meet those claims for water. This is a loophole you can [...]
