SACRAMENTO-
A gamble by Gov. Jerry Brown to drop delta restoration guarantees from the controversial Twin Delta Tunnels project may put the proposal in jeopardy, at least according to tunnel opponents.
“It’s been billed for years as an environmental project,” said Ron Stark, senior policy director for Friends of the River.
The group is one of many environmental groups that were skeptical of the tunnel project to begin with, despite the environmental guarantees.
Federal and state wildlife regulators said they were unlikely to issue permits for the project because there was no evidence that the 50 years of delta restoration guarantees could be accomplished.
“This was an environmental project … now it doesn’t have that feel of an environmental project, it’s just a water grab from the north state,” Stark said.
There are many environmental groups that also support the project because of its “restore the Delta” component. And water agencies trying to sell their environmentally conscious customers on the expensive project may have also lost some ammunition.
The governor doesn’t see it as a problem, at least not in public. He believes he can work around the required restoration permitting problem.
“It’s really just a change in paperwork,” said Resources Agency spokesperson Richard Stapler.
Stapler said tying two complex components of the plan got too complicated. He said the permitting process actually hinders restoration efforts.
“We need to accelerate the habitat restoration part of it so if we de-couple it from the infrastructure portion of it, we can get started on habitat right now … this actually means it will happen more quickly, and there is a higher guarantee that it will get done,” Stapler said.
Still, water agencies that are on the hook for financing the bulk of the project have lost some momentum in trying to ensure financing.
It may be several more weeks before agencies can work out how they might be able to pay for the project or whether it’s worth the investment if they lose support at the local level.
