Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation for DWR personnel of significant news articles and comment
July 11, 2008
1. Top Items -
Schwarzenegger, Feinstein propose $9.3B water bond
The Associated Press- 7/10/08
Governor, Feinstein back bond
The
Huge bond plan to revamp state water system
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Schwarzenegger, Feinstein propose $9.3B water bond
The Associated Press- 7/10/08
Billions also would be spent to help the ecologically fragile Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the heart of the state's intricate water-supply system.
Schwarzenegger hopes to win approval from leaders in the state Legislature and put the plan before voters in November.
The Republican governor and the state's senior senator, a Democrat, have been trying to broker a compromise on a long-term water deal for months. Earlier this year, Feinstein scolded fellow Democrats in the state Legislature for failing to engage in talks over a possible water bond.
She and Schwarzenegger have emphasized the urgency in upgrading the state's decades-old system of reservoirs, pumps and canals.
An overview of the plan released Thursday, for example, states that additional reservoirs are needed to help "offset the climate change impacts of reduced snowpack and higher flood flows."
A month ago, Schwarzenegger proclaimed a statewide drought, noting that some local governments had already ordered conservation measures and that crops had been lost.
The Republican leaders of the Assembly and Senate reacted favorably to the proposal. The GOP has said that including money for reservoirs, a crucial point for
Senate Minority Leader Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto, called the proposal a good starting point.
"Guaranteeing that the water flows when Californians turn on the tap isn't a Republican or Democrat issue, it's an issue that impacts everyone regardless if you are a homeowner, business owner or farmer," he said in a statement.
Sen. President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, also has been a leading advocate for a water bond, although he has been skeptical of having the state foot the bill for new reservoirs. His focus has been on conservation and improving water quality.
Even with both sides desiring action, negotiations among legislative leaders have been stalled for more than a year. That in part is because of a philosophical debate over who should pay to build new dams.
Feinstein hoped to break the logjam when she came to
That prompted Feinstein to fire off a letter to Perata and then-Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-
Thursday's announcement of a compromise plan is the first substantial movement since then, at least publicly.
The plan appears to offer something to Democrats, Republicans and environmentalists but would require all parties to compromise.
"I know that legislative leaders recognize the urgent need to address California's water crisis, and I look forward to working with them to present a plan to voters this November," Schwarzenegger said in a prepared statement.
Richard Stapler, a spokesman for Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-
The Schwarzenegger-Feinstein plan includes:
_ $3 billion for reservoirs and other water storage projects. The costs of new water storage would be shared between the state and the local water providers who would benefit, a key sticking point in previous negotiations.
_ $2 billion in funding for regional projects to increase water-use efficiency, protect water quality, reduce energy use and agricultural runoff.
_ $1.9 billion for a plan to manage the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, modeled on the recommendations of a panel the governor appointed. The delta provides irrigation water for thousands of acres of cropland and supplies drinking water for two-thirds of the state.
The delta has emerged as one of
It acts as a massive relay system for the state's water supply, with water from Northern California rivers flowing in and then being jettisoned through gigantic pumps to the
Environmentalists, sport fishing groups and some scientists contend those pumps are the main culprit for killing fish species throughout the delta. The population decline became so severe for the threatened Delta smelt that a federal judge last December ordered the state to reduce water pumping by a third.
This year, farmers and cities will receive just 35 percent of their contracted water from the state. Schwarzenegger and state water managers have pressed for a solution that ensures the state's long-term water supply while protecting the delta's environment.
One solution is a canal to route fresh water around the delta, eliminating or greatly reducing the need for the pumps.
The Schwarzenegger-Feinstein plan released Thursday does not specifically say whether it includes money for such a canal. A description released by the administration refers only to "improving water conveyance."
The careful wording is a reflection of the state's political atmosphere. Voters soundly rejected plans for such a "peripheral canal" in 1982, and many environmental groups oppose it.
Even if such a canal were part of the long-term plan, Thursday's proposal does not contain enough money to build one.
In April, the Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force, the panel Schwarzenegger appointed to study delta solutions, estimated that various options for pumping water around the delta would cost from $4 billion to $17 billion.
Also included in the Schwarzenegger-Feinstein proposal released Thursday is $1.3 billion for conservation programs along the Klamath,
They also are seeking $800 million to improve groundwater quality and $250 million for water recycling projects.#
http://www.pe.com/ap_news/California/CA_California_Water_349263C.shtml
Governor, Feinstein back bond
The
By Kevin Yamamura
In a last-ditch effort to place a water bond on the November ballot, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sen. Dianne Feinstein proposed a joint $9.3 billion plan Thursday that they believe addresses environmental and oversight concerns.
Democratic lawmakers and the Republican governor have disagreed on how to structure a water bond for two years, largely due to environmental concerns related to Schwarzenegger's desire for new dams in
The governor sees a chance this year to win voter approval for a multibillion-dollar bond in the wake of unusually dry conditions and a drought emergency he declared last month. A two-thirds legislative vote is necessary to place the bond on the November ballot.
"There is an urgent need for comprehensive water reform, and this bipartisan plan is offered as a potential compromise," Schwarzenegger said in a release.
Elements of the new plan are similar to those in previous bond proposals. It provides $1.9 billion to restore the beleaguered
Schwarzenegger administration officials believe it is more attractive to Democrats because it does not mandate that money spent for water storage – $3 billion total – go exclusively toward dams, allowing some money to be spent on groundwater storage and other less intensive projects.
Past Republican proposals also have included a continuous authorization of water storage money that avoided legislative oversight, an aspect that Democrats opposed. The new plan resurrects a dormant state water panel to approve spending instead.
Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, had a tepid response, calling on the governor to first authorize $872 million in unspent water funds and reach agreement on a $15.2 billion budget shortfall before seeking a water bond in the Capitol.
"I am open to doing a water bond," Perata said in a statement. "First, however, the state should spend the bond money voters approved in 2006, and then, we must pass a responsible budget that can pay for the debt service on a new bond."
Perata spokesman Andrew LaMar also said Perata believes the Legislature should have authority over spending on water storage projects, not a state commission. He added that Perata thinks the governor's plan is still set up to give more weight to dam projects than to groundwater storage.
"As far as this being a compromise proposal, we don't really see it that way," LaMar said.
Sierra Club
Business groups and the Association of California Water Agencies applauded Schwarzenegger and Feinstein.
"At a glance, this looks pretty good to us, balanced and centrist," said ACWA Executive Director Timothy Quinn.#
http://www.sacbee.com/378/story/1075348.html
Huge bond plan to revamp state water system
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sen. Dianne Feinstein unveiled a sweeping $9.3 billion bond proposal on Thursday to overhaul
The proposal, which is planned to be on the November ballot, was put together after Democrats in the state Legislature balked last year at the governor's proposal for a $9 billon overhaul of the state water system that focused primarily on building three dams.
But administration officials say Schwarzenegger believes the new proposal contains enough significant changes to garner the two-thirds majority in both houses of the Democrat-controlled Legislature necessary to send it to voters.
The new plan includes money for water storage, but the amount is $3 billion rather than the $5.1 billion the governor had in his earlier plan. And the money wouldn't necessarily be used for dam projects - it could be spent for other projects, including groundwater storage.
The plan also includes funds to help preserve the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta by fixing levees; to make seismic retrofits of the water infrastructure; to protect and restore native fish and wildlife in the area; and to pay for projects to cut greenhouse gas emissions from exposed delta soils.
Schwarzenegger and Feinstein's proposal would spend the $9.3 billion in six areas:
-- $3 billion on water-storage projects.
-- $2 billion for regional water supply and conservation projects.
-- $1.9 billion for
-- $1.3 billion to protect ecosystems and watersheds, to remove invasive species and to restore watersheds damaged by fire. Funds also would be used to remove dams, including one on the
-- $800 million to improve water quality, groundwater protection and small-community wastewater treatment.
-- $250 million for grants and loans for water recycling projects.
Money from the bond would be doled out by the California Water Commission, a panel created by Gov. Edmund G. Brown in the 1960s that has been dormant for years. The governor would appoint nine new members, who would need to be confirmed by the state Senate.
"The goal of this plan is to break the long-standing stalemate over water," Feinstein, D-Calif., said in a statement.
Feinstein, who has long supported fixing the state's water infrastructure, jumped into the water debate last year when she began talking to the governor and state legislators. In February, she visited
Schwarzenegger's chief of staff, Susan Kennedy, said she believes the state's current drought has persuaded Californians to support the state's need to invest in its water infrastructure.
"We think now is the perfect time to do this," she said. "People in
Some environmentalists and Democrats were skeptical of the plan, saying it is ill-timed and that the state has yet to spend money from a previous infrastructure bond. Republicans and business groups applauded the measure.
The backing of Feinstein and Schwarzenegger could be the key to success for the bond measure, said Barbara O'Connor, director of the Institute for the Study of Politics and the Media at
Feinstein is "the most popular politician in
Allan Zaremberg, president and chief executive officer of the California Chamber of Commerce, also said it's "great the governor and Sen. Feinstein have taken the leadership on this."
"We're moving the discussion forward because it is really essential for the long-term vitality of
Senate Republican leader Dave Cogdill from
But Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, said the state should first spend the billions that voters approved in 2006 for infrastructure projects before asking for more funds.
Perata said the governor and lawmakers' first priority should be to successfully negotiate a state budget that closes the $17.2 billion budget gap.
"Once we do that, we'll sit down with the governor and Republicans to draft a bond measure to secure the state's long-term water supply," Perata said in a written statement.
Richard Stapler, a spokesman for Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Baldwin Vista (
Jim Metropulos, senior advocate for Sierra Club
"We already have a crowded November ballot. Why, in a time when we're fighting a $17 billion (budget) deficit, are they coming up with a divisive proposal?" he said.#
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/11/MNCI11N4GF.DTL
No comments:
Post a Comment