California Governor Newsom Joins the Dam-Construction-Streamlining Crowd

Boats in Delta waterways, courtesy of Paul Hames, Department of Water Resources

Like many toddlers, Governor Newsom has a patience problem. He can’t understand why the 2014 Proposition dams (deadbeat or not) haven’t been built yet.

Here’s a tip: demonstrating in real life their utility against their costs and arranging for the financing has always been their problem. Fighting against that reality is always difficult.

But pushing for more storage remains politically advantageous, so Newsom prioritized these dams in his Water Resilience Portfolio, and his “four-million acre-feet of new storage” California’s Water Supply Strategy.

Ever persistent, Governor Newsom sprung a series of “reforms” to advance his agenda in “trailer” bills to his “May Revise” state budget.

Apparently, the dams need a thumb pressed on the scales to pass California Environmental Quality Act reviews. His proposals drew a largely negative response from a large number of environmental groups, who asked that the Governor’s measures not be included in the budget bills but be heard in the regular order by policy committees.

The budget subcommittee took that advice, and the measures are now to be heard by the policy committees of the legislature. But with the Governor pushing these measures, well, some in the legislature may agree. Nevertheless, Friends of the River and a host of environmental groups are pushing back.

Resources

Newsom’s Water Resilience Portfolio and Water Supply Strategy

Newsom’s 2023 Trailer Bill CEQA Streamlining