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Water myths: Clinging to knee-jerk ideological positions only hinders any attempt to set rational water policy, says editorial

Posted by: Maven on December 13, 2009 at 9:04 am

From the Riverside Press Enterprise:

“There are no magic solutions to California’s long-term water needs. Ensuring that the state has sufficient water for the future will require a comprehensive, well-informed approach that moves beyond old conflicts. And any feasible water strategy will involve painful trade-offs and leadership to move past stalemate and stagnation.

Those are the conclusions of a useful study: “California Water Myths,” released this month by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California (find it at www.ppic.org). Legislators would be wise to absorb the report’s lessons, because California will lack a coherent water strategy as long as political standoffs obstruct progress. The state also needs to base water policy on facts and knowledge, not traditional — and misleading — articles of water faith.

The study takes aim at the myths that drive much of the water debate, and finds the reality far more complex than political sound bites concede. Blaming agriculture or thirsty Southern Californians or the Endangered Species Act for the state’s water crisis is a mistake, the study argues. The water system’s troubles extend across such simplistic dividing lines. … “

Read more from the Riverside Press-Enterprise by clicking here.

December 13, 2009 · Filed Under General Water Issues

Comments

One Response to “Water myths: Clinging to knee-jerk ideological positions only hinders any attempt to set rational water policy, says editorial”

  1. Wes Rolley on December 13th, 2009 10:44 am

    The fact that the PPIC is nominally non-partisan does not mean that it is impartial. Their bias is generally easily detected and rarely mentioned. There is no area where this is more evident than with water.

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