– Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla
We have heard that voluntary agreement talks to set new flow standards for the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary have resumed. Apparently, there is a push to cut a deal by mid-August so that related project money could work its way into next year’s state budget.
We have heard that not much has changed in the proposal that has now floated for 3 years, 6 years, 10 years (depends where we start counting from). The terms have been shortened to 8 years instead of 15. But the most disturbing item is that Governor Newsom’s Department of Water Resources is using the fake science dreamed up in the Trump era as the baseline for determining flows, which will permanently short once again freshwater moving through the estuary. Biden administration officials from various fishery agencies, who are hold overs from the Trump years, are also working from this fake science baseline.
To say we are disappointed is an understatement. As the Delta fills with toxic algae and we prepare for a complete die-off of salmon in the months ahead, Governor Newsom, who claims to be about the environment and following the science, is failing to hold his own agencies accountable. They could lead and inform federal agencies to return to real science and meaningful baselines for protecting the largest estuary on the west coast of the Americas. We are tired of the hypocrisy.
To read more about what is at stake for California’s salmon fishery click here for the fine editorial by the Los Angeles Times. To learn more about the proliferation of toxic algae in the Delta, click here.
Freshwater flows are an essential opponent for stopping both these environmental disasters. Why is the Governor allowing for the destruction of everything that makes California a place of beauty and health for the export of almonds and other commodity crops to fill the pockets of of industrial growers.
We recommend that all our members express their displeasure about the voluntary agreements for management of the Delta to their state representatives and to Governor Newsom’s office directly.
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ACTION ALERT: The Newsom Delta Tunnel Process Webinars
The long process of official DWR-sponsored meetings around the Environmental Impact Report for the Delta tunnel begins this summer. We recommend that all our followers register for the webinars sponsored by DWR and the Design Construction Authority to listen and respond with smart, factual, yet passionate critique as necessary.
Next Webinar
Tuesday, August 3, 2021 | 6:00pm – 7:30pm
Get prepped and register to participate.