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<h1><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>This
editorial also ran in the Bee’s sister newspaper the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
 w:st="on">Merced</st1:City></st1:place> Star 2 15 10<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h1>

<h1><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></h1>

<h1><b><font size=6 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:24.0pt'>Editorial:
Feinstein's play threatens to roil the water world<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h1>

<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>Published: Sunday, Feb. 14, 2010 - 12:00 am | Page 6E <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>

<!-- CLOSE: #story_header -->

<p><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-weight:bold'>In her long and mostly distinguished career, <a
href="http://topics.sacbee.com/U.S.+Sen.+Dianne+Feinstein/" style='cursor:pointer'
_old_href="http%3A%2F%2Ftopics.sacbee.com%2FU.S.%2BSen.%2BDianne%2BFeinstein%2F"><font
face=Georgia><span style='font-family:Georgia'>U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein</span></font></a>
has championed many environmental causes. At times she has also challenged
environmentalists to consider interests other than their own.<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>

<p><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-weight:bold'>That's good. Feinstein's independent streak is one of her
assets as a <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> senator and
a leader of <a href="http://topics.sacbee.com/California/" style='cursor:pointer'
_old_href="http%3A%2F%2Ftopics.sacbee.com%2FCalifornia%2F"><font face=Georgia><span
style='font-family:Georgia'>California.</span></font></a><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>

<p><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-weight:bold'>Feinstein, however, also has been known to take reckless
stands. She is doing so now, with plans to amend a fast-moving jobs bill to
reduce Endangered Species Act protections for fish, including salmon, in the <a
href="http://topics.sacbee.com/Sacramento-San+Joaquin+Delta/" style='cursor:
pointer'
_old_href="http%3A%2F%2Ftopics.sacbee.com%2FSacramento-San%2BJoaquin%2BDelta%2F"><font
face=Georgia><span style='font-family:Georgia'>Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.</span></font></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>

<p><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-weight:bold'>Feinstein's amendment, if enacted, would increase <a
href="http://topics.sacbee.com/Delta./" style='cursor:pointer'
_old_href="http%3A%2F%2Ftopics.sacbee.com%2FDelta.%2F"><font face=Georgia><span
style='font-family:Georgia'>Delta </span></font></a>pumping to benefit certain
farms in the <a href="http://topics.sacbee.com/San+Joaquin+Valley/"
style='cursor:pointer'
_old_href="http%3A%2F%2Ftopics.sacbee.com%2FSan%2BJoaquin%2BValley%2F"><font
face=Georgia><span style='font-family:Georgia'>San Joaquin Valley.</span></font></a>
Those agricultural operations, ranging from small farms to lucrative corporate
empires, have seen their irrigation supplies drop due to drought and court
decisions involving <a href="http://topics.sacbee.com/Delta./"
style='cursor:pointer'><font face=Georgia><span style='font-family:Georgia'>Delta
</span></font></a>smelt and other fish. <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>

<p><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-weight:bold'>In a statement Thursday, Feinstein said she was seeking this
amendment because, in so many words, water is being wasted. "Water has
been gushing past the canals and into the oceans while farms on the west side
of the valley are likely to receive a very low percentage of their water
allocations," she said.<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>

<p><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-weight:bold'>Feinstein is grossly oversimplifying the water situation in
the <a href="http://topics.sacbee.com/Delta./" style='cursor:pointer'><font
face=Georgia><span style='font-family:Georgia'>Delta </span></font></a>and the
valley. <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>

<p><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-weight:bold'>At certain times of the year, juvenile salmon and other fish
need adequate flows to reach the ocean or to avoid being sucked into the giant
pumps that deliver water to <a
href="http://topics.sacbee.com/Southern+California/" style='cursor:pointer'
_old_href="http%3A%2F%2Ftopics.sacbee.com%2FSouthern%2BCalifornia%2F"><font
face=Georgia><span style='font-family:Georgia'>Southern California,</span></font></a>
the <a href="http://topics.sacbee.com/Bay+Area/" style='cursor:pointer'
_old_href="http%3A%2F%2Ftopics.sacbee.com%2FBay%2BArea%2F"><font face=Georgia><span
style='font-family:Georgia'>Bay Area</span></font></a> and the <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">San Joaquin</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
 w:st="on">Valley</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. Feinstein's amendment threatens
those fish. It could be especially harmful to <a
href="http://topics.sacbee.com/California/" style='cursor:pointer'><font
face=Georgia><span style='font-family:Georgia'>California's</span></font></a>
salmon runs, which shrank to record low numbers in 2009, according to a report
last week by the <a
href="http://topics.sacbee.com/Pacific+Fisheries+Management+Council/"
style='cursor:pointer'
_old_href="http%3A%2F%2Ftopics.sacbee.com%2FPacific%2BFisheries%2BManagement%2BCouncil%2F"><font
face=Georgia><span style='font-family:Georgia'>Pacific Fisheries Management
Council.</span></font></a><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>

<p><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-weight:bold'>Feinstein's action poses other threats. For the last two
years, moderate environmental groups have been working with water exporters on
a conservation plan for the <a href="http://topics.sacbee.com/Delta/"
style='cursor:pointer' _old_href="http%3A%2F%2Ftopics.sacbee.com%2FDelta%2F"><font
face=Georgia><span style='font-family:Georgia'>Delta.</span></font></a> This
coalition helped pass water legislation last year and is studying plans for a
canal, tunnel or other form of conveyance for the <a
href="http://topics.sacbee.com/Delta/" style='cursor:pointer'><font
face=Georgia><span style='font-family:Georgia'>Delta.</span></font></a> That
could possibly reduce conflicts over fish and produce more reliable <a
href="http://topics.sacbee.com/water+supplies/" style='cursor:pointer'
_old_href="http%3A%2F%2Ftopics.sacbee.com%2Fwater%2Bsupplies%2F"><font
face=Georgia><span style='font-family:Georgia'>water supplies</span></font></a>
for exporters.<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>

<p><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-weight:bold'>Yet if Feinstein's amendment were to pass, it would likely
end this delicate detente and lead to years of more litigation and fighting
over the <a href="http://topics.sacbee.com/Delta/" style='cursor:pointer'><font
face=Georgia><span style='font-family:Georgia'>Delta.</span></font></a> <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>

<p><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-weight:bold'>Feinstein should be smart enough to know this. The question
is: Is she smart enough to acknowledge that she's made a serious error in
judgment? <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><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>

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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
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