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posted by Fnord666 on Saturday September 14 2019, @03:33AM   Printer-friendly
from the water-water-everywhere... dept.

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

California is close to adopting strict Obama-era federal environmental and worker safety rules that the Trump administration is dismantling. But as the legislative session draws to a close, the proposal faces fierce opposition from the state's largest water agencies.

To shield California from Trump administration policies, lawmakers are considering legislation that would allow state agencies to lock in protections under the federal Endangered Species Act, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Fair Labor Standards Act and other bulwark environmental and labor laws that were in place before President Donald Trump took office in January 2017.

Written by one of the most powerful politicians in Sacramento, state Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, Senate Bill 1 has strong support from some of California's most influential environmental and labor organizations, including some that helped get Gov. Gavin Newsom elected.

But several of California's water suppliers and agricultural interests, which also flex ample political muscle, oppose the measure. This coalition includes the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which has made SB 1 a top lobbying priority.

The water agencies fear the state would cement into law endangered species protections and pumping restrictions that would add to uncertainties about pumping water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.


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  • (Score: 1, Interesting) by khallow on Saturday September 14 2019, @12:41PM

    by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Saturday September 14 2019, @12:41PM (#894045) Journal

    It should upset every single American who is human that a group of wealthy people known as "water interests" are buying themselves a say in whether or not we have clean water.

    Why? The regulations in question are insane. And this is supposed to be a democracy, right? Why shouldn't "wealthy people" have a say in what goes on. The thing also missed here is that these "wealthy people" are agriculture in California which remains an important industry in California. They have to get water from somewhere in order to grow things.

    And let's be honest: Trump only decided to be opposed to clean water because Obama was for it.

    Trump has a record now of modest reduction in regulation while Obama was one of the worst in recent history for increasing said regulations. Sooner or later Obama would become a target, if only because he's done so many regulatory increases in the first place.

    And don't forget the water is still clean even after the regulatory rollback. Clean is not a bit you set.

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