President Trump’s “Putting People over Fish” executive action was met with praise among some of the Central Valley’s major water stakeholders.
Trump’s executive order, issued Monday shortly after he was inaugurated, promises a return to policies developed during his first term that will increase water supplies to the region from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
Driving the news: Under Trump’s order, the Secretary of Commerce and Secretary of the Interior are to immediately restart the work from his first administration to route more water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to other parts of the state.
- Both secretaries are ordered to report back to Trump on their progress within 90 days.
- Trump’s order harkens back to the biological opinions that he signed off on in 2020, which govern the Central Valley Project and State Water Project – the two main water delivery systems in the region.
- Those biological opinions – which were shelved under President Joe Biden – got rid of the pumping rules that were in place to protect endangered fish species in the Delta, giving the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service the ability to boost pumping as needed.
What water agencies are saying: Westlands Water District General Manager Allison Febbo said the district is grateful to see that water supply issues are a priority for the Trump administration.
- “As the lifeblood for every Californian and essential for our agricultural communities, it is critical that we have water management and distribution systems in place that work in both dry and wet years,” Febbo said. “We remain confident that a balance exists where water supply for Californians can be met along with the needs of our environment. We look forward to working with the State and incoming Federal administrations to find a path forward that benefits all.”
- Friant Water Authority issued a similar statement to Westlands, saying it looks forward to working with the Trump administration to break through years of conflict and to get water projects back on track to deliver a reliable and abundant water supply to people, cities and farms.
- “The Presidential Memo signed and issued by President Trump is a reminder of the commitment made in 2016 by then-candidate Donald Trump to focus on and fix the regulatory morass that has plagued the water users in California,” Friant Water Authority said in a statement. “For over three decades, the California water delivery system, which was once the envy of the world, has been over-regulated, over-litigated, and overwhelmed by conflicting priorities and interests. These regulations have resulted in billions of dollars of water supplies being lost to the ocean with very little to show for it.”
- The San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority stressed that a balance can be made in improvements to California’s water delivery system while managing environmental concerns.
- “The Presidential Memorandum issued yesterday directs the Secretaries of the Interior and Commerce to analyze their authorities for areas to improve water supply for communities reliant on water moved through the Delta and to report back within 90 days on their progress,” a representative from the Authority said. “The San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority has long supported that improvements can be made to California’s water management in a way that strikes a balance between multiple needs and will continue to advance efforts to operate the Central Valley Project and State Water Project in a scientifically supported and adaptive manner.”
- Fresno County Supervisor Luis Chavez, a Democrat, issued his own statement celebrating the news.
- The recent statement and executive action of President Trump is encouraging and I’m hopeful that we can work at the state and county level to ensure California and the Central Valley has the much needed water supply necessary to grow our capacity to feed the state and the nation,” Chavez said in a statement. “At a time when food prices have been steadily increasing, we have an opportunity to help lower food prices for our region and nation, by allowing one of the most fertile agricultural regions in the world to reach its maximum potential.”
Commentary from the Hill: A trio of Central Valley Congressman also reacted to the order: Rep. Jim Costa (D–Fresno), Rep. David Valadao (R–Hanford) and Rep. Vince Fong (R–Bakersfield).
- Costa hopes the order will bring about a new collaboration between the state and federal government to target California’s water needs.
- “Reliable water supplies are essential for the San Joaquin Valley’s agriculture and economy,” Costa said. “Balancing our water needs for agriculture will be essential to ensuring long-term sustainability. My hope is that water users can quickly work together with state and federal officials to address the region’s pressing water challenges in the next 90 days.”
- Valadao and Costa both praised Trump for issuing the order, seeking a return to common sense solutions.
- “I strongly support President Trump’s executive order which takes decisive action to address the critical water challenges facing California,” Valadao said. “It is unacceptable that flawed interpretations of environmental protection laws have placed the needs of fish above humans, and this order is the first step to reversing the misguided policies of unelected federal bureaucrats. For far too long, our Central Valley communities have been deprived of the water resources we need to thrive, and I am happy that common sense has won.”
- Fong said, “On day one, President Trump highlighted the importance of improving California’s water policies to ensure we have abundant water supply, proper infrastructure, and collaboration between the state and federal governments for the California residents. It is important that we continue to fight for strong water policies so we can have an abundance of water supply for our families, farms and businesses throughout the Central Valley and Southern California. I look forward to working with the Trump-Vance Administration to advance these commonsense solutions for the wellbeing of our communities.”