The Trump Administration recently announced a reversal of an earlier policy instituted by the Obama administration which will now allow Cadiz Inc. to build a 43-mile pipeline to carry water from the desert to Orange County along an existing railroad right-of-way. Under Obama, Cadiz’s plans to pump billions of gallons of water annually out of an aquifer in the Mojave Desert—enough for 100,000 homes—and pipe it to Orange County, would have required a lengthy environmental review. On Monday, the BLM provided a copy of a letter written by its acting director that reversed its earlier decision, claiming that the Cadiz water project would benefit the railway in many ways. The BLM said the pipeline would enable the creation and operation of a fire suppression system; generate power that can be used by the railroad; provide transmission lines for electrical power; provide the railroad with 10,000 gallons of water a day to be used in railway operations; provide an access road that the railroad can use; and enable the operation of a steam-based excursion train for tourists. Despite the reversal of federal policy, the Cadiz water project still faces a state obstacle; recently the state said the pipeline will cross state land and Cadiz will need a lease with the state to cross it. Opponents of Cadiz include Governor Jerry Brown, Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, and Senator Dianne Feinstein, who claim the water project will deplete the desert aquifer.
http://www.cadizinc.com/downloads/BLM%20to%20Cadiz%2010-13-17.pdf
