'Twas a big week in water again and Emily Green has come through with flying colors (but no gray water).
Lots of stuff going on in California, where a big item was the news that DiFi (aka Sen. Dianne Feinstein) is preparing to drop a 'water bomb' that would remove current pumping restrictions and allow Central Valley farmers to pump water from the Bay-Delta for the next two years.
Has DiFi forgotten that she secured finding for an NAS Committee [on which I serve] to address the Bay-Delta situation by: 1) reviewing the extant BiOps and 2) examining the broader water management issues in the Bay-Delta?
Here's what one of her colleagues, Rep. Mike Thompson, said:
“The entire Bay Area delegation had agreed we would do this National Academy of Sciences report to find out scientifically what should and shouldn’t be done, and for her to turn that on its head and go out unilaterally with this proposal does not take into consideration the needs of all of California.” — California Congressman Mike Thompson, “Uproar over water plan; Feinstein wants more for Central Valley,” San Francisco Chronicle, February 12, 2010
I'm not saying anything.
Emily does report that DiFi has come out agains Cadiz's latest water-storage scheme:
“I will do everything I can to stop it.” — US Senator Dianne Feinstein on the Cadiz, Inc groundwater mining project in the Mojave Desert, “Cadiz study shows enough water in desert for 400,000,” Bloomberg Business Week, February 8, 2010
400,ooo what? Desert tortoises?
Okay, let's leave the Golden State alone for a while. Emily's got plenty more stuff for us: China, Afghanistan, Russia, Brisbane.
And I rediscovered some incredible Phil Collins songs on YouTube: Easy Lover (original with Philip Bailey and a live version in Paris without PB) and You Can't Hurry Love, a virtual note-by-note rendition of the original by The Supremes. Still awaiting the call from SiriusXM. One of these days... But until then, the Bay-Delta beckons.... Give Emily a read. As for me, I had a good week. My Swear Bear got minimal use, I did my Bay-Delta Committee and NAS NAWQA Committee homework assignments, and spent a couple of days in Scottsdale at a leadership symposium for association elected and staff officers. Today I fly to San Diego for the NAWQA Committee meeting.
“If you give an engineer a problem, they’re going to come up with an engineered solution.” — Eric Draper, Audubon Florida executive director, ”Farming water: New plan for Everglades restoration would pay ranchers to use land for storing water,” Palm Beach Post, February 8, 2010
Corollary: "When all you have is a hammer, every problem is a nail." -- Unknown
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