California Delta Tunnels: The Project Is Flowing Along
Just a few month ago, the Delta Tunnels, dubbed the WaterFix, was sputtering due to a lack of funds and environmental hurdles. Governor Jerry Brown’s administration was forced to consider a phased-in approach that called for building one tunnel, followed by a second tunnel only if enough money became available. The tunnel project was… Read more »
Update: The Future of the California WaterFix and Delta Tunnels
After state officials said that they will press ahead with a scaled-down, $10.7-billion version of the long-planned Delta Tunnels, the massive two-tunnel project in the heart of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is still a viable option, in large part, thanks to Southern California’s most powerful water agency. The decision to pursue a one-tunnel project that… Read more »
Delta Tunnels Could Be Scaled to a One-Tunnel Project
Faced with scarce political support and incomplete funding from water agencies in California, Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration is proposing a scaled-back project to his original $17-billion proposal to build two massive tunnels under that Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta that would make it easier to divert water from Northern to Southern California. Instead of two… Read more »
Charges Over Improper Subsidies Could Make Delta Tunnels Dead In The Water
Opponents of the Delta tunnels project, who have been trying to stop the project based on environmental grounds, are now trying to kill it through its financial structure. This comes just after federal auditors says $50 million in taxpayer funds were used improperly to subsidize planning in the San Joaquin Valley irrigation districts. Through… Read more »
City Gives Go Ahead to the Army Corps of Engineers to Begin Restoration
A plan to have the Army Corps of Engineers alter the Los Angeles River for the purpose of ecosystem restoration was approved by a Los Angeles City Council committee. The $8.1-million approved plan is part of the larger $1.6-billion effort to revitalize an 11-mile stretch of the river and return it from the concrete channel… Read more »
Eminent Domain and Climate Change
The California Supreme Court heard oral arguments earlier this month on whether limiting a permit to replace a seawall that would protect homeowners living on a bluff-top to a 20 year period constituted as a taking of private property. Thomas Frick and Barbara Lynch are challenging whether the California Coastal Commission has the authority to… Read more »
California’s Bullet Train May Cost Much More Than Originally Planned
A confidential report obtained by The Times shows that California’s bullet train is seven years behind schedule and may cost taxpayers 50% more than estimated. The report projects that the first 118-mile segment through Central Valley, which was supposed to be the easiest part of the route between L.A. and San Francisco, could cost $9.5… Read more »
Does the High Speed Rail Have Enough Funding?
Demand for the California pollution permits rebounded in the latest carbon auction after plummeting earlier this year, according to an article in The OC Register. However, the permits did not sell out. Buyers purchased just 88% of available credits, whose sales are meant to supply funding for the high-speed rail project. This is a… Read more »
A California Bill Just Made Using Eminent Domain Easier
Only four years after signing legislation to dissolve more than 400 redevelopment agencies, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill — AB 24942 — that just made it easier for local government to seize homes and small businesses. This recent legislation will move California closer to the old Kelo-style laws that ignited a political firestorm. Redevelopment… Read more »
High-Speed Rail Project Becoming More and More Expensive
A series of events over the last month has increased the cost of the high-speed rail project. First, the relocation of Highway 99 in Fresno — a key part of the project — is six months behind schedule and, according to Caltrans’ most recent projections, is going to cost an extra $35 million above previous… Read more »