American Council of Engineering Companies Applauds Brown's Tunnel

American Council of Engineering Companies Applauds Brown's Tunnel

by Dan Bacher

In a real news "shocker," the American Council of Engineering Companies, California (ACEC California) on July 25 commended Governor Jerry Brown for announcing his plan to build twin peripheral tunnels around the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

In a statement, the group claimed "The Governor’s plan focuses on major improvements to the Sacramento and San Joaquin river delta, which is widely regarded as the hub of California’s water supply."

“The Governor has today laid out a thoughtful and considered plan that balances California’s economic water needs with fish stock protection, water quality improvements and wetlands restoration,” said Paul Meyer, executive director of ACEC California. “The Governor’s proposal will not only confer once it is complete immense long-term economic and environmental benefits on California, in addition during its design and construction phase this major project will create thousands of quality jobs during a difficult economic time."

“This is exactly the kind of large scale engineering challenge in which California engineering, surveying and environmental consulting firms excel, and our members look forward to the opportunity to help make the Governor’s vision a reality,” Meyer said. (http://www.wwdmag.com/contaminants/acec-california-applauds-gov-brown’s-delta-water-proposal)

Delta advocates disagree strongly with ACEC California's rosy assessment of Brown's peripheral tunnel plan, noting that rather than providing for "fish stock protection," it will hasten the extinction of Central Valley salmon, Delta smelt and other fish populations. They point out that members of this group stand to make huge profits from designing and engineering the facilities of one of the largest proposed public works projects in California history, all designed to benefit corporate agribusiness interests including the Westlands Water District and billionaire grower and water privateer Stewart Resnick of Paramount Farms.

"You can’t restore an estuary hemorrhaging from pollution and lack of flow by stealing more fresh water from it," said Bill Jennings, Executive Director of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance and a member of the Restore the Delta Executive Committee. "That’s a death sentence for the Delta."

Adapting the words of Winston Churchill to the current battle on the Delta, Jennings said, “We will fight this abominable scheme through the administrative halls, through the courtrooms and the ballot box. We will fight on the channels and sloughs and on the levees and through the fields. And if necessary, we’ll fight them to the very gates of hell. We shall never surrender and we will prevail and when this darkness dissipates, future generations will look back upon us and call this our finest hour.”

Governor Jerry Brown in June signed a budget that slashes state employee salaries by five percent and cuts Medi-Cal by $1 billion while adding 75 new positions to “perform preliminary engineering and design work" for the environmentally destructive peripheral canal or tunnel under the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP). (http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/06/28/18716548.php)

The involvement of engineering and construction companies and related foundations in promoting the peripheral tunnel's construction is well-known. For example, the Stephen D. Bechtel Foundation, along with the Resources Legacy Fund Foundation and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, has funded a series of studies by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) advocating the construction of "improved conveyance" - the peripheral canal or tunnel. (http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/06/01/18714516.php)

Stephen D. Bechtel, Jr. ran the Bechtel Corporation for 30 years. He is the son of Stephen David Bechtel, Sr. and grandson of Warren A. Bechtel who founded the Bechtel Corporation, the largest engineering firm in the United States.