The struggle by Tribes, environmental organizations, fishing groups and the people of California to stop the construction of the Delta Conveyance Project (DCP), AKA Delta Tunnel, heated up today with the submission of a formal statement with the State Water Resources Control Board that highlights the “fundamental flaws” with the Delta Conveyance Project (DCP) hearings. […]
October 2 was a momentous day on the Klamath River, since it marked the complete removal of the four PacifICorp hydroelectric dams. The dam removal will restore salmon and steelhead to hundreds of miles of habitat above the dams. By Dan Bacher The removal of the dams wouldn’t have been possible without over two decades of efforts, including direct […]
On Friday, Sept. 20, a California appellate court upheld an earlier trial court ruling and found the controversial Sites Reservoir Project environmental impact report (EIR) to be legally adequate, disappointing environmental advocates and fish groups. By Dan Bacher Judge Ronald B. Robie, Presiding Judge of the Third Appellate District Court in Yolo County, concluded that “the environmental impact […]
The struggle against the fish-killing Delta Tunnel, the zombie water boondoggle that keeps getting resurrected by state officials and the state and federal water contractors, continues. In the latest battle in the California water wars, the Environmental Justice Law and Advocacy Clinic at Yale Law School, on behalf of the Delta Tribal Environmental Coalition (DTEC), submitted a formal letter to the […]
There are more than 500 species of sharks in the world’s oceans, from the 7-inch dwarf lantern shark to whale sharks that can grow to over 35 feet long. They’re found from polar waters to the equator, at the water’s surface and miles deep, in the open ocean, along coasts and even in some coastal […]
This week, Representative Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) and Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) led their colleagues in an urgent letter to President Joe Biden and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo calling for them to swiftly declare a federal fishery disaster, joining California Governor Gavin Newsom in his request. By Dan Bacher “The closure of this vital […]
California Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency for the ecosystem of the San Francisco Bay estuary and its Central Valley watershed, and vowed to provide relief in the form of increased freshwater flows and other benefits for the endangered species and habitats of the vast area covered by the estuary and watershed, […]
I am so excited for listeners to hear this week’s episode! Connor Parrish is an avid hunter and fisherman who lives in Southwest Montana and spends most of his free time in the woods or on the water. By Chelsea Henderson EcoRight News/ RepublicEN He is a project manager for Trout Unlimited, based out of their Bozeman office […]
This is the press release from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife reporting on the CDFW’’s Salmon Information Webinar that took place yesterday. Not mentioned in the press release is that the vast majority of participants showed their vocal support for an ocean and river salmon fishing closure like that one in 2008-2009 when salmon stocks declined to […]
Gia Moreno of Hood spoke passionately about her commitment to stop the proposed Delta Tunnel at a public meeting hosted by the Delta Counties Coalition and Delta Legislative Caucus at the Willow Ballroom last week. By Dan Bacher “I am a mother, an artist, an educator, and I’m tired. I’m tired of coming to these […]
For the sixth November in a row, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife has caught zero Delta smelt during its Fall Midwater Trawl Survey of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The Delta smelt, an indicator species for the broader ecological health of the estuary, is found only in the Delta. The smelt typically reach a […]
California Tribes and Delta environmental justice organizations, represented by the Environmental Law Clinic at Stanford, last week received a Denial of Request for Reconsideration from the State Water Resources Control Board in response to the coalition’s Request for Reconsideration of the Board decision in June 2022 of denying the coalition’s Petition to Review and Revise the Bay-Delta Water Quality Standards. By […]
Yesterday, Representative Josh Harder (D CA-10) introduced a bill in Congress to prohibit the Army Corps of Engineers from issuing a federal permit necessary for the State of California to build the Delta Conveyance Project, AKA the Delta Tunnel. His bill, the Stop the Delta Tunnels Act, is co-sponsored by Representative John Garamendi (D CA-3). By Dan Bacher Rep. […]
An unprecedented, massive harmful algal bloom (HAB) stretching throughout San Francisco Bay appears to be in decline, but the State Water Resources Control Board, San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board and California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) are warning that depleted oxygen levels could lead to “large-scale aquatic deaths” in the days ahead. By Dan […]
Washington, DC – In an action celebrated by Klamath Basin Tribes, conservationists and fishing groups, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) today released a final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) recommending the removal of the lower four Klamath River Dams. By Dan Bacher Dam removal on the Klamath will open up over 240 stream-miles of salmon and steelhead habitat that has been […]