On 18 September 2015, the Environmental Water Caucus, a coalition that includes CSPA, requested a 60-day extension of the public comment period on the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP)/California Water Fix Partially Recirculated Draft EIR/Supplemental Draft EIS (RDEIR/SDEIS) for the BDCP Draft EIR/EIS. The 60 days would allow more time for the 48,000 pages of material “to be read, understood, researched, and then commented upon.” It would also allow more time for the lead agencies to provide additional analysis and documentation necessary for the understanding of the proposed project and action.
The letter from EWC to Secretary of the Interior, the Regional Director of the Bureau of Reclamation, the California Secretary of Resources, and the Director of the California Department of Water Resources cites to flaws identified in the California Delta Independent Science Board’s comments on the documents, released on September 14th. The request submitted by EWC also requests release of Biological Assessments and Biological Opinions under the Endangered Species Act for both long-term impacts and construction impacts on threatened and endangered fish, wildlife and aquatic and plant species.