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Peter Gleick on California water bills: Is the new water legislation better than nothing?

Posted by: Maven on November 6, 2009 at 8:35 am

From Peter Gleick at the City Brights blog:

“A lot of people have asked me my opinion about the new water legislation just passed in Sacramento. Here is a longer version of my piece in the New York Times Bay Area blog page.

After months of negotiations, wrangling, lobbying, and deal-making, much of it behind closed doors and out of public view, the California legislature has just passed a major new water package that includes both complex policy changes and a huge bond request that the voters will be asked to approve.

Despite the happy face being put on by some of the bill’s supporters, including Governor Schwarzenegger, I doubt anyone is truly happy with the end result. Perhaps that’s too much to expect for a topic as complex as California water and for a bill that tries to do so much at once. I’m certainly not happy, but I believe there was a (mostly) good faith effort on the part of the governor and the legislators and all the other water interest groups to try and produce something.

What will be the ultimate outcome? Are we going to be better off with this bill than with no bill? Will California legislators now say they are done dealing with water, and refuse to tackle the unaddressed, partially addressed, or badly addressed issues? If so, then this package isn’t going to be nearly enough. But if instead legislators and other water interests treat it as a beginning, not an end, and work to build and improve on the good pieces, it could be a major step forward. We’ll have to wait and see how it changes our actual water problems. …”

Read more from the City Brights blog by clicking here.

November 6, 2009 · Filed Under Legislation - State & Federal

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