The Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, recently announced $50 million in funding for water infrastructure projects in the West, including over $11 million in funding for the Central Valley Project (CVP).
The 2012 Spending Plan for the Bureau of Reclamation, which manages and operates the CVP, allocates over $11 million in funding to the CVP for fish screens and fish passage facilities ($4.3 million); water conservation and water delivery activities ($4 million); environmental restoration and compliance ($1.75 million); and facility operation and maintenance ($1.044 million). The remaining funds will be spent on a variety of projects throughout the West, with $30 million allocated to rural water construction projects in North Dakota, Montana, New Mexico, and elsewhere. The Bureau's 2012 budget may be found here.
Notably, the 2012 Spending Plan states that the funds for CVP-related environmental restoration and compliance will “support the completion of the National Environmental Policy Act and Endangered Species Act environmental compliance processes to comply with federal district court rulings on both the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service Biological Opinions.” As we previously reported, a federal district court concluded that the 2009 Salmonid Biological Opinion prepared by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) was arbitrary, capricious, and unlawful and remanded the Biological Opinion back to NMFS. The same court concluded that the 2008 Delta Smelt Biological Opinion prepared by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) was arbitrary, capricious, and unlawful and remanded that Biological Opinion back to FWS. (See related stories here and here.)
For more information regarding this matter, please contact Elizabeth Leeper or the KMTG attorney with whom you normally consult.
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Showing posts with label Interior. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Interior. Show all posts
Friday, February 10, 2012
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Federal and State Agencies Announce Schedule for Bay Delta Conservation Plan Environmental Review and Effects Analysis
On August 11, 2011, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the California Natural Resources Agency announced an agreed-upon schedule for completing an effects analysis and a combined environmental impact statement/environmental impact report as part of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan. That review is to be completed by June 2012. The agencies also agreed upon a suite of alternatives for evaluation in identifying a proposed project.
“This is an aggressive schedule that will allow us to move clearly forward with BDCP and take the guess work out of next steps,” said California Secretary for Natural Resources John Laird. “Meeting the dual goals of ecosystem restoration and water supply reliability demand a deep commitment from all parties involved.”
The schedule outlined at the August 11 public meeting targets May 2012 for release of the draft BDCP for public review and a June 2012 release of a draft EIR/EIS for public review. The final BDCP is scheduled to be released in December 2012, followed by a February 2013 record of decision/notice of determination for the EIR/EIS. The suite of alternatives to be evaluated vary in terms of the amount of acreage designated for habitat restoration and protection and the means of water conveyance.
The BDCP is a conservation plan for the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, and is being developed pursuant to the federal Endangered Species Act and California Natural Communities Conservation Planning Act. The BDCP is intended to help meet California
For more information concerning this topic, please contact K. Eric Adair from our office, or the KMTG attorney with whom you normally consult.
For more information concerning this topic, please contact K. Eric Adair from our office, or the KMTG attorney with whom you normally consult.
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