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Contact:
Brian Smith, 415-320-9384, brian@bpspr.com
Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, 209-479-2053, Barbara@restorethedelta.org
In Case You Missed It…
News of Interest
Editorial: Twin tunnels plan sounds worse each day – Chico ER
Every morsel of information released, discovered or leaked lately about Gov. Jerry Brown’s twin tunnels plan makes the project sound worse. Every new tidbit makes us wonder how and why this boondoggle is even a possibility.
California to Seize Farms for Jerry Brown’s Water Tunnels – Breitbart
According to documents obtained by environmental group Restore the Delta, state water exporters and the Delta Design Construction Enterprise (DCE) division of the Department of Water Resources are planning to acquire 300 pieces of land from Delta farms to ensure right of way for the Bay Delta Conservation Plan tunnel project. ….
…. In a statement, Restore the Delta executive director Barbara Barrigan-Parilla blasted the “arrogance” of state officials for using eminent domain to acquire farmers’ land.
Audio: California Plans to Seize Delta Farms for Tunnels – KPFA Berkeley
Featuring Restore the Delta executive director, Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla. State contractors have plans to seize as many as 300 farms in the delta by eminent domain to clear the way for twin water tunnels proposed by Gov. Jerry Brown. That's according to documents obtained by opponents of the tunnels. Mark Mericle has more.
Experts at Senate Hearing Examine Unanswered Questions of Delta Tunnels Plan – Calitics
Whether the tunnels will be cost-effective was one of the questions discussed during the hearing. Fielding that question was Jeffrey Michael, Director of the Center for Business and Policy Research, University of the Pacific.
…. "The tunnels are not economically justified and are financially infeasible without a substantial taxpayer subsidy," testified Michael.
Delta Stewardship Council Looks At Conveyance, Storage, and Water Project Operations, Part 2: Environmental and Water Supplier Perspectives – Maven's Notebook
The language in the 2009 Delta Reform Act laid out a specific pathway for the Bay Delta Conservation Plan to be included in the Delta Plan through a different pathway that was distinctly different from the consistency certification process the legislation specified for other projects in the Delta. However, the legislation also specified certain conditions that the BDCP must meet: the most notable of those being that the BDCP be completed as a Natural Communities Conservation Plan.
Experts Examine Whether Delta Tunnels Proposal Is Good For California – Senator Lois Wolk's Press Release
“Today a panel of experts discussed unanswered questions about the massive Delta Tunnels proposal in an attempt to determine whether the proposal is good for California during an informational hearing of the Senate Select Committee on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, chaired by State Senator Lois Wolk (D-Davis).
…. “These are some of the basic questions that all Californians should expect to have answered prior to moving forward with a multi-billion dollar infrastructure proposal, the most expensive and controversial water infrastructure proposal in California history.”
Questions Remain When It Comes To Tunnel Plan – The Reporter
State leaders and a panel of experts recently took the opportunity to discuss the unanswered questions about the massive Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta Tunnels proposed by Gov. Jerry Brown.
….“California Water Fix is Governor Brown’s third attempt to establish an unsustainable water conveyance plan for California,” Frazier said in a press release. “The Administration’s literal ‘tunnel vision’ has forced this proposal back to the drawing board several times, yet the glaring deficiencies in transparency, accountability and public oversight still remain. The Assembly and Senate have conducted multiple hearings to ensure that the tough questions and onerous details of this plan do not go unchecked. If California is to consider the implementation of such a large-scale project, it is critical that the Legislature insert itself in this process by carefully tracking and reviewing the proposal from all angles.”
Local Columns: LA’s twin grab for SJ Valley, Delta land & water – Manteca Bulletin
…Just a year after slicing and dicing through family-owned farms and taking property with fast-lane eminent domain for the high speed rail to serve the wealthier Los Angeles-San Francisco business crowd, Sacramento is now preparing to seize 300 Delta farms as a precursor to robbing the Delta of the natural flow of Sacramento River water so it can be sucked into tunnels and the dumped near the Tracy pumps.
Californian farmers fear land being seized to make way for GIANT WATER TUNNELS – Catholic.org
California farmers have far more to fear than just the paralyzing drought that has gripped the state for more than five years. It has since been learned that state contractors are seeking to grab up as many as 300 farms in the California delta by eminent domain. They want the land for two massive water tunnels, which remain unapproved after being proposed by Governor Jerry Brown.
California plan calls for confiscating farmland to build controversial water tunnels – RT
….The plan would give landowners a 30-day period in which to consider and negotiate a one-time payment officer for their land, but it simultaneously allows officials to prepare to take the land by forced sale if owners declined to sell.
California plans taking farms for massive water tunnels – News10
California plans taking farms for massive water tunnels – KRON4