Earlier this month we brought you news of proposed legislation that aims to safeguard desert groundwater so that water transfers don’t negatively impact cultural and natural resources. In this follow up, reporter Mike Lipsitz brings to the surface some controversies associated with Assembly Bill 1000, the California Desert Protection Act…
Last week, the state’s Senate Committee on Natural Resources voted 7 to 2 along party lines to advance AB1000 out of committee. The Cadiz Project stands to lose the most from the legislation because it would require new restrictions and additional state review processes before the Cadiz owners could pump water from the aquifer below the Mojave National Preserve, some 16 billion gallons or more annually, for sale to SoCal communities along the coast. Cadiz is lobbying heavily against the bill. And closer to home, the Bighorn-Desert View Water Agency objected to AB1000 in a strongly worded letter to the bill’s author, Glendale Democrat Laura Friedman, claiming unintended consequences of the bill would effectively cripple operations at the small, local agency. Bighorn General Manager Marina West has since adjusted her position to “cautiously optimistic” following assurances that an amendment to AB1000 will carve local water agencies out of the area impacted by the legislation.
One thing is certain, many hurdles will have to be cleared if the California Desert Protection Act is to become law. Z107.7 News will keep you in the loop.
