In the summer of 2023, Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill 149 into law. This bill gave the Governor the power to fast-track infrastructure projects deemed beneficial to the state of California’s bid to create a climate-resilient future.
On November 6th, 2023 the Governor used this law to fast-track approval for the highly controversial Sites Reservoir Project. In a statement, the Governor characterized this move as “cutting red tape.” The red tape in question is the normal scrutiny the Sites Project would be subject to under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
On August 27, 2024, the State Water Resources Control Board’s (State Board) Administrative Hearings Office (AHO) began evidentiary hearings for the water rights for the proposed Sites Reservoir. The first part of the hearing consists of witnesses for the Sites Project Authority presenting their written testimony in support of the Sites Reservoir Project. CSPA and other non-governmental and Tribal parties have coordinated their efforts to review and cross-examine the Sites Authority’s witnesses.
CSPA has been involved in this regulatory process and necessary litigation every step of the way, working to protect California’s fisheries from massive new diversions of the Sacramento River to this destructive reservoir.
Members of the public are able to watch the hearings on the AHO YouTube channel.
Background
The Sites Project aims to build a reservoir on two small creeks in Colusa County. But it is an off-stream reservoir, meaning that only a tiny percentage of the projected 1.5 million acre-feet of water to fill the reservoir will come from those creeks. The water to fill the reservoir will be diverted from the Sacramento River into large canals, then pumped from the canals to the reservoir. Sacramento River ecosystems are already under great duress from the impoundment and overallocation of its waters.
Governor Newsom’s decision to fast-track the Sites Project is based on his assertion that it is beneficial to the environment. The Governor’s rhetoric is in line with the Sites Project’s public relations campaign. When the drought hits, they argue, the Reservoir will release water, in part, to ensure the survival of downstream habitat and species. This is a deceptive narrative.
The reality is that there is a high demand for water in California’s agricultural sector. The dams and diversions already in place to feed that demand are the very cause of the ecological distress of the Sacramento River and the Bay-Delta estuary it flows into.
Further, proponents of Sites have released no operations plan describing how they will use the reservoir to reduce the impacts of drought on fish and wildlife. They rely instead on repeating that they “could” do helpful things with more water in storage.
Climate change and impending species extinction are a major concern for all environmentally conscious Californians. The Governor and those in charge of Sites are using this widespread concern to push through a project that will damage fish and wildlife.
The Governor and the Sites Project leadership have made an assertion that the project is beneficial to the river environment, despite extensive evidence disputing this claim. Armed with a greenwashed project and SB 149, the Governor is circumventing processes put in place to protect fish and wildlife from destructive projects just like the Sites Reservoir.
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