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 , 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 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 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 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
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→
Posted by Barry Nelson in Health and the Environment
A recent op-ed written by Delta Senator Lois Wolk points out an obvious truth, but one that she thinks has been forgotten in the Delta: When you are planning the future of a community, you have to involve the community. ...continued→
Posted by Barry Nelson in Living Sustainably
With a third dry year, reduced water supplies, crashing fisheries and multiple crises in the Bay-Delta, the water challenges facing California have never been greater. Fortunately, as a result of the drought, the work of the Delta Vision Task Force...continued→
Posted by Barry Nelson in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
Some landscapes, like Yosemite, are literally carved in stone. Others, like the San Francisco Bay-Delta, being formed of humbler and less permanent stuff, are subject to dramatic changes over time. Indeed, we're only starting to understand what a dynamic system...continued→
