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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B><FONT face=Tahoma color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">High
court takes up big delta water case<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B><FONT face=Tahoma color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">San
Francisco Chronicle – 1/26/06<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B><FONT face=Tahoma color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">By
Bob Egelko, staff writer</SPAN></FONT></B><FONT color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black
size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black
size=4><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">The state Supreme Court took
up one of its biggest <STRONG><B><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal">water</SPAN></FONT></B></STRONG> cases in years
Wednesday, agreeing to decide whether a state-federal <STRONG><B><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal">water</SPAN></FONT></B></STRONG> agency considered
effects on <STRONG><B><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal">water</SPAN></FONT></B></STRONG> supplies and the
environment in its planned shipments from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta
to <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place w:st="on">Southern
California</st1:place>. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black
size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black
size=4><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">The justices granted a
hearing to the state on behalf of the state-federal agency known as CalFed,
which has the task of protecting <STRONG><B><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal">water</SPAN></FONT></B></STRONG> quality in the
delta and <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">San Francisco</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Bay</st1:PlaceType> while overseeing increased exports of
<STRONG><B><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal">water</SPAN></FONT></B></STRONG> to cities and farms
in southern <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">California</st1:place></st1:State>. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black
size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black
size=4><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">A state appeals court ruled
in October that CalFed's environmental study of its plan, conducted in 2000,
failed to consider the option of reduced <STRONG><B><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal">water</SPAN></FONT></B></STRONG> pumping to protect
the delta, and also failed to show that enough <STRONG><B><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal">water</SPAN></FONT></B></STRONG> was available to
meet the project's needs. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black
size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black
size=4><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">That ruling, a victory for an
unusual alliance of <st1:place w:st="on">Central Valley</st1:place> farm groups
and environmentalists, would require CalFed to conduct a new environmental
study. But the ruling was nullified, at least for now, by the state Supreme
Court's decision to accept the case. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black
size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=black
size=4><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; COLOR: black">The Los Angeles Metropolitan
<STRONG><B><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal">Water</SPAN></FONT></B></STRONG> District and other
<st1:place w:st="on">Southern California</st1:place> <STRONG><B><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal">water</SPAN></FONT></B></STRONG> users joined the
state in seeking Supreme Court review.
<!-- END STORY --> #<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN class=headline1><B><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><A
href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/01/26/BABADIGEST2.DTL&hw=water&sn=004&sc=1000">http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/01/26/BABADIGEST2.DTL&hw=water&sn=004&sc=1000</A><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></SPAN></P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>