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<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:windowtext;font-weight:bold'>From Planning and
Conservation League:<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:windowtext;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><font
size=4 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Verdana;
font-weight:bold'>DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR ASKS WATER AGENCIES "WHERE'S THE
SCIENCE?" FOR 2-GATES EXPERIMENT IN <ST1:STATE u1:st="on"><ST1:PLACE u1:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">CALIFORNIA</ST1:PLACE></ST1:STATE></st1:State></st1:place>
DELTA<O:P></O:P></span></font></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'><O:P>Governmental
scientific integrity made a comeback recently when the U.S. Department of
Interior put the breaks on a questionable experiment in the
ecologically-fragile California Bay-Delta Estuary.<O:P></O:P></span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>The
2-Gates Fish Demonstration Project is being promoted by the San Luis &
Delta-Mendota Water Authority, an agricultural water user in the <ST1:PLACE u1:st="on"><ST1:PLACENAME u1:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">San Joaquin</ST1:PLACENAME></st1:PlaceName> <ST1:PLACETYPE u1:st="on"><st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Valley</ST1:PLACETYPE></ST1:PLACE></st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, and
the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Their project would
attempt to lure endangered Delta Smelt away from the deadly water pumping
facilities in the southern Delta to continue the unsustainable export levels.<O:P></O:P></span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>In
a <a
href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=WqdiJ4lNMDDhmoRgxvbUiMh1y8qSNG7b"
title="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=WqdiJ4lNMDDhmoRgxvbUiMh1y8qSNG7b">December
22nd letter</a>, Interior refused to approve the 2-Gates proposal until the
proponents address questions raised by federal agencies and independent science
entities about the underlying scientific premise for the project. <O:P></O:P></span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>This
decision disrupts the proponents' efforts to avoid scrutiny of their project.
The proponents had already obtained an exemption from the California
Environmental Quality Act through Governor Schwarzenegger's 2009 <a
href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=BiR9vJEBh%2FiVJbtzddP%2BMMh1y8qSNG7b"
title="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=BiR9vJEBh%2FiVJbtzddP%2BMMh1y8qSNG7b">emergency
drought proclamation</a> and had prematurely secured <a
href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=W4vMa1lyS%2FIptF8UYnFGEsh1y8qSNG7b"
title="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=W4vMa1lyS%2FIptF8UYnFGEsh1y8qSNG7b">federal
funding</a> for project implementation through omnibus federal budget
bills. <O:P></O:P></span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=2 color=black face=Verdana><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana'>Interior's
actions demonstrate the problems inherent in the Governor's wide-reaching
drought proclamation. Without vetting the scientific assumptions of the 2-Gates
proposal, which the proponents failed to do, it's impossible to determine
whether the project will help mitigate the environmental impacts of the
drought, a condition for qualifying for the exemption. By complying with
Interior's request, the proponents can help determine if the project will
actually protect the environment and therefore warrant use of scarce taxpayer
dollars.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:windowtext;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:PersonName w:st="on"><em><i><font size=3 color=gray
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Byron
Leydecker</span></font></i></em></st1:PersonName><em><i><font color=gray
face="Times New Roman"><span style='color:gray'>, JcT, Chair</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Friends of <st1:place w:st="on">Trinity
River</st1:place></span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:address w:st="on"><st1:Street w:st="on"><em><i><font
size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
color:gray'>PO Box</span></font></i></em></st1:Street><em><i><font
color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='color:gray'> 2327</span></font></i></em></st1:address><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><em><i><font
size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
color:gray'>Mill Valley</span></font></i></em></st1:City><em><i><font
color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='color:gray'>, <st1:State w:st="on">CA</st1:State>
<st1:PostalCode w:st="on">94942-2327</st1:PostalCode></span></font></i></em></st1:place><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 383 4810 Land/Fax (Call first to Fax) </span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 519 4810 <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Mobile</st1:place></st1:City></span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><u><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue'><a href="mailto:bwl3@comcast.net">bwl3@comcast.net</a></span></font></u></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><u><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue'><a
href="mailto:bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org">bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org</a></span></font></u></i></em><em><i><font
color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span style='color:blue'> </span></font></i></em><em><i><font
color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='color:gray'>(Secondary)</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><u><font size=3 color=blue face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue'><a href="http://www.fotr.org/">www.fotr.org</a>
</span></font></u></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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