Major Water Accord Leaking

In the aftermath of the defeat by the California stateLegislature of bills that would have created an oversight commission forCalFed and provided $12 million to protect endangered fish, CalFed facesadditional obstacles as Republicans in Congress are threatening towithhold $60 million in proposed federal funding for raising Shasta Damand other water projects. While Republicans are generally supportive ofthe Shasta project, they want to see more money designated forwater-supply projects than currently included in CalFed, a state andfederal effort to restore the ecosystem of the Bay-Delta and boost watersupplies for urban and agricultural use. Environmental Defense lawyerTom Graff finds it unlikely that Congress will approve the $60 millionfor CalFed this year, as the California Legislature cannot even agree ona program itself.