Late Yesterday Another Dam Proposal Surfaced: Schwarzenegger Continues Push For Dams After Prior Package Defeated

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Gary A. Patton
Executive Director
Planning and Conservation League

This week the Senate rejected SB 3XX (Cogdill), the $9 billion water bond with $5 billion for new, environmentally damaging dams. We applaud the Senate, and in particular Senator Perata and Senator Steinberg for their leadership in rejecting that wasteful proposal.

However, late yesterday the Governor's office sent a new proposal to key legislators, offering a "compromise" water package that would provide $3.5 billion for environmentally damaging dams.

While the legislative leadership has held strong in its opposition to dam funding thus far, the Governor's office is applying increased pressure to key legislators to accept his proposal and deliver a dam funding package in the next week.

Directing billions for dams will not address the crisis in the Delta, or provide increased water supply reliability to California. If advanced, this proposal threatens to derail the continued collaboration by all stakeholders in addressing these critical problems.

State and federal studies demonstrate that California has better options to meet our water needs. Water recycling, groundwater clean-up and urban water use efficiency have greater potential, are more cost effective, and can be implemented in a much more timely manner than controversial dams. These options also provide water where it is needed most, directly in the many regions of California.

PCL applauds Senator Perata and Speaker Núñez for their focus on real solutions to California water, and their refusal to direct bond funds to costly, ineffective and damaging dams.

Please join PCL in urging Senator President pro Tempore Perata and Speaker Nunez to continue to hold the line for California and REJECT ANY AND ALL proposals that direct taxpayer dollars to damaging dams! CALL TODAY!

Contact Senator Perata – (916) 651-4009
Contact Speaker Nunez - (916) 319-2046

Gary Patton is the Executive Director of the Planning and Conservation League, a statewide, nonprofit lobbying organization. For more than thirty years, PCL has fought to develop a body of environmental laws in California that is the best in the United States. PCL staff review virtually every environmental bill that comes before the California Legislature each year. It has testified in support or opposition of thousands of bills to strengthen California's environmental laws and fight off rollbacks of environmental protections.