Posted by Barry Nelson in Health and the Environment
To the non-water wonk, a long-range planning process within the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (known as Met) might appear as exciting as drying paint. But for those of us within the water community, it has the potential to...continued→
Posted by Barry Nelson in Living Sustainably , Solving Global Warming
Here’s an opinion piece published yesterday in the Sacramento Bee offering my perspective on the water package....continued→
Posted by Barry Nelson in Living Sustainably
Yesterday, California lost one of its environmental heroes. Our friends at the Environmental Defense Fund have posted a moving tribute to Tom Graff here. Tom was a leading advocate on California water issues for more than three decades. He was...continued→
Posted by Barry Nelson in Living Sustainably , Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
Much of the press coverage of Governor Schwarzenegger’s bill signing press conferences have described the water package passed by the legislature last week as an “infrastructure” package, leading to the mis-impression that the purpose of this package is primarily to...continued→
Posted by Barry Nelson in Health and the Environment
Over the coming week, my colleagues and I will write about some of the major provisions in the ambitious package of water reform legislation passed on November 4. The many provisions in this complex package will require some time for...continued→
Posted by Barry Nelson in U.S. Law and Policy
Here is an excellent summary of the water reform package passed by the state legislature on Nov. 4, as well as a summary of the water bond – with links to the final language. My colleagues and I will be...continued→
Posted by Barry Nelson in U.S. Law and Policy
A great deal has been written about the substance of the water reform bills that was passed by the legislature in the wee hours Wednesday. Here’s NRDC’s statement on the three key bills. And here’s a thoughtful editorial from the Los Angeles...continued→
Posted by Barry Nelson in U.S. Law and Policy
In general, the direction of the legislation currently under consideration in the state legislature is encouraging. However, in addition to the positive developments, a remarkable debate is taking place in the legislature today. Some water users and legislators have asked...continued→
Posted by Barry Nelson in Health and the Environment
Since the end of the legislative session in September, support for ambitious water reform legislation has been growing steadily. Not only is the list of those calling for change long, but it also includes some unlikely allies. Major stakeholders from...continued→
Posted by Barry Nelson in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
Last Saturday, my wife and I took a canoe trip with her nieces and nephew down the Feather River to watch one of California's most dramatic natural spectacles - the fall spawning run of Chinook salmon. The kids get very...continued→
Posted by Barry Nelson in Health and the Environment
In the past decade, people have become familiar with the concept of peak oil -- the notion that we have passed the zenith of oil extraction and are facing a steady decline in the amount of oil we can recover....continued→
Posted by Barry Nelson in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
Two weeks ago, the Bureau of Reclamation turned the valves on Friant Dam and sent a big shot of liquid hope down to the Delta. This hope came in two forms. First, the San Joaquin has suffered for years from...continued→
Posted by Barry Nelson in Health and the Environment
Harry Truman once said that "close only counts with horseshoes and hand grenades." In the coming year, we'll see if close also counts in California water policy. Last Friday, in the closing hours of the legislative session for the year,...continued→
Posted by Barry Nelson in Living Sustainably , Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Yesterday, just as the Senate and Assembly water committees began a joint hearing on an ambitious package of Delta and water reform bills, Governor Schwarzenegger released a letter outlining his requirements for signing any...continued→
Posted by Barry Nelson in Health and the Environment
What do Dutch engineers and the new California water governance bills have to do with one another? Quite a lot, I realized the other afternoon, as I listened to a group of engineers explain how the Netherlands is preparing its...continued→
