For Immediate Release: Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Contact: Steve Hopcraft 916/457-5546; steve@hopcraft.com; Twitter: @shopcraft; @MrSandHillCrane; Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla 209/479-2053 barbara@restorethedelta.org; Twitter: @RestoretheDelta
IS NOT Tunnels Neutral
Sacramento, CA – Restore the Delta (RTD), leading opponents of Governor Brown’s rush to build massive water export tunnels that mainly serve mega-growers in Westlands and Kern Water Districts, today said that “any state water bond that includes mitigation for the damage from the tunnels project is not ‘tunnels neutral’.”
“The tunnels cannot be built without hundreds of millions of dollars to fund ‘mitigation’ or ‘restoration’ of the project’s damage, damage the water-takers refuse to pay, and are foisting onto taxpayers,” said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, RTD executive director. “Naming mitigation ‘restoration’ does not cure its purpose: helping to pave the way for the tunnels. We also know that existing Delta restoration projects have not produced the positive results for fisheries that they promised. A bond with more restoration money, will simply result in throwing good money after bad.”
“Tunnels-enabling funds would doom the water bond that we all need to address our water crisis. We call upon the governor and legislature to omit any funds required to mitigate or restore tunnels damage.”
Tunnels neutral = levee repair;
Tunnels enabling = restoration of wetlands and habitat to compensate for tunnel construction and taking of needed river water flows to the Delta