Stop Senator Rubio's mad plan to build the canal even faster

by Dan Bacher

Governor Jerry Brown and Natural Resources Secretary John Laird are doing everything they can to fast track the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) to build the peripheral canal or tunnel, even though the project's construction has no basis in science.

However, even this rush job by Brown and Laird isn't fast enough for Senator Michael J. Rubio (D – Shafter). Rubio, a strong supporter of corporate agribusiness, has sponsored SB 250 - the "Support the California Reliable Water Supply Act."

The bill calls for the completion of the BDCP process by 2013, and construction of the canal by 2025. Unfortunately, it has been moved up for hearing in the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee to June 12, 2012.

If built, the peripheral canal will hasten the extinction of Central Valley chinook salmon, steelhead, Delta smelt, longfin smelt, Sacramento splittail and other fish species. The canal is designed to export more Delta water to corporate agribusiness and southern California, in spite of false claims by canal advocates like Brown, Laird and Rubio that it will lead to greater water supply "reliability."

Please send a letter today to Committee Chair, Jared Huffman, explaining why rushing this flawed peripheral canal project, which has yet to prove scientifically that it will "restore" Delta fisheries, should be rushed, urged Restore the Delta in an action alert. Let him know that as a supporter of the Delta that you believe that sound science is essential for finding the best way to restore the Delta.

You can fax your letter to 916-319-2196. The letter should be addressed to:
Assemblymember Jared Huffman, Chair
Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee
1020 N Street, Room 160
Sacramento, California 95814

For more information, go to: http://www.restorethedelta.org