Water Education Foundation
This is just one post in the San Joaquin River Restoration Category
Click here to view all posts

Don Curlee commentary on San Joaquin River restoration: “What kind of convoluted reasoning supports spending hundreds of millions in federal tax money and stealing millions of acre feet of agricultural water to restore a river that has been dry for 60 years just so salmon can frolic in the stream?”

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 2, 2009 at 6:32 am

From the Visalia Times Delta, this commentary:

The fishermen and hunters I know don’t always get their game, but they seem to know where to find it. Oregon and Alaska are popular destinations to find salmon. Makes me wonder why some folks propose spending millions to bring salmon to the fishermen of the San Joaquin Valley.

What kind of convoluted reasoning supports spending hundreds of millions in federal tax money and stealing millions of acre feet of agricultural water to restore a river that has been dry for 60 years just so salmon can frolic in the stream?

This is the scenario presently on the table in a bill before Congress. The version omits the $500 million in federal funding that was proposed originally, putting even more of a ridiculous burden on farmers and private enterprise. At one point the proposal included an even exchange of new water for the amount released down the San Joaquin River. That suggestion also has been withdrawn.

People who discuss the issue point to the decision by federal Judge Oliver Wanger ordering implementation of the plan. The judgment was based on environmental law and precedence. Water purveyors who disburse water for farm use saw the congressional proposal as the least intrusive of several proposals.

The predicament underscores the awesome power that environmentalists and fish worshipers have achieved. They seem to dictate the costliest, most unreasonable actions based on the flimsiest evidence. They’ve been doing it for 50 years or more, and they seem to gain momentum with each decision made by helpless judges and intimidated legislators.

Read more of this commentary from the Visalia Times Delta by clicking here.

February 2, 2009 · Filed Under San Joaquin River Restoration

Comments

Leave a Reply