Gov. Brown discusses high-speed rail and moving water around the state
By Jim Boren
Fresno Bee
August 17, 2011 8:44 PM
Gov. Jerry Brown told The Fresno Bee's editorial board of his plans for two major infrastructure projects in California. He said he still backs high-speed rail, but believes the governmental authority overseeing the project in California needs to do a better job on the project. He also said that in the next year, his administration will have a detailed proposal to build a water conveyance system around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
Brown said high-speed rail is important to the state's future, which is why officials in his administration have been "working with the (rail) authority to get its act together." He also promised an important appointment to the rail authority board in the coming weeks.
Brown was vague on details of a proposed conveyance system to move water from Northern California around the Delta and to the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California. In his first administration, Brown supported a "peripheral canal," but voters shot down that project. But he told the editorial board today that he doesn't want to pre-judge any proposed solutions that will be announced over the next 12 months.
Fixing the fragile Delta and moving water south is crucial to California. The estuary is pivotal to transporting water to Valley for agricultural purposes and to 25 million California residents for drinking.
As we have said many times in editorials, if the Delta fails -- either on its own or because of a natural disaster such as an earthquake -- it would have a devastating impact on the state's economy and be to fix. The Public Policy Institute of California has estimated that a "catastrophic failure" of the Delta would cost the state's economy $40 billion.
The Delta must be fixed and water must be moved to the Valley and Southern California.
Brown said high-speed rail is important to the state's future, which is why officials in his administration have been "working with the (rail) authority to get its act together." He also promised an important appointment to the rail authority board in the coming weeks.
Brown was vague on details of a proposed conveyance system to move water from Northern California around the Delta and to the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California. In his first administration, Brown supported a "peripheral canal," but voters shot down that project. But he told the editorial board today that he doesn't want to pre-judge any proposed solutions that will be announced over the next 12 months.
Fixing the fragile Delta and moving water south is crucial to California. The estuary is pivotal to transporting water to Valley for agricultural purposes and to 25 million California residents for drinking.
As we have said many times in editorials, if the Delta fails -- either on its own or because of a natural disaster such as an earthquake -- it would have a devastating impact on the state's economy and be to fix. The Public Policy Institute of California has estimated that a "catastrophic failure" of the Delta would cost the state's economy $40 billion.
The Delta must be fixed and water must be moved to the Valley and Southern California.
No comments:
Post a Comment