CSPA’s Executive Director Bill Jennings testified at the 16 May 2013 adoption hearing of the Delta Stewardship Council’s hearing on the final Delta Plan and Environmental Impact Report. Jennings told the Council that it had squandered a marvelous and unique opportunity to resolve California’s water crisis and meet the co-equal goals of ecosystem restoration and water supply reliability.
CSPA, Restore the Delta and the Environmental Water Caucus had urged the Council to undertake a series of critical analyses, including water availability, benefit/cost, public trust and beneficial use assessments. Unfortunately, the Council refused to do so and because it failed to identify and analyze the root causes of California’s water crisis – over-appropriation, unreasonable use, failure the balance the public trust – the Delta Plan and EIR are little more than a ratification of an unsustainable status quo.