Tunnel opponents will tell LA City Council to not back BDCP

Tunnel opponents will tell LA City Council to not back BDCP

by Dan Bacher

L.A. area activists and statewide consumer and environmental advocates will today tell the Los Angeles City Council to not back Governor Jerry Brown's $67 billion dollar peripheral tunnels proposed under the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP).

They will also ask the Council to require an independent cost-benefit analysis before any decision to back the twin tunnels.

The Southern California Watershed Alliance, the Environmental Water Caucus, Planning and Conservation League, Food and Water Watch, Café COOP and Restore the Delta will hold a news conference on Wednesday, June 18, to oppose Los Angeles City Council support of Governor Brown’s proposed multibillion Delta Tunnels project.

“Who would get the water and who would pay the bill, now estimated to be $20 billion to upwards of $50 billion?” asked Conner Everts, Executive Director for the Southern California Watershed Alliance. “We call for the L.A. City Council to require an independent cost-benefit analysis before any decision to back this boondoggle. It’s Southland water district ratepayers who’d pay the bill.”

The sustainable water advocates will hold a news conference at 1:30 pm at the Los Angeles City Hall, South Plaza, 200 North Main Street Los Angeles, CA 9001, prior to Wednesday’s vote. Speakers at the conference will include Conner Everts, Southern California Watershed Alliance; Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Restore the Delta; Jonas Minton, Planning & Conservation League of California; Alexandra Nagy, Food & Water Watch; and Esperanza Vielma, Café COOP.

For more information, Contact: Conner Everts, 320/804-6615; connere [at] west.net; Steve Hopcraft 916/457-5546 steve [at] hopcraft.com; Twitter: @shopcraft.

In an action alert issued yesterday, the Sierra Club - Angeles Chapter urged people to attend the Energy and Environment Committee meeting this Wednesday at City Hall at 2:00 PM in Room 1010; 200 N Spring St, Los Angeles, 90012

"Councilmember Fuentes is introducing a motion that would support a new tunnel tax for the Bay Delta Conservation Project (BDCP) and ask for comments on an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) that is over 34,000 pages with a June 13th State deadline for comments," according to the group. "This motion did not have enough votes to pass last week, so it's back on the agenda again this week with a past deadline. What gives?"

"His motion makes a number of inadequate claims on the intent of the BDCP and the supposed cost of the project - based on unreliable estimates," the Sierra Club states. "With Los Angeles ratepayers on the hook for potentially BILLIONS - it's only common sense that the City should first undertake a true cost and policy analysis -including alternatives such as investment in local water programs, the likelihood of significant cost increases, and the effect on thousands of local jobs.

Also, please email and call these City Councilmembers who sit on the Energy & Environment Committee (E&E):

Councilmember Huizar: (213) 473-7014 councilmember.huizar [at] lacity.org
Councilmember Fuentes: (213) 473-7007 councilmember.fuentes [at] lacity.org
Councilmember Blumeinfield: (213) 473-7003 councilmember.blumenfield [at] lacity.org
Councilmember La Bonge: (213) 485-3337 tom.labonge [at] lacity.org

Tell them: "it is reckless and irresponsible for the City to make comments or take a position on the BDCP tunnel project until a real cost and policy analysis has been done. I oppose the Fuentes BDCP motion, and urge you to instead support a cost benefit analysis for the city of LA".

MEMBERS:
COUNCILMEMBER FELIPE FUENTES, CHAIR
COUNCILMEMBER BOB BLUMENFIELD
COUNCILMEMBER TOM LABONGE
COUNCILMEMBER JOSE HUIZAR
COUNCILMEMBER PAUL KORETZ

(Adam Lid - Legislative Assistant - (213)-978-1076 or
email Adam.Lid [at] lacity.org)

ITEM NO. (1) 12-1909-S1

CONTINUED FROM JUNE 4, 2014
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) report and Resolution in response to Motion (Fuentes - Wesson) relative to requesting the LADWP, in conjunction with the Bureau of Sanitation (BOS) and the Office of Public Accountability/Ratepayer Advocate, to prepare comments in connection with the draft Bay Delta Conservation Plan and associated Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement.

Link to Fuentes Motion: http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2012/12-1909-S1_mot_04-25-14.pdf

Link to Sierra Club's Alternatives to the Bay Delta Conservation Project Fact Sheet:
http://angeles2.sierraclub.org/sites/angeles.sierraclub.org/files/docs/environmental_issues/BasicFactSheetSCCPositionBDCPAlts.pdf

City Council Directory: http://council.lacity.org/Directory/index.htm

City Council Agenda: http://cityclerk.lacity.org/councilagenda/#

The Bay Delta Conservation Plan to build the twin tunnels will export water to corporate agribusiness interests irrigating drainage-impaired land on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. The peripheral tunnels under the Delta will hasten the extinction of Central Valley Chinook salmon and steelhead, Delta smelt, longfin smelt, green sturgeon and fish species, as well as pose an enormous threat to salmon and steelhead populations on the Trinity and Klamath rivers.