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Barry Nelson: Reason #1 – trust: “Lack of trust among stakeholders has been a major obstacle to progress on Delta issues for years”

Posted by: Maven on February 18, 2010 at 8:04 am

From Barry Nelson at the NRDC Switchboard Blog:

“There are many complex reasons why legislation to block ESA protections in the Delta would be unproductive. One of the most important reasons, however, is simple: trust. The lack of trust among stakeholders has been a major obstacle to progress on Delta issues for years. As a result, discussions about solutions to the challenges in the Delta often don’t get out of the starting gate.

Over the past several months, I’ve written many times about the provisions of the policy reform package that the state legislature passed last November. However, beyond the details of the many bills in that package, that legislation started to rebuild trust among some of the warring parties in the Delta. That trust is fragile, and it’s not universal, but it’s an important ingredient for progress.

For example, NRDC has been a long-time opponent of a peripheral canal in the Delta. However, as a result of increasing awareness of sea level rise, subsidence and earthquake risks in the Delta, we’ve moved from that simple position to a more open and nuanced one. In short, our position on Delta infrastructure will be determined by its design, proposed operations and assurances that it will be operated responsibly. That last point is where trust comes in. … ”

Read more from the NRDC Switchboard blog by clicking here.

February 18, 2010 · Filed Under Delta Issues

Comments

One Response to “Barry Nelson: Reason #1 – trust: “Lack of trust among stakeholders has been a major obstacle to progress on Delta issues for years””

  1. Wes Rolley on February 18th, 2010 8:09 am

    Such lack of trust comes from experience. Regaining that trust will take a long time with open and honest people.

    I hope I live long enough to see it.

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