Articles
X2 Ninth Circuit briefing completed (for now)
Last week, the Coalition for a Sustainable Delta, Kern County Water Agency, State Water Contractors, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority, and Westlands Water District filed this reply to the Natural Resources Defense Council's opposition to the water users' motion to dismiss NRDC's appeal ...
Articles
NRDC files response to water users' motion to dismiss X2 appeal
Today the Natural Resources Defense Council filed this response brief in the Ninth Circuit, opposing California water users' December 2011 motion for the dismissal of NRDC's X2 injunction appeal. ...
Articles
Agreement reached in salmonid litigation
Earlier today Aquafornia noted that state and federal authorities had reached an agreement on joint operations of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project and management of the projects with regard to species included in the National Marine Fisheries Service's flawed 2009 biological opinion, e.g. salmon and steelhead. The agreement, whic ...
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When examining new delta smelt panel report, proceed with caution
Regarding the independent panel report on the delta smelt X2 testimony controversy, reviews of the report suggest that the two federal scientists who provided the testimony at issue have been vindicated, and that Judge Wanger's Fall 2011 criticism of the scientists can now be said to be (as the Department of Interior told the Contra Costa Times) "u ...
Articles
Feds appeal last week's X2 decision
Author: Brandon Middleton The federal government has joined NRDC in appealing last week's X2 decision. The feds' appeal was filed last night and was accompanied by a motion for a stay of the injunction and a memorandum in support of the motion for a stay. It is unclear at this point how this latest filing will affect the timeline f ...
Articles
Salazar wakes up to reality
Author: Damien M. Schiff The Department of the Interior announced today that the Bureau of Reclamation will increase the water allocation for those who receive Central Valley Project water south of the Sacramento Delta, from 5% of contractual allotment to 25%. That's definitely good news for farmers, farm workers, and all the peop ...
Articles
Don’t be fooled : "fish vs. people" is real
Author: Brandon Middleton With Sen. Dianne Feinstein's proposal to increase water deliveries to the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California, there's been a renewed discussion of the "fish vs. people" theme that accompanies the debate on California's water policy. For example, the Fresno Bee's Jim Boren suggests that "calling the struggle ove ...