Law Office Management
Jan. 18, 2012
Feinstein Eases Central Valley Water Sales
Senator Diane Feinstein inserted two sentences in a spending bill signed by President Obama last December, easing the sale of Central Valley water.
Senator Diane Feinstein inserted two sentences in 1,221-page spending bill signed by President Obama last December, easing the sale of Central Valley water.
Feinstein said her action was a sensible way to move water around the state, but opponents saw it as helping the Kern Water Bank, Westlands Water District, and some well-connected agricultural interests, reported the Miami Herald.
The earmark lifts several environmental restrictions on the transfer of the federal Central Valley Project (CVP) water, which is provided at subsidized rates via a network of dams and canals stretching from Redding to Bakersfield.
The Central Valley Project Act of 1992 limited the sale of subsidized water by irrigation districts in order to prevent speculation.
As a result of Feinstein's action, customers like the Kern Water Bank could now buy federally subsidized CVP water and then sell it at a profit to urban consumers and developers in Southern California, charged the Restore the Delta Newsletter.
Feinstein argued that she wanted "more flexibility" in water distribution, but opponents like the Sierra Club said her measure would seriously worsen conflict over California water use.
Rene Cira Cruz
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