Sacramento Bee Opinion Piece
November 16, 2009
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→
Barry Nelson's Blog
Tags: baydelta
Remembering Tom Graff
November 13, 2009
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→
The Water Package – New Solutions, not “Back to the Future.”
November 12, 2009
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→
The Governance Reform Bill - Stronger Protections for the Delta
November 10, 2009
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→
On Leadership and the Water Package
November 6, 2009
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→
California Hits Peak Water, But Virtual River Offers Solution
October 15, 2009
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→
Hope is a Thing with Fins
October 15, 2009
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→
The Delta, California Water Policy and the Legislative Art of Hostage Taking
August 19, 2009
Posted by Barry Nelson in Living Sustainably , Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
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 water bills. One of his requirements was particularly...continued→
The California Water Bills: How to Make the Delta More Like the Netherlands than New Orleans
August 14, 2009
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→
Bill Reilly’s Call for Leadership from Governor Schwarzenegger
May 30, 2009
Posted by Barry Nelson in Living Sustainably
On Wednesday, Bill Reilly, the former Administrator of the EPA under President George H. W. Bush wrote an opinion piece in the San Francisco Chronicle, urging the Governor to lead an effort to reform the agencies that manage (or don't)...continued→
- Barry Nelson
- Senior Policy Analyst, Water Program
- San Francisco
- During the week, I’m the director of the California Vision Project for NRDC’s Water Program,...
- more→