[env-trinity] State and feds request 60-day extension on hearing for Delta Tunnels

[Dan Bacher]

http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/3/28/1507338/-State-and-feds-request-60-day-extension-on-hearing-for-Delta-Tunnels


State and feds request 60-day extension on hearing for Delta Tunnels

by Dan Bacher

Every day, it seems that Governor Jerry Brown’s California Water Fix  
to build the Delta Tunnels is getting closer and closer to collapsing.


Today the California Department of Water Resources and the U.S.  
Department of Interior sent a joint letter to Hearing Chair Tam Doduc  
and Hearing Officer Felicia Marcus of the State Water Resources  
Control Board requesting a 60-day continuance of the Hearing on the  
California Waterfix Water Rights Petition.

“Based upon recent success settling issues raised in the EIR/EIS  
process and ongoing discussions with protestants, Petitioners believe  
that a continuance could provide additional time to resolve other  
protests to simplify and expedite the hearing process,” the letter  
said. “The additional time would also reduce the State Water Board’s  
burden of analyzing and deliberating on a number of parties' claims  
and scope of the hearing.”

“Within 30 days of granting this continuance, Petitioners propose to  
submit at update to the State Water Board to report on their status,  
potential proposed permit conditions, and any other additional  
modeling in support of the project description,” the letter stated.

In other news pointing to the plan’s imminent collapse, the Howard  
Jarvis Taxpayers Association recently sent a letter suggesting legal  
action against Zone 7 Water Agency and the Santa Clara Valley Water  
District, arguing against Delta Tunnels financing, as the San Jose  
Mercury News reported. (www.mercurynews.com/...)

“The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association -- founded by the co-author  
of Proposition 13 -- sent water agencies in Silicon Valley and Alameda  
County a letter suggesting possible legal action. The letter argued  
that the tunnels were not part of the original State Water Project  
plan and that any property tax hike to fund them would be illegal  
without voter approval,” according to the Mercury News.

Timothy Bittle, the association’s attorney, said "What the voters  
approved in 1960 doesn't say anything about tunnels.”

Then in an action alert today, Restore the Delta (RTD) noted, “The  
Delta Tunnels project is on ‘thin ice.’ The plan is in major need of  
continued financial support from smaller urban agencies such as Santa  
Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD) and Zone 7 Water Agency in Alameda  
County.”

The Tunnels supporters are becoming increasing desperate in their  
campaign to salvage the Delta Tunnels plan, a project that that is  
based on the absurd notion that taking more water out of the  
Sacramento River will “restore” the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary.

In their new petition alert, Californians for Water Security, the  
Stewart Resnick Big Ag front group, is asking Californians to send  
emails in support of the Delta Tunnels/CA Water Fix to Santa Clara  
Valley Water District’s Board. Santa Clara Valley Water District  
(SCVWD) needs to hear from California ratepayers like you that will  
actually pay the costs, RTD pointed out.

“Let’s make sure the tunnels plan does not get this support!  We need  
you to counter their action,” RTD urged.

The group recommended sending an e-mail to SCVWD valleywater.org  
telling them:

Dear Santa Clara Valley Water District Board Members,

First off, I would like to express my appreciation that the Board  
recognizes that it should consult with ratepayers regarding parcel  
taxes for financing the Delta tunnels project.  You are off to a good  
start.

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, however, recently said in the  
San Jose Mercury News that raising property taxes for Delta Tunnels  
would violate Proposition 13 and could lead to lawsuits. As a water  
ratepayer and property taxpayer, I do not want to pay money for a  
project that will not create additional water supply, but mostly  
benefit corporate agriculture in the southwestern San Joaquin Valley.

In addition, as Westlands and San Luis Delta-Mendota Water Authority  
have recently been placed on negative credit watch after being fined  
by the SEC for engaging in a little Enron accounting, it is clear that  
these agencies cannot be counted on to contribute a 40% capital share  
toward the tunnels.

The Delta Tunnels would violate not only our federal and state  
standards of environmental and social justice law, but California tax  
law. As part of the Bay-Delta region, it makes sense for SCVWD to  
align itself with other Bay-Delta communities to protect the long-term  
health of the SF Bay-Delta estuary.

Please vote no against continued CA WaterFix/Delta Tunnels support.  
Save the Bay-Delta estuary for our children and future generations.

For more information about Nut King Stewart Resnick, one of the key  
proponents of the Delta Tunnels, and his deep connections to UC Davis  
and UCLA, go to: www.dailykos.com/...
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