<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"><head><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml><o:OfficeDocumentSettings><o:AllowPNG/><o:PixelsPerInch>96</o:PixelsPerInch></o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]--></head><body><div class="ydp7451c0c9yahoo-style-wrap" style="font-family:garamond, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><div id="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml><o:OfficeDocumentSettings><o:AllowPNG/><o:PixelsPerInch>96</o:PixelsPerInch></o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]--><div><div class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydp3ec1cb70yahoo-style-wrap" style="font-family:garamond, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><a href="https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2019-11-22/newsom-administration-sends-mixed-signals-on-delta-endangered-species-protections" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" class="">https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2019-11-22/newsom-administration-sends-mixed-signals-on-delta-endangered-species-protections</a></div><div><br></div></div><div><div dir="ltr"><h1 class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydpfe1d62cbArticlePage-headline" style="font-family:Times New Roman, Times, serif;margin:0px 0px 40px;font-weight:500;line-height:1.08;letter-spacing:-0.2px;">Newsom administration sends mixed signals on delta endangered species protections</h1><div class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydpfe1d62cbArticlePage-wrapper" style="margin-top:40px;font-family:system-ui, -apple-system, Segoe UI, Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, Oxygen, sans-serif, Apple Color Emoji, Segoe UI Emoji, Segoe UI Symbol, Noto Color Emoji;font-size:18px;"><div class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydpfe1d62cbArticlePage-main-content" style="width:750px;"><div class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydpfe1d62cbArticlePage-lead" style="margin:0px 0px 40px;"><img src="https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/15cae5b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/600x370+0+0/resize/840x518!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff1%2Fee%2F6256a4bdbfe91c509d492eeff849%2Fla-sci-sn-delta-water-tunnel-20130116-001" alt="Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta" style="vertical-align: middle; border-style: none; display: block; max-width: 800px; margin-bottom: 10px; width: 100%;" class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953yahoo-loading" data-inlineimagemanipulating="true" draggable="false"><div class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydpfe1d62cbFigure-content" style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;line-height:1.17;margin:0px 0px 20px;padding-left:0px;padding-right:0px;"><div class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydpfe1d62cbFigure-caption" style="display:inline;">Boaters on the Middle River between Bacon Island and Lower Jones Tract in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. </div><div class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydpfe1d62cbFigure-credit" style="display:inline;margin-left:5px;">(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)</div></div></div><div class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydpfe1d62cbArticlePage-byline" style="margin-bottom:20px;max-width:680px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;"><div class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydpfe1d62cbArticlePage-authors" style="width:auto;margin-bottom:0px;text-transform:uppercase;margin-right:10px;"><div class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydpfe1d62cbArticlePage-authorName" style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;line-height:1.2;display:inline;"><span class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydpfe1d62cbArticlePage-authorBy" style="text-transform:none;">By </span><a href="https://www.latimes.com/people/bettina-boxall" style="background-color:transparent;color:inherit;" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">BETTINA BOXALL</a><span class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydpfe1d62cbArticlePage-authorTitle" style="display:inline;">STAFF WRITER </span></div></div><div class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydpfe1d62cbArticlePage-datePublished" style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;letter-spacing:0.2px;line-height:1.2;text-transform:uppercase;margin-right:5px;"><div class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydpfe1d62cbArticlePage-datePublished-day" style="display:inline;white-space:nowrap;">NOV. 22, 2019</div> <div class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydpfe1d62cbArticlePage-datePublished-time" style="display:inline;white-space:nowrap;margin-left:5px;">5 AM</div></div></div><div class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydpfe1d62cbArticlePage-articleContainer" style="max-width:680px;margin:0px auto;"><div class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydpfe1d62cbArticlePage-articleBody"><div class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydpfe1d62cbRichTextArticleBody"><div class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydpfe1d62cbRichTextArticleBody-body ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydpfe1d62cbRichTextBody" style="line-height:1.67;"><p style="margin:0px 0px 30px;">California officials sent mixed signals Thursday when they said they will sue to block a Trump administration rollback of endangered species protections for imperiled fish — while also proposing new water operations that mimic parts of the Trump plan.</p><p style="margin:30px 0px;">The state moves reflect the political pressure the Newsom administration has been under as it confronts one of California’s most intractable environmental conflicts — the battle over the ailing Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the center of the state’s water system.</p><p style="margin:30px 0px;">Some of California’s most powerful water agencies have urged the state to go along with the <a class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydpfe1d62cbLink ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953enhancr_card_5188246731" href="https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2019-10-22/trump-weakens-endangered-species-protections-california-salmon-delta-smelt" style="background-color:transparent;" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Trump rollbacks,</a> which promise to send more water their way by relaxing delta pumping curbs.</p><div><br></div><div id="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydp90d36c3eenhancr_card_5188246731" class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydp90d36c3eyahoo-link-enhancr-card ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydp90d36c3eymail-preserve-class ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydp90d36c3eymail-preserve-style" style="max-width:400px;font-family:Helvetica Neue, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" data-url="https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2019-10-22/trump-weakens-endangered-species-protections-california-salmon-delta-smelt" data-type="YENHANCER" data-size="MEDIUM" contenteditable="false"><a href="https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2019-10-22/trump-weakens-endangered-species-protections-california-salmon-delta-smelt" style="text-decoration:none !important;color:#000 !important;" class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydp90d36c3eyahoo-enhancr-cardlink" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><table border="0" class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydp90d36c3ecard-wrapper ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydp90d36c3eyahoo-ignore-table" 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src="https://s.yimg.com/cv/ae/nq/storm/assets/enhancrV21/1/enhancr_gradient-400x175.png"/><v:textbox inset="0,0,20px,0"><![endif]--><table border="0" class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydp90d36c3eyahoo-ignore-table" height="175" style="width:100%;min-height:175px;"><tbody><tr><td class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydp90d36c3ecard-richInfo2" style="text-align:left;padding:15px 0 0 15px;vertical-align:top;"></td><td class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydp90d36c3ecard-actions" style="text-align:right;padding:15px 15px 0 0;vertical-align:top;"><div class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydp90d36c3ecard-share-container"></div></td></tr></tbody></table><!--[if gte mso 9]></v:textbox></v:rect><![endif]--></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td><table border="0" align="center" class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydp90d36c3ecard-info ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydp90d36c3eyahoo-ignore-table" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:#fff;position:relative;z-index:2;width:100%;max-width:400px;border-radius:0 0 2px 2px;border-top:1px solid rgb(224, 228, 233);"><tbody><tr><td style="background-color:#ffffff;padding:16px 0 16px 12px;vertical-align:top;border-radius:0 0 0 2px;"><img class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydp90d36c3ecard-object-1 ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydp90d36c3eyahoo-ignore-inline-image ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydp90d36c3eymail-preserve-class" src="https://s.yimg.com/nq/storm/assets/enhancrV2/23/logos/latimes.png" height="36" style="min-width:36px;margin-top:3px;"></td><td style="vertical-align:middle;padding:12px 24px 16px 12px;width:99%;font-family:Helvetica Neue, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;border-radius:0 0 2px 0;"><h2 class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydp90d36c3ecard-title" style="font-size:14px;line-height:19px;margin:0px 0px 6px;font-family:Helvetica Neue, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;color:rgb(38, 40, 42);">Trump team weakens endangered species protections for California salmon ...</h2><p class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydp90d36c3ecard-description" style="font-size:12px;line-height:16px;margin:0px;color:rgb(151, 155, 167);">The Trump administration is weakening endangered species protections for delta smelt and salmon, which have curb...</p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><p style="margin:30px 0px;">But environmentalists and delta interests have pressured Sacramento to counter Washington by beefing up delta fish protections under the state’s own endangered species law.</p><div class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydpfe1d62cbteads-adCall"></div><p style="margin:30px 0px;">Side with water users and Gov. Gavin Newsom could jeopardize his reputation as a leader of the Trump environmental resistance. Side with environmental groups and he could alienate major water players that supply the urban Southland and San Joaquin Valley agriculture.</p><p style="margin:30px 0px;">Thursday’s announcements appeared to give something to both sets of interests: In coming weeks the state intends to sue federal agencies over the rollback, which has not yet taken effect.</p><p style="margin:30px 0px;">At the same time, the California Department of Water Resources is proposing new rules for state pumping operations in the delta that loosen some existing limits and give water managers more flexibility in how they run the department’s giant export facilities that fill the southbound California Aqueduct.</p><p style="margin:30px 0px;">The state actions elicited mixed responses from water users and environmentalists, who saw things to like and dislike.</p><div id="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydpfe1d62cbnativo_1"></div><div class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydpfe1d62cbEnhancement" style="clear:both;margin:30px 0px;width:680px;"></div><p style="margin:30px 0px;">Doug Obegi, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, criticized the state’s proposed delta pumping rules as “Trump-lite.” But he praised the lawsuit.</p><p style="margin:30px 0px;">“Suing over the [federal plan] is a huge step forward. That is the most important thing today,” he said.</p><p style="margin:30px 0px;">Conversely, Jeffrey Kightlinger, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, said he didn’t support the lawsuit but liked many of the provisions of the state’s proposed pumping rules.</p><p style="margin:30px 0px;">For their part, state officials emphasized the rules were not final and could change as they moved through the environmental review process.</p><p style="margin:30px 0px;">“We’re not done,” said water resources director Karla Nemeth.</p><p style="margin:30px 0px;">The delta, a pastoral maze of farm islands and water channels formed by the merger of California’s two biggest rivers, has been in ecological free fall for decades. There are many reasons for the decline, but chief among them are the massive fresh water diversions from delta tributaries and the delta itself.</p><p style="margin:30px 0px;">Two giant government pumping plants — one run by the federal Central Valley Project and one run by the State Water Project — export supplies from the delta’s southern edge.</p><p style="margin:30px 0px;">The state operations have traditionally adhered to federal endangered species protections for delta smelt, Chinook salmon and other species. But in the face of the Trump rollbacks, the state decided to develop its own set of delta operating rules under the California Endangered Species Act.</p><div class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydpfe1d62cbEnhancement" style="clear:both;margin:30px 0px;width:680px;"></div><p style="margin:30px 0px;">The draft environmental documents released Thursday are the first major step in that effort. They outline the state’s proposed pumping rules, include several alternatives and open the proposal to public comment.</p><p style="margin:30px 0px;">Like the new federal rules, the state draft includes approaches that water users have long sought, such as relying on real-time monitoring of imperiled fish and delta conditions to determine pumping levels rather than strict seasonal guidelines.</p><p style="margin:30px 0px;">But Nemeth said there were some key areas in which the state proposal diverges from the new federal rules, which she said do not offer adequate safeguards for species protected under California law.</p><p style="margin:30px 0px;">The state lawsuit is also an attempt to avoid the practical nightmare of having different rules govern the federal and state pumping operations. That could mean customers of the Central Valley Project gain deliveries at the expense of customers of the State Water Project.</p><p style="margin:30px 0px;">Brenda Burman, commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which oversees the federal delta operations, said she was disappointed in the Newsom administration’s decision to pursue legal action.</p><p style="margin:30px 0px;">“If that’s their choice, we’ll see them in court,” she said in a statement.</p><p style="margin:30px 0px;">A lawsuit is not the only weapon California has at its disposal. It can also refuse to let the reclamation bureau use state pumps and canals to convey delta exports that violate state environmental laws.</p><p style="margin:30px 0px 0px;">“We are making sure the burden of protections are shared,” Nemeth said.</p></div></div></div></div></div></div><br class="ydp7451c0c9yiv6917952953ydpfe1d62cbApple-interchange-newline"></div></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>