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Salton Sea’s salvation rests on stalled funding appropriation

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 10, 2008 at 5:42 am

From MyDesert.com, this editorial:

Unfortunately, the state Legislature has not made the Salton Sea a priority. It must be a priority because it’s shrinking and in danger of becoming a dust bowl that will release harmful toxins into the air. The bill, along with scores of other measures, did not pass out of the Senate Appropriations Committee late last month because the bills were projected to add new costs at a time when the state is experiencing a budget crisis.

While we agree that the state should be prudent, especially with ongoing operation expenses, voters have set aside money by voting for this funding measure. The voters already approved funds in the budget, federal money to match it is waiting in the wings, and we shouldn’t allow the Legislature to stifle voters’ wishes. “It is irresponsible not to allocate money the voters approved,” said Rick Daniels, former executive director of the Salton Sea Authority.

Voters approved $46 million in 2006 to restore the Salton Sea, California’s largest lake, because the water salinity is increasing and the sea is shrinking. It will recede considerably by 2018, when water transfers will halt agricultural runoff for the most part.

But two years have passed and nothing is being done. Of that money, about $10.3 million is in the proposed 2008-09 budget, earmarked for early restoration work. That money can be spent without the bill and it should, but what about the other $38 million? The state legislature is stalled in making the needed appropriations and a federal match of $30 million that was hard fought for by Sen. Barbara Boxer, who is a Rancho Mirage resident, and Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Palm Springs, remains unused.

Part of the problem is that it will take millions to restore the Salton Sea. Experts also point to the fact that the lake is far away from more populated areas that seem to get more immediate attention. But this area is important to the state. Negative impact from the dying Salton Sea will not only harm wildlife and our health, but it will hurt the statewide economy when tourists stop visiting.

SB 1256, which would have created a new agency that included local control to oversee the restoration, never even came up for a vote. It was just allowed to die because the state is about $17 billion in the red.

We understand that every dollar not spent goes to help show a balanced budget, but the voters approved a funding measure and the sea is dying now. Something has to be done soon, or we face devastation from the sea’s environmental and economic impacts.

Read the full text of this editorial from MyDesert.com by clicking here.

June 10, 2008 · Filed Under Salton Sea

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