Under the guise of supposedly ensuring adequate water to fight fires, drumpf is taking over control of California’s water. Here’s the order:
… the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce shall immediately take actions to override existing activities that unduly burden efforts to maximize water deliveries …
and
… notwithstanding any contrary State or local laws. The Bureau of Reclamation shall take all available measures to ensure that State agencies — including the California Department of Water Resources — do not interfere with the Bureau of Reclamation’s operation of the project to maximize water delivery to high-need communities or otherwise …
(all bolding mine)
This is a shot across the bow of trying to control California politically as well as getting rid of all those pesky “environmental” issues.
He’s also going to “review” all federal funding:
Ending the Subsidization of California’s Mismanagement. (a) The Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) shall review all Federal programs, projects, and activities for all relevant agencies that impact land management, water availability, water supply, water storage and delivery, water infrastructure, and disaster preparedness and response.
There are people in this community who know way more than I do about the history of California’s water issues. But dump trying to take over its water is a very big deal. Governor Newsom and Attorney General Bonta will need to fight back hard to counter this.
