Putting People Over Fish: Stopping Radical Environ mentalism To Provide Water to Southern California
Memorandum
•
January 30, 2025
•
Document 2025-02041
Summary
President Donald Trump has issued a directive to the Secretaries of Commerce and the Interior to prioritize water rerouting from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to Southern California, aiming to address the region's critical water needs exacerbated by recent wildfires. This action revives efforts from his previous administration that were halted due to legal challenges by the state of California, which argued the plan endangered local fish species like the Delta smelt. The move could face renewed legal battles and political pushback from environmental groups and state officials concerned about ecological impacts.
Full Text
[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 19 (Thursday, January 30, 2025)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 8479-8480]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-02041]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 19 / Thursday, January 30, 2025 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 8479]]
Memorandum of January 20, 2025
Putting People Over Fish: Stopping Radical
Environ mentalism To Provide Water to Southern
California
Memorandum for the Secretary of Commerce [and] the
Secretary of the Interior
I hereby direct the Secretary of Commerce and Secretary
of the Interior, in consultation with the heads of
other departments and agencies of the United States as
necessary, to immediately restart the work from my
first Administration by the National Marine Fisheries
Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of
Reclamation, and other agencies to route more water
from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to other parts of
the state for use by the people there who desperately
need a reliable water supply.
During my first term, the State of California, at the
direction of its Governor, filed a lawsuit to stop my
Administration from implementing improvements to
California's water infrastructure. My Administration's
plan would have allowed enormous amounts of water to
flow from the snow melt and rainwater in rivers in
Northern California to beneficial use in the Central
Valley and Southern California. This catastrophic halt
was allegedly in protection of the Delta smelt and
other species of fish. Today, this enormous water
supply flows wastefully into the Pacific Ocean.
The recent deadly and historically destructive
wildfires in Southern California underscore why the
State of California needs a reliable water supply and
sound vegetation management practices in order to
provide water desperately needed there, and why this
plan must immediately be reimplemented.
[[Page 8480]]
Within 90 days of the date of this memorandum, the
Secretary of Commerce and Secretary of the Interior
shall report to me regarding the progress made in
implementing the policies in this memorandum and
provide any recommendations regarding future
implementation.
(Presidential Sig.)
THE WHITE HOUSE,
Washington, January 20, 2025
[FR Doc. 2025-02041
Filed 1-29-25; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P