[env-trinity] Rigged PPIC Poll Claims Californians Support Delta Tunnels

[Dan Bacher]

http://fishsniffer.com/index.php/2016/03/25/rigged-ppic-poll-claims-californians-support-delta-tunnels/




Photo of The Salon of the Bechtel Conference Center at PPIC, funded by  
a "gift" from the Stephen Bechtel Fund. Photo courtesy of the PPIC.


Rigged PPIC Poll Claims Californians Support Delta Tunnels

by Dan Bacher

The Bechtel Foundation-funded Public Policy Institute Of California  
(PPIC), a long-time supporter of Governor Jerry Brown's Delta Tunnels  
Plan, has released a rigged poll concluding that 54% of those surveyed  
believe the California Water Fix is "very important" to the future of  
the state.

According to a PPIC press release, "The governor has proposed building  
tunnels in the Delta to improve the reliability of water supplies.  
About half of adults (54%) and 45 percent of likely voters say  
building the tunnels is very important to the future of California.  
Residents in Los Angeles (61%) and the Inland Empire (61%) are the  
most likely to say this is very important, followed by the Central  
Valley (51%), San Francisco Bay Area (49%), and Orange/San Diego (47%)."

The wording of the question was worded cleverly to produce the pre- 
determined result, support for the tunnels. Check out the question:

23. The governor has proposed to improve the reliability of water  
supplies by building tunnels in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. How  
important is this proposal for the future quality of life and economic  
vitality of California—is it very important, somewhat important, not  
too important, or not at all important?

54% very important
26% somewhat important
6% not too important
7% not at all important

Of course people are going to respond favorably to this false and  
misleading question! This question is based on the Big Lie that the  
tunnels proposed under the California Water Fix will "improve the  
reliability" of water supplies when there is no evidence that the  
project will do this.

In addition, there is no mention of the enormous costs of the plan to  
the ratepayers. taxpayers and people of California - nor of the  
devastating environmental consequences of the project, as documented  
by U.S. EPA scientists and numerous scientific panels.

Of course, the question doesn't mention the tremendous threat the  
tunnels pose to the culture and livelihood of California Indian Tribes  
- nor of the huge economic impact that the collapse of salmon and  
other fisheries spurred by the tunnels' construction would cause to  
recreational, tribal and commercial fishing families.

The construction of the tunnels would hasten the extinction of  
Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead,  
Delta and longfin smelt and other species, along with imperiling the  
salmon and steelhead populations on the Trinity and Klamath rivers.

The complete press release and survey can be found here: http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/survey/S_316MBS.pd

The Bechtel Family has been a major contributor to the PPIC, with the  
Bechtel Conference Center at PPIC funded by a "gift" from the Stephen  
Bechtel Fund.

"The Bechtel Conference Center is designed to serve as both a meeting  
place and a learning center for nonprofit organizations, highlighting  
the value that PPIC places on civic engagement, consensus-building,  
and respect for different perspectives," according to the PPIC  
website. "The center was made possible by a gift from the Stephen  
Bechtel Fund and opened in spring 2011. In its design and operation,  
the center reflects the values that PPIC and the Bechtel family place  
on environmental and technological innovation (http://www.ppic.org/main/confcenter.asp 
)

For my latest article on the Delta Tunnels fiasco, go to: http://fishsniffer.com/index.php/2016/03/18/is-brown-administration-official-admitting-delta-tunnels-plan-is-collapsing 
. For more information and action alerts, go to: http://restorethedelta.org 
.
  
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