<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#3c3736" face="'Open Sans'"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/6/7/1535572/-Conservation-groups-ask-for-more-time-to-file-objections-to-Delta-Tunnels-plan">http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/6/7/1535572/-Conservation-groups-ask-for-more-time-to-file-objections-to-Delta-Tunnels-plan</a></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#3c3736" face="'Open Sans'"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#3c3736" face="'Open Sans'"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; "><img height="585" width="784" apple-width="yes" apple-height="yes" src="cid:05BD7E41-6F4A-42F8-9402-D4AB68E28F38"></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#3c3736" face="'Open Sans'"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; "><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#3c3736" face="'Open Sans'"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#3c3736" size="6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px; ">Conservation groups ask for more time to file objections to Delta Tunnels plan</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#3c3736" face="'Open Sans'"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#3c3736" face="'Open Sans'"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">by Dan Bacher</span></font></div><div style="color: rgb(60, 55, 54); font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; "><br></div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#3c3736" face="'Open Sans'"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">Following the submission of documents on May 31 by the state and federal governments pleading their case for the Delta Tunnels plan, environmental and fishing groups and San Joaquin County asked the State Water Resources Control Board for more time for them to file their objections to the documents. </span></font><p class="" style="color: rgb(60, 55, 54); font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; "><br></p><p class="" style="color: rgb(60, 55, 54); font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; ">Three separate request letters were filed, including one by AquAlliance, California Sportfishing Alliance and other groups; the second by the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA) and the Institute for Fishery Resources (IFR); and the third by San Joaquin County and Mokelumne River WPA. </p><p style="color: rgb(60, 55, 54); font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; ">The Department of Water Resources (DWR) and Bureau of Reclamation last Thursday submitted their testimony and evidence as required for upcoming public Water Board hearings regarding their request to add three new points of diversion on the Sacramento River for the California WaterFix. That’s the new name for the plan to build two tunnels under the Delta to export water to agribusiness interests on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California water agencies. </p><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#3c3736" face="'Open Sans'"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold; "></b></span></font><p class="" style="color: rgb(60, 55, 54); font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; ">The AquaAlliance, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, Environmental Justice Coalition for Water, Environmental Water Caucus, Friends of the River, Planning and Conservation League, Restore the Delta and Sierra Club California requested a 27-day extension of time for <strong style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold; "><em style="box-sizing: border-box; ">all </em></strong>protestants in the Hearing on the California Waterfix Change Petition to file and serve any written procedural/evidentiary objections concerning petitioners’ case in chief. (<a data-cke-saved-href="https://mavensnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/6-1-16-ltr-req-ext-final.pdf" href="https://mavensnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/6-1-16-ltr-req-ext-final.pdf" target="_blank" data-original-title="" title="" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(234, 113, 6); text-decoration: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">mavensnotebook.com/...</a>)</p><p style="color: rgb(60, 55, 54); font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; ">If granted, this request would change the present time and date for receipt of any written procedural/evidentiary objections from 12:00 noon, June 15, 2016 to 12:00 noon, July 12, 2016.</p><p style="color: rgb(60, 55, 54); font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; ">“Since the State Water Board gave notice of the petition on October 30, 2015, petitioners have made changes in documents including modeling that they have claimed to be relying on and have sought and been granted continuances in starting the Hearing totaling 90 days so far,” the groups argued. “The Hearing does not commence until July 26, 2016. Granting the extension we request will ensure the filing and service of objections a full two weeks before the start of the Hearing. <br style="box-sizing: border-box; "></p><p style="color: rgb(60, 55, 54); font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; ">“That is ample time for petitioners to learn what the objections are and yet allows protestants a reasonable period of time to attempt to read and evaluate the May 31 submissions and the new modeling analysis for the purpose of identifying and writing appropriate objections. In court proceedings, parties do not learn of opposing parties’ objections until the witness is actually testifying,” they explained.</p><p class="" style="color: rgb(60, 55, 54); font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; ">The County of San Joaquin, San Joaquin County Flood Control and Water Conservation District and Mokelumne River Water and Power Authority also requested a 27-day extension of time to file and serve any written objections concerning the petitioners’ cases. (<a data-cke-saved-href="https://mavensnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/L-Hearing-Chair-06.02.16.pdf" href="https://mavensnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/L-Hearing-Chair-06.02.16.pdf" target="_blank" data-original-title="" title="" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(234, 113, 6); text-decoration: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">mavensnotebook.com/...</a>)<br style="box-sizing: border-box; "></p><p class="" style="color: rgb(60, 55, 54); font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; ">The Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations and Institute for Fisheries Resources requested 61-day extension. The groups argue, “This extension is necessitated by the sheer volume (5,159 pages of documents, 186 MB of video and audio files, and 19.3 GB of modeling files) and arcane and confusing nature of petitioners' evidentiary submissions.” (<a data-cke-saved-href="https://mavensnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/PCFFA-and-IFR-Request-for-61-Day-Extension-re-Objections-to-Ptrs-Evidence-6-2-16-1.pdf" href="https://mavensnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/PCFFA-and-IFR-Request-for-61-Day-Extension-re-Objections-to-Ptrs-Evidence-6-2-16-1.pdf" target="_blank" data-original-title="" title="" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(234, 113, 6); text-decoration: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">mavensnotebook.com/...</a>) </p><p style="color: rgb(60, 55, 54); font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; ">Meanwhile, the Department of Water Resources and Bureau of Reclamation sent a letter to the Water Board objecting to any further extension of time, claiming it is ‘unwarranted.”<br style="box-sizing: border-box; "></p><p style="color: rgb(60, 55, 54); font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; ">“Very little of what has been submitted by Petitioners as part of their case-in-chief, whether in their concise testimony (133 pages total for 8 lead witnesses) or in their submitted exhibits, represents ‘new’information. Rather, much of the information contained in Petitioners' case-in-chief, including submitted exhibits, is public information previously available to all protestants,” the agencies wrote.</p><p class="" style="color: rgb(60, 55, 54); font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; ">DRW and Reclamation also wrote, “Because the majority of information provided with Petitioners' case-in-chief has been available to protestants long before the submission of testimony and exhibits on May 31, 2016, the current hearing schedule provides ample opportunity for protestants to file written procedural/evidentiary objections by the current deadline of June 15, 2016.”</p><p style="color: rgb(60, 55, 54); font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; ">The State Water Board has indicated they will issue a decision on the extension requests some time this week. </p><p class="" style="color: rgb(60, 55, 54); font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; ">In a statement issued on June 1, DWR claimed it will present evidence to show that the proposed change in points of diversion “will neither initiate a new water right nor injure any other legal user of water.”<br style="box-sizing: border-box; "></p><p class="" style="color: rgb(60, 55, 54); font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; ">Restore the Delta, a coalition opposed to the project, described the testimony as “largely a rehash of unsubstantiated claims about the Delta Tunnels project that have not been proven, despite more than 40,000 pages of environmental review that the US Environmental Protection Agency has declared is still inadequate (a failing grade.)” <br style="box-sizing: border-box; "></p><p class="" style="color: rgb(60, 55, 54); font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; "><em style="box-sizing: border-box; ">California WaterFix will only hasten extinction of Delta smelt, salmon</em></p><p class="" style="color: rgb(60, 55, 54); font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; ">Governor Jerry Brown is promoting his California WaterFix at a catastrophic time for salmon and Delta fish populations. In this spring’s California Department of Fish and Wildlife smelt survey released last week, the numbers of the endangered fish, once the most abundant fish in the estuary, have plummeted to a new low.<br style="box-sizing: border-box; "></p><p class="" style="color: rgb(60, 55, 54); font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; ">“There’s nothing between them and extinction, as far as I can tell,” Peter Moyle, a UC Davis biologist, professor and author who has studied Delta smelt and other Delta fish species for nearly four decades, told the Sacramento Bee: <a data-cke-saved-href="http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/delta/article82144857.html#storylink=cpy" href="http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/delta/article82144857.html#storylink=cpy" target="_blank" data-original-title="" title="" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(234, 113, 6); text-decoration: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">www.sacbee.com/…</a></p><p class="" style="color: rgb(60, 55, 54); font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; ">”We are entering uncharted waters with the delta smelt now because populations have never been so low,” Dr. Moyle told me this March. "My guess is that populations are so small now that random events, such as predation by a swarm of silversides on eggs and larvae in an isolated spawning event, can keep driving the population down." (<a data-cke-saved-href="https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2016/03/10/18783858.php" href="https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2016/03/10/18783858.php" target="_blank" data-original-title="" title="" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(234, 113, 6); text-decoration: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">www.indybay.org/...</a>) <br style="box-sizing: border-box; "></p><p class="" style="color: rgb(60, 55, 54); font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; ">Yet the Delta Tunnels plan will only hasten the extinction of Delta smelt, along with longfin smelt, winter-run Chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead, green sturgeon and other fish species, according to Delta advocates and scientific experts. The California Water Fix will also imperil the salmon and steelhead populations on the Trinity and Klamath rivers. </p><p class="" style="color: rgb(60, 55, 54); font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; ">For more information, go to: <a data-cke-saved-href="http://redgreenandblue.org/2016/06/01/delta-tunnels-plan-still-makes-zero-sense/" href="http://redgreenandblue.org/2016/06/01/delta-tunnels-plan-still-makes-zero-sense/" target="_blank" data-original-title="" title="" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(234, 113, 6); text-decoration: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">redgreenandblue.org/...</a> </p><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#3c3736" face="'Open Sans'"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><br></span></font><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#3c3736" face="'Open Sans'"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><br></span></font></div></div></body></html>