U.S. Sues California Over Controversial Habitat Protection Plan for Sacramento River Salmon

The federal government sued California on Thursday over a water policy it said violates the state’s environmental protection law. The U.S. Department of Justice filed suit in Sacramento federal court to block a contentious plan approved in December to increase river flows in the San Joaquin River and three tributaries to help revive dwindling salmon populations. It was part of a larger effort to protect the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, which state officials called an “ecosystem in crisis.” The delta supplies water for the majority of California’s people and farms. Some environmental groups supported the plan, while other conservation groups and fishing groups said it fell short in providing enough water for habitat. Farmers opposed to the plan because it would divert less water for irrigation protested last summer outside the state Capitol. The U.S. lawsuit said the plan was arbitrary and the state failed to analyze impacts on the environment and would reduce water coming out of the New Melones reservoir for farms, businesses and hydroelectric operations. The environmental analysis “hid the true impacts of their plan and could put substantial operational constraints on the Department of the Interior’s ability to effectively operate the New Melones Dam, which plays a critical role in flood control, irrigation, and power generation in the Sacramento region,” said Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Bossert Clark said in a statement. The federal government’s lawsuit follows a suit filed last month in state court by the California Farm Bureau Federation to block the plan...MORE