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 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
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 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 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→
Posted by Barry Nelson in Living Sustainably
There’s no single “silver bullet” to meeting California’s future water needs, particularly in light of the likely impacts of our changing climate and the unlikelihood of squeezing more water out of the Colorado River or the Bay-Delta. Instead, we’re going...continued→
Posted by Barry Nelson in Living Sustainably
This week, questions about the future of our water supply got the celebrity treatment: a feature on the Daily Show. Robert Glennon, a professor of law and public policy at the University of Arizona, went on the show to talk...continued→
