A group of House members, all representing districts served by powerful water agencies, has urged the Newsom administration to roll back a key environmental rule governing operations in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The rule includes critical limits intended to protect the ecological health of the state’s largest and most fragile estuary.
Both the Newsom and Trump administrations have sought to increase water exports this year, easing environmental protections in order to pave the way for large, expensive water infrastructure projects. Environmental, Tribal and fishing organizations have sharply opposed those efforts, warning they would further imperil endangered species such as Chinook salmon and Delta smelt.
Restore the Delta and our partners are now calling on the state to reject proposals to increase pumping and water exports. Weakening or reversing the 25-year-old water quality rule would cause irreversible harm to already threatened habitats, ecosystems, and water supplies that Delta fish and communities depend on.
“Regulations for water quality are essential to protect communities and ecosystems that live throughout the Bay-Delta. Weakening salinity requirements as requested by these legislators will have a direct and negative impact on Tribes, communities, Delta farms, and the Delta economy. Water quality regulations are meant to protect all beneficial uses and the public trust, not the greed of industry and wealthy agricultural interests,” said Morgen Snyder, Director of Policy and Programs at Restore the Delta.
Read the article from E&E News by Politico here.
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