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Trump signs order to divert California water

On a visit to California Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed an order to provide more water to California agriculture, but Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., has threatened to sue to stop the order, The Sacramento Bee reported.

Western Growers President and CEO Dave Puglia praised Trump’s action and urged Newsom to be cautious.

“The Record of Decision approved by President Trump yesterday presents a long-needed break from the inflexible regulatory regime that has restricted water storage and conveyance since 2008,” Puglia said. “That regime has failed all interests — urban and rural communities as well as endangered and threatened species — by every objective measurement.”



Puglia added, “We hope the Newsom administration continues to approach this matter with objectivity and pragmatism. In his commitment to negotiating effective voluntary settlement agreements that would commit significant water flows and funding for habitat programs, the governor has moved past ideologically-driven conflicts, usually in the form of litigation, that have beset water policy in California for decades.

“That is a hard trail to blaze, but it’s the only true path forward. Given the inherent linkage between Delta operations under the revised biological opinions and the prospective voluntary settlement agreements, it is even more critical that our elected leaders seek practical and effective outcomes for all interests.”



–The Hagstrom Report