[env-trinity] Trump water plan blasted by Northern California tribe

[Tom Stokely]

https://www.redding.com/story/news/2020/02/19/trump-water-plan-blasted-northern-california-tribe/4810289002/

Trump water plan blasted by Northern California tribe
Damon Arthur, ReddingPublished 5:45 p.m. PT Feb. 19, 2020 | Updated 6:00 p.m. PT Feb. 19, 2020MORE
President Donald Trump visits Bakersfield on Wednesday, February 19, 2020. (Photo: Ron Holman)

The chief of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe of Shasta County blasted President Trump on  Wednesday, calling a federal-state water coordination plan a "salmon extinction plan."

During his visit to Bakersfield, Trump signed a reworking of federal rules that some say would allow federal authorities to pump more water from Northern California southward to cities and farms.

It was Trump's fifth visit to the Golden State since taking office, this week stopping in Los Angeles and Rancho Mirage.

During his visit to Bakersfield, he signed a record of decision in water allocation rules that Republican lawmakers and farm and water agencies say will allow for more flexibility in water deliveries.
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Caleen Sisk (Photo: Damon Arthur/Record Searchlight file photo)

But fishing and tribal groups said the new environmental rules would hurt salmon and other endangered species.

"The Trump salmon extinction plan would end the current legal requirement to return salmon to our river, set the stage for the raising of Shasta Dam, which would flood more of our tribe’s sacred sites, give the federal Bureau of Reclamation permission to kill off our salmon below Shasta Dam, and allow the Bureau to kill even more salmon in the Delta," Caleen Sisk, chief and spiritual leader of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe in Shasta County, said in a statement.

The Winnemem have long been advocates for the winter-run chinook salmon that spawn in the Sacramento River as it runs through the Redding area.

Before Shasta and Keswick dams were built, the winter-run salmon spawned upstream of Lake Shasta in the McCloud River, the ancestral home of the Winnemem. And the endangered winter-run numbers have plummeted over the past 20 years.

After an initial study by federal scientists found the rule changes would harm salmon and whales, the Trump Administration ordered a new round of review, the Associated Press reported.

Paul Souza, Pacific Southwest director for the Fish and Wildlife Service, said the overall effort "ensured the highest quality" of evaluation of the rule changes.

"We strongly disagree that the proposal will reduce protections for endangered species," Souza said.

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Related: Effort to protect Shasta County plant grows into one more Shasta Dam controversy

Beyond operational changes in the federal Central Valley Project water system, the administration's changes allow for more habitat restoration, upgrades in fish hatcheries and the water system itself, monitoring of species and other improvements, Souza said.

Congressman Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale, said the rule changes signed by Trump on Wednesday would benefit the North State, farmers, cities and towns and wildlife refuges.
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File photo - Winnemem Wintu Chief and spiritual leader Caleen Sisk in 2016 prays for the horses that will be riding from their village in Jones Valley to the McCloud River, on Wednesday, as Nahko Parayno of Santa Monica leads the horse he will be riding. The Winnemem were nearing completion of their 300-mile prayer journey from the Bay Area to the historical spawning grounds of the winter-run salmon on the McCloud River to raise awareness of salmon and water issues. (Photo: Andreas Fuhrmann)

"For too long California water has been utterly wasted by sending vast quantities of it out to the ocean for no environmental benefit or for human use," LaMalfa said. "Today’s Record of Decision begins to change that policy failure that has harmed families, farms, workers, and our economy across the state.”

The record of decision also was endorsed by the California Farm Bureau Federation.

“The federal agencies have taken a holistic look at the California water system and offered an alternative that promises to improve the health of the environment without devastating people whose communities and livelihoods depend on reliable water supplies," Farm Bureau President Jamie Johansson said.

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“We should embrace this new approach and give it a chance to succeed,” he said. “We know all too well that the policies of the past 25-plus years haven’t worked.”

While agricultural interests hailed the new environmental rules, fishing groups spoke out against them and urged Gov. Gavin Newsom to stop them from taking effect.

“Months ago, Governor Newsom pledged to fight against the federal plan to suck our rivers dry and irrigate poison-laced deserts in the San Joaquin Valley,” Noah Oppenheim, executive director of Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations said in a statement.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (Photo: Christian Monterrosa, AP)

“The Governor must not allow his agencies to lock arms with the Trump Administration and join the race to the bottom on water policy,” Oppenheim said.

Conservation groups also worry about the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation issuing a permanent water contract to the Fresno-based Westlands Water District, the nation's largest irrigation water district.

Shasta Dam raising project runs into legal, congressional roadblocks

The bureau is under the Interior Department, led by Secretary David Bernhardt, who was a lobbyist for Westlands through 2016.

Congress in 2016 approved legislation allowing California water agencies to pay to make their federal water contracts permanent. Westlands has indicated it is interested in doing just that.

Related: Trump rewards San Joaquin Valley farmers with more water, despite protests from fishermen

Conservation groups and some Northern California water agencies fear Westlands' permanent contract — and political power — will help it claim a bigger share of water when drought and over-demand reduce supplies, Patricia Schifferle, an California water-law expert and activist, told the AP. 
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File photo - The Winnemem Wintu and supporters left the Jones Valley boat ramp in dugout canoes and a patio boat Wednesday as they finish their 300-mile prayer journey from the Bay Area to the historical spawning grounds of the winter-run salmon on the McCloud River to raise awareness for salmon and water issues. (Photo: Andreas Fuhrmann)

In December, Newsom's administration said it planned to sue the Trump Administration over its proposed new rules, saying they do not do enough to protect endangered species.

That lawsuit still has not been filed. Wade Crowfoot, secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency, said state officials are still negotiating with the Trump Administration about whether they would change the proposed rules to address the state's environmental concerns.

"From our perspective, if we can resolve our concerns and ensure adequate protection of these endangered species, then we think it would be important to do so and we could avoid probably years of litigation," Crowfoot said.

The amount of water coming out of Shasta Dam has been increased to 30,000 cubic-feet per second.Redding Record Searchlight
Damon Arthur is the Record Searchlight’s resources and environment reporter. He is among the first on the scene at breaking news incidents, reporting real time on Twitter at @damonarthur_RS. Damon is part of a dedicated team of journalists who investigate wrongdoing and find the unheard voices to tell the stories of the North State. He welcomes story tips at 530-225-8226 and damon.arthur at redding.com. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today!
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