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: delta
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→
The Growing Middle on California Water Legislation
October 28, 2009
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→
Horseshoes, Hand Grenades and California Water Policy
September 14, 2009
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→
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→
Skin in the Game: A Lesson for Planning the Future of the Delta
August 11, 2009
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→
A Rare Opportunity for Change: California's Five New Water Bills
August 10, 2009
Posted by Barry Nelson in Health and the Environment , Solving Global Warming
I have been working on California water issues for 25 years, and I've learned that major opportunities for transformative change doesn't come around too often. Now is one of those times. Late last week, the California Legislature released a package...continued→
A Drought Agenda for California
June 11, 2009
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→
California’s Dry Summer – and the Path Forward.
April 29, 2009
Posted by Barry Nelson in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
The third consecutive dry year in California has received extensive media coverage - and will receive even more attention this summer. Some simple facts and a few recent quotes from the media demonstrate the water management challenge California faces -...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→