Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Delta Tunnel Opponents Urge Brown to Abandon Plan

Opponents of Governor Jerry Brown’s Bay-Delta Tunnels today urged him to abandon the current scheme and come up with a revised plan. Critics of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan – BDCP - said the proposal is not viable and does not comply with federal environmental laws. Delta advocates said the tunnels may not even get off the drawing board because BDCP needs seven additional permits from agencies the Governor does not control in order to pass muster. The BDCP would divert water under the delta through twin tunnels that are 40 feet in diameter and 35 miles long. The plan’s stated goal is to provide a more reliable water supply for farms and cities in Central and Southern California, and for restoring the Delta ecosystem. Pacifica’s Vic Bedoian reports from Fresno.