Over 500 faith leaders representing different religious backgrounds on Thursday called on Congress to ensure the next legislative coronavirus aid package include a moratorium on utility shutoffs for the duration of the pandemic. “A power, water, and broadband shutoff is not about politics; it is about children, the elderly, people needlessly suffering and dying through […]
The Karuk people define themselves by the Klamath River, just as the Romans did the Tiber or the Egyptians did the Nile. The word “Karuk” means “upstream,” a reference to the waterway, which runs from Klamath Lake in southern Oregon, across the mountains of northern California — where the Karuk live — before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. […]
The Winnemem Wintu Tribe has led the resistance against the proposed Shasta Dam raise since the early 2000s, and now the Trump administration and Westlands Water District are using the cover of Covid-19 to fast-track the project in possible violation of state, federal and International law. By Dan Bacher The general public can learn more […]
California Governor Gavin Newsom on July 28 unveiled a final version of his controversial Water Resilience Portfolio, a water plan that that includes the Delta Tunnel, Sites Reservoir and the agribusiness-promoted “voluntary agreements.” While the plan drew praise from agribusiness interests and water agencies — and strong criticism from salmon advocates, Tribal leaders and environmental justice leaders for the damage […]
Imagine diving into the shallow waters off the coast of Lake Michigan. You can see bare rocks and sand as you descend. Pinky-size spottail shiners swim by, shimmering in silver. When you reach the bottom, an indigenous yellow spotted molted sculpin is lying flat on its belly, flapping its boney fins like wings. By Tiffany […]
Climate change is transforming how we think about water. As the climate warms and weather patterns become more extreme, solutions to water pollution are increasingly important. The likelihood of more floods and droughts in the future makes it imperative that we transform current water systems to be more resilient. By Emily Folk Extreme weather patterns, along with […]
Three California environmental nonprofits secured a landmark settlement agreement with the California State Water Resources Control Board to uphold the common law Public Trust Doctrine and other legal protections for imperiled fish species in the Sacramento River and San Francisco Bay/Sacramento – San Joaquin Delta Estuary, according to a press release from the groups. By […]
Over 300 groups have urged Senate leadership to reject a bill currently under consideration that would incentivize communities to sell off their public water supplies to private companies for pennies on the dollar. By Eoin Higgins Common Dreams “This bill is an egregious handout to giant water corporations which would embolden them to manipulate and […]
Elected Officials to Protect California (EOPCA ), a coalition of current and former elected officials opposed to fracking and increased oil and gas drilling in the state, is asking why California Governor Gavin Newsom is helping the failing fracking industry by overseeing an expansion of fracking operations during a global pandemic. By Dan Bacher In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, […]
When we turn on the faucet or open a bottle, we’re fairly confident in the cleanliness of the water that we drink. That confidence is exclusive to the developed world. Currently, about 700 million people worldwide live under the threat of water scarcity, while in labs, scientists are creating the purest water in the world. By Emily […]
Were you curious about seeing the public comments made during the public scoping period for the controversial Delta Tunnel to divert water from the Sacramento River before it flows through the Delta? If you made a comment, did you want to check to see if your comment was included? Well, here’s your chance. By Dan Bacher […]
The Sites Reservoir is a potential large new reservoir on 14,000 acres approx. 80 miles northwest of Sacramento. As currently proposed, the $4.7 billion project would create new water diversions from the Sacramento River and would increase pressure to divert water from the Trinity River, in order to store and transport water for industrial agriculture […]
The silvery fish leaped out of the clear water and then surged on one last run. It was Memorial Day 1969 and this was the first time that I had ever fished for or hooked a shad. I was using a light spinning rod with a Mitchell Garcia 300 reel and 4 lb. test line […]
The Trump administration on Monday, June 22, requested $15 million for the Shasta Dam enlargement project, a project that Tribes, fishing groups and conservation organizations say will drive imperiled winter-run Chinook salmon closer to extinction and flood many of the remaining sacred cultural sites of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe. This $15 million was part of […]
The U.S. Supreme Court today refused to hear the case of Baley v United States, a case regarding water rights on the Klamath Basin, agreeing with the Court of Appeals that Basin irrigators’ water rights were subordinate to the Tribes’ federal reserved water rights. The court’s refusal to hear the 18-year-old case brought by the Klamath Basin irrigators settles “for […]