Delta advocates tell Secretary Laird that actions must match words

Delta advocates tell Secretary Laird that actions must match words

by Dan Bacher

Restore the Delta, an advocacy group for the imperiled Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, has asked California Natural Resources Secretary John Laird why the "transparency" he promised regarding the controversial Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) is not being followed up with matching actions.

During the Bay Delta Conservation Plan Public Meeting in Sacramento on April 25, Laird committed to making the BDCP more inclusive of all of the stakeholders - and acknowledged the problems with the Schwarzenegger administration's requirement that participants sign an agreement agreeing to support the construction of the peripheral canal/tunnel.

"I believe that we cannot move forward without listening to the stakeholders around the state," said Laird. "The status quo on the Delta is unsustainable. There is no one from any group that believes in the status quo."

"Somehow we will get to decisions that make people feel they've been heard in the process," Laird added.

In a letter sent to Laird on April 28, Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of Restore the Delta, claimed that Laird's call for inclusiveness and transparency in the controversial process wasn't matched by recent actions by the Natural Resources Agency.

"At the April 25, 2011 Bay Delta Conservation Plan Public Meeting, you told those in attendance that going forward with the BDCP process there would be no preconditions to keep people out of the process," said Barrigan-Parrilla. "You also commented that Delta communities must be kept whole."

However, since the meeting in Sacramento, Barrigan-Parrilla has learned of two alarming developments that she says do not match Laird's public statements.

First, Restore the Delta found an audio link to Metropolitan Water District's Special Committee on the Bay Delta from April 26, 2011, the day after the meeting.

"MWD's staff explains at section 2B of the agenda that the Bay Delta Conservation Plan Executive Committee and Management Committees have recently begun delving into policy issues that need deciding," said Barrigan-Parrilla. "These committees also plan on announcing project description/operations soon under the leadership of Deputy Secretary Jerry Meral."

"Clearly, decisions are continuing to be made behind closed doors, rather than in the light of day in front of the BDCP Steering Committee and the concerned public. Who is on these committees? Specifically, we want to know who has been given the charge of representing in-Delta and fishing community interests in these closed door meetings," she stated.

Barrigan-Parrilla also learned in this audio feed from Metropolitan Water District staff that sizing and modeling work has been completed for the planning of new conveyance - the peripheral canal/tunnel. Fishermen, family farmers, Indian Tribes, grassroots environmentalists and Delta residents oppose the construction of the peripheral canal because it is likely to lead to the extinction of Central Valley steelhead, Sacramento River Chinook salmon, Delta smelt, longfin smelt, green sturgeon and other imperiled species, along with posing a threat to Delta farms.

"This is more than we learned at Monday's public meeting that was held to showcase the new openness and dialogue of the BDCP process," she emphasized. "We find it quite disheartening that we are learning more about the plans for our community from watching an audio feed from the Metropolitan Water District than we are from attending Resource Agency public events."

Second, an official from the Natural Resources Agency has told San Joaquin County staff that parties participating in the various proposed BDCP issue committees will be required to sign a "confidentiality statement," according to Barrigan-Parrilla.

"Can you please provide us with a copy of this statement?" she asked. " And if this is indeed an accurate description of how these committees will operate, can you please explain how this matches up with your statement of no preconditions being placed on participants in the Bay Delta Conservation Plan process going forward?"

Barrigan-Parrilla is now waiting for Laird's reply. She cc'ed the letter to Deputy Secretary Jerry Meral, CA Natural Resources Agency, Deputy Secretary of the Interior David Hayes, Governor Jerry Brown, Senator Diane Feinstein and Senator Barbara Boxer.

Governor Jerry Brown on January 4 appointed Laird to replace Lester Snow as Natural Resources Secretary, the top environmental post in California. The 60-year-old Santa Cruz resident was a board member of the Sierra Fund and served in the California Assembly from 2002 to 2008.

Regarding Barrigan-Parrilla's request that Laird match his actions with his words about creating more inclusiveness and transparency in the BDCP process , the statement of Mark Franco, headman of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, comes to mind.

“I hope that Mr. Laird remembers to listen to all of the ’stakeholders’ and those whom the last Secretary failed to hear," said Franco, immediately after Laird was appointed. "No matter the politics around him, I hope he sees the resources that he is now over seeing as the precious gifts they are and not items of commodity to be abused and sold.”

For action alerts and more information, go to http://www.restorethedelta.org.

The BDCP and Schwarzenegger's Legacy

The BDCP, a thinly veiled plan to export northern California water to southern California water agencies and corporate agribusiness on the west side of the San Joaquin River, is just one part of the absymal environmental legacy of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. While the corporate media and some "environmental" NGOs praised Schwarzenegger for being the "Green Governor," Schwarzenegger waged a relentless campaign against salmon, Delta fish, fishing communities and Indian Tribes from the day he was elected until the day he left office.

In addition to pushing for the environmentally destructive peripheral canal, he attacked the federal biological opinions protecting Central Valley steelhead, Sacramento River winter and spring run chinook salmon, Delta smelt, green sturgeon and the southern resident and killer whales. He allowed irrigators to de-water the Scott and Shasta rivers, at enormous risk to endangered coho salmon.

Schwarzenegger also fast-tracked the corrupt Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative, privately funded by the Shadowy Resources Legacy Fund Foundation, to create a network of so-called "marine protected areas" (MPAs) along the California Coast.

The implementation of the MLPA process was overseen by a panel including a big oil lobbyist, real estate executive, marina developer and other special interests. These "marine protected areas" fail to protect the ocean from water pollution, oil drilling and spills, military testing, corporate aquaculture, wave energy projects and all other human impacts on the ocean other than fishing and gathering.

For more information about the "Myth of the Jolly Green Giant," go to: http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/site/?q=node/8446.

Salmon Water Now Covers Farms & Salmon Summit

Bruce Tokars of http://www.salmonwaternow.org took the Salmon Water Now video camera to Antioch on Wednesday, April 27 to record the presentations at the historic Farms and Salmon Summit, attended by over 200 people. Four U.S. Representatives - John Garamendi, Jerry McNerney, Jackie Speier and Mike Thompson - spoke at the event. There are four parts to the video:

http://vimeo.com/channels/farmsandsalmonsummit

1. Intro and Opening Remarks

2. Panel 1:
Brett Baker – Farmer, Sutter IslandDave Bitts – F/V Elmarue, Eureka
Jeff Sutton – Tehama Colusa Canal Authority, Willows
Dick Pool – ProTroll Fishing Products & Water4Fish, Concord
Jeff Hart - Hart Restoration Inc. & Hartland Nursery, Walnut Grove
Gene Buchholz – Hook, Line & Sinker, Oakley & Bethel Island

3. Panel 2:
Cathy Hemley – Greene & Hemley, Courtland
Barry Canevaro - The Fish Hookers Sportfishing, Pittsburg
Al Medvitz – McCormack Ranch, Rio Vista
Darrell Ticehurst, Coastside Fishing Club, Hillborough
Mark Wilson, Wilson Vineyards, Clarksburg

4. Audience Comments and Closing Remarks

All four parts can be accessed from this link:

http://vimeo.com/channels/farmsandsalmonsummit