On December 29, 2017, The Trump Administration announced their intention to increase Delta exports to Central Valley farmers, despite Delta smelt nearing extinction. In the wake of this environmental crisis, California water reporters and environmental watchdog groups are wondering, “Where is Governor Brown?”
Executive Director of Restore the Delta, Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla said,
“America’s first fish species could be lost forever under Governor Brown’s watch. With only two delta smelt identified in the last fish survey, state and federal agencies need to focus time, money, and energy on restoring smelt populations instead of turning up the pumps. Governor Brown positioned himself as a global environmental advocate when President Trump took office, but has chosen to remain silent about Delta water exports since the Trump Administration’s announcement to increase pumping. Governor Brown has proved that he can stand up to President Trump in the past, so why not now?”
Fitzgerald: Requiem for a ‘bait fish’ – Stockton Record
“Because Democrats are just as bad. I wonder how Gov. Jerry Brown could rail so piously this week against President Donald Trump’s move to allow offshore oil drilling when California’s watery heart is dying.
Might extinction, too, be something to decry, governor? Or will that displease the donors? The interests who sustained you as an elite in exchange for short-term gains at society’s expense?”
The delta smelt heads for extinction, marking a half-century of failed California water policy – LA Times
“But the fate of the smelt itself is a distraction; the real issue is the fate of the delta. And the decline of the smelt tells us it’s in trouble. While it’s true that agricultural production in Tulare and Kern counties, which receive water from the delta, is valued at more than $13 billion a year, that has to be weighed against other values needing to be preserved. They include the value of delta farming, commercial and sport fisheries, the health of its residents and their property values.”
Editorial: Block Trump plan to pump Delta water south to the Central Valley – San Jose Mercury News and East Bay Times Editorial Boards
“Once upon a time, Republicans believed in helping protect the environment. It was President Nixon who signed the Environmental Protection Act into law in 1970, and it was President George H.W. Bush who in 1992 signed a bill co-written by Martinez Rep. George Miller making restoring fish life in San Francisco Bay and the Delta a priority.”
ICYMI: January 8, 2018
Contact:
Nora Kovaleski, 408-806-6470, nora@kovaleskipr.com
Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Restore the Delta, 209-479-2053, barbara@restorethedelta.org