Putting People over Fish: Stopping Radical Environmentalism to Provide Water to Southern<br>California
President's memorandum directs the Secretaries of Commerce and the Interior to immediately resume a plan to divert more water from Northern California's rivers to Southern California, reversing a prior halt due to a lawsuit.
The plan aims to address water scarcity and mitigate wildfire risks, citing recent devastating wildfires as evidence for the urgency.
The Secretaries are required to report their progress within 90 days.
Arguments For
- Intended benefits: Increased water supply for Southern California, addressing water scarcity and wildfire risks.
- Evidence cited: Recent devastating wildfires in Southern California highlight the urgent need for increased water resources. The previous water management plan was deemed beneficial before legal challenges halted it.
- Implementation methods: Reinstating previous water infrastructure improvements coordinated by NMFS, USFWS, and Bureau of Reclamation.
- Legal/historical basis: The President's authority over federal agencies and water resource management.
Arguments Against
- Potential impacts: Negative consequences for Delta smelt and other fish species due to reduced freshwater flows to the Delta.
- Implementation challenges: Potential legal challenges from environmental groups, disagreements among stakeholders concerning water allocation.
- Alternative approaches: Exploring alternative water conservation and management strategies; investing in desalination plants; improving water-efficiency technologies.
- Unintended effects: Potential exacerbation of existing water conflicts; long-term environmental degradation in the Delta ecosystem.
January 20, 2025
MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE
THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR
SUBJECT: Putting People over Fish: Stopping Radical
Environmentalism to Provide Water to Southern
California
This section provides the date, recipients, and subject of the Presidential memorandum.
The subject clearly states the intention to prioritize human water needs in Southern California over environmental concerns regarding fish populations.
I hereby direct the Secretary of Commerce and Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the heads of other departments and agencies of the United States as necessary, to immediately restart the work from my first Administration by the National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, and other agencies to route more water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to other parts of the state for use by the people there who desperately need a reliable water supply.
The President directs the Secretaries of Commerce and the Interior to immediately restart a water diversion project.
The project involves multiple federal agencies and aims to increase water flow from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to other areas of California to alleviate water shortages.
During my first term, the State of California, at the direction of its Governor, filed a lawsuit to stop my Administration from implementing improvements to California’s water infrastructure. My Administration’s plan would have allowed enormous amounts of water to flow from the snow melt and rainwater in rivers in Northern California to beneficial use in the Central Valley and Southern California. This catastrophic halt was allegedly in protection of the Delta smelt and other species of fish. Today, this enormous water supply flows wastefully into the Pacific Ocean.
The President recalls a previous attempt to implement a similar water diversion plan, which was blocked by a lawsuit filed by the state of California.
The lawsuit argued that the plan would negatively impact fish populations, thereby preventing water from reaching its intended destinations.
The recent deadly and historically destructive wildfires in Southern California underscore why the State of California needs a reliable water supply and sound vegetation management practices in order to provide water desperately needed there, and why this plan must immediately be reimplemented.
The President uses the recent wildfires in Southern California as justification for the action.
The argument is that water scarcity due to lack of water supply contributes to more severe wildfires.
Within 90 days of the date of this memorandum, the Secretary of Commerce and Secretary of the Interior shall report to me regarding the progress made in implementing the policies in this memorandum and provide any recommendations regarding future implementation.
The President sets a deadline of 90 days for the Secretaries to report on progress toward implementing the water diversion plan and includes provision for recommendations on longer-term implementation.