During a visit Wednesday to the agricultural Central Valley of California, President Trump announced the completion of a regulatory review that will send more water from the San Joaquin Valley to farms and cities in the southern half of California. Environmentalists say the new allocation of water poses a risk to endangered fish and other native species.
“A big step,” Trump said after the ceremonial signing of a memorandum directing federal water agencies to take further steps to deliver water to the southern Central Valley. Speaking at an airport hangar in Bakersfield, the president said that “massive amounts of water” would flow to farms and cities instead of continuing downstream to the ocean. “It’s called management,” he said. “Just turn the valve in a little different direction.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state will sue the Trump administration soon “to protect highly imperiled fish species close to extinction,” reported the Sacramento Bee. A lawsuit could mean the end of an attempt by Newsom to find a compromise that would aid fish populations while also supplying more water for farm and city use.
Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, who traveled to Bakersfield with the president, said the government would use up-to-date technology to monitor supplies — “more efficient use of water so it won’t be wasted,” he called it. As part of a review ordered by Trump in 2018, the Interior Department made new biological assessments of water needs in the San Joaquin Delta.
“Today, I am pleased to announce that this update is complete,” said Trump. “A major obstacle to providing more water for the region’s farmers has been removed.”
Interspersed in Trump’s remarks were appearances by three Central Valley growers who said they have worried for years about the availability of irrigation water for almonds, citrus, and other crops. One of them said that if Trump had lost in 2016, “we would have sold the farm.” As a candidate, Trump said it was unfair that environmental rules assured water for endangered species, and he vowed to provide more water for farmers.
The Natural Resources Defense Council called Trump’s decision a giveaway to his political backers and to agricultural interests. The environmental group filed suit against the administration last December on grounds that it failed to protect salmon and other threatened species by issuing biological opinions that allow the water diversions.
But the California Farm Bureau said the new coordination between the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project would offer more protection of endangered species “without devastating people whose communities and livelihoods depend on reliable water supplies.”
To watch a C-SPAN video of Trump’s speech, click here.