Isenberg refers to a variety of near-term actions that have been proposed or undertaken and speculates about a “legislative near term deal” that would, among other actions:
- Improve the current Delta water export system, the Delta ecosystem, and Delta flood protection for statewide and in-Delta interests.
- Use existing federal and state agencies along with independent science bodies to implement and manage near-term actions.
- Commit about $1 billion for near-term projects implemented within the next 10 years, using funding from the state, water contractors, and property owners in the Delta.
Isenberg concludes by encouraging Governor Brown to read the National Research Council’s May 2012 report Sustainable Water and Environmental Management in the California Bay-Delta. Ever politic, he suggests that the Governor and the National Academy of Science are really saying the same thing about making prudent choices and getting things done.
Mr. Isenberg is certainly no fool (despite what our opening T. S. Eliot quote might suggest). But we think it’s a stretch to say that the Governor and the National Research Council have much in common.