Trump Orders Expedited Delivery of Western Water
AGENDA 21 RADIO
The order applies to state and federal water delivery projects in California, and federal ones in Oregon and Washington. In order to deliver more water to farmers, as well as some urban regions, it calls on the secretaries of the Interior and Commerce departments to streamline regulatory reviews and remove “unnecessary burdens.”
The projects covered include some of the most extensive irrigation delivery systems for farmers in California, Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Farmers there have long complained of not being able to get enough water for their crops because of environmental regulations to protect endangered fish and other species.
Some political observers also are likely to see today’s order as representing a political help to Republican incumbents locked in tight congressional races in California and elsewhere in the West. Shut-off of federal water supplies during times of drought has often enraged farmers in the West, and Republicans have in the past attempted to use the issue to their political advantage.
Jessica Levinson, a law professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, said the timing of the announcement could hardly be coincidental. “There is no way this is a coincidence,” Ms. Levinson said. “This is better get out the vote advertising than anything you could buy on TV. We all know the balance of power in the House rests on what happens in California. And if you can sway some key voters in some key districts to vote Republican, this is a huge win.”
Trump administration officials, though, said the order wasn’t timed to the midterms and praised it as long overdue. “Today’s action might be the most significant action taken by a president on Western water issues in my lifetime,” David Bernhardt, deputy interior secretary, said in a briefing with reporters.
The order drew swift condemnation from environmentalists.
“This is clearly a political stunt, and Californians are going to pay the price,” said Mary Creasman, chief executive of the California League of Conservation Voters. “The danger is we are going to miss some of the important environmental protections we have in place.”
Environmentalists have called on farmers and other water users to emphasize conservation and alternative sources in the face of frequent droughts in the region.
Several House Republicans up for re-election in California called the order a relief for farmers across the state.
At an event signing the order, Mr. Trump said the new water regulations would be “great for the farmers and great for the economy.”
