Trump jumps into Western water wars before midterms

President Donald Trump launches into the Western Water War on the agriculture side just weeks before the midterm elections – a major political gift for the GOP's historic operators in some of the country's most competitive home runs, where water supply is one of the main themes of the campaign.

Efforts seem to be aimed at helping Republicans at risk, including California officials David Valadao, Devin Nunes, Tom McClintock and Jeff Denham, as well as Washington representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the only woman in the House leadership. to face an unexpected race.

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Denham, McClintock, Nunes, Valadao and Majority House Leader Kevin McCarthy joined Trump in Arizona this afternoon to sign a presidential memorandum. The memo establishes a new, fast schedule for examining the environmental impact of dams and canals that pump water into farms and communities in central and southern California and seeks to streamline all these exams. It also discusses water and hydropower projects in Oregon and Washington.

"It will make things happen during a recording. And you will have a lot of water. I hope you enjoy the water you will have, "Trump told them, according to a White House swimming pool report.

This is Trump's latest incursion into California's long wars against water. It comes as the region has become a zero point for the Democrats' bid to regain control of the House. With its deeply unpopular immigration, trade and health care policies in areas with a strong agriculture such as the Central Valley, the water movement could leave companies in place boasting their influence with An administration that supports farmers against environmentalists and urban dwellers.

"From my point of view, today's action is perhaps the most important action taken by a president on western water issues in my life," said the secretary. Deputy Interior, David Bernhardt, during a phone conversation with reporters before signing.

Environmentalists and fishermen have sounded the death knell for the move, which comes just weeks after the Commerce Department declared a disaster for the federal fishery for the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

"The mismanagement of Western waters has been horrendous for commercial, recreational and tourism fisheries in California, and water users have dried up our rivers for too long, and the fish have paid the price," Noah said. Oppenheim, director of the Federation of Fishermen's Associations of the Pacific Coast. said in a statement.

Denham, whose Cook policy report qualifies the Central Valley District, has touted his efforts to secure the region's water supply. in campaign ads and during visits by Trump administration officials, including Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, and the Secretary of the Board. Agriculture, Sonny Lost. He held a meeting in his district on Friday morning with the political leader who oversees the Corps of Army Engineers, an event he left early to catch the plane to meet the President in Arizona.

"The future of the valley is at stake," Denham wrote to Trump in a September letter urging his administration to oppose the state's plan.

Denham attempted to prevent the federal government from operating its canals and reservoirs in coordination with the state plan and urged the EPA to review the scientific data from the state. State supporting this plan. Valadao and Nunes – who are also facing tough reelection challenges – have also demanded more water deliveries in the central valley.

The Trump memo would set new fast deadlines for environmental assessments of key projects in the region, officials said. A copy of the document was not immediately available on Friday. Initial biological advice on the California Central Valley Project, which provides water to the state's agricultural center, will be completed by January 31, 2019, and a final joint opinion will be required 135 days later. It's much faster than the parties on the ground have planned.

But in addition to offering a political victory to California Republicans, it is not clear how much the Trump administration can do more to reduce the amount of water provided to their constituents.

Operations of the dams and canals that make up the Central Valley Project will still have to comply with species at risk laws or face legal challenges such as dozens of past environmental groups. And even if the federal amendments are maintained, the state of California may decide that it must change the operation of its separate water supply system to compensate for the loss of environmental protection, which will reduce the amount of water used. routed water.

In an August note, Zinke asked his staff to develop a plan to maximize water flows in the Central Valley. He instructed his assistant, Bernhardt, to direct the plan. Prior to Interior, Bernhardt was the long-time lobbyist for the powerful Westlands Water District, which serves many of the largest farms in the Central Valley.

The Trump administration's interior department has already threatened to sue the state for its controversial water plan. He also announced to California his intention to renegotiate the 1986 pact on how the state and the federal government pump water into the ecologically fragile estuary, which is the main center State water supply – an initiative that could change the balance of power between farmers and cities.

Beyond California, the memo also aims to hinder efforts to remove hydroelectric dams in the McMorris Rodgers area. district, or change their operations – a contentious issue she made a key part of her bid for reelection in Washington State.

A network of federal dams along the Columbia River and its tributary, the Snake River, produces nearly half of the country's hydroelectric power, but is also a major barrier to fish, including endangered salmon . Environmental groups have long sought to remove the four Snake River dams in Rogers District. In 2016, they won a court decision requiring the government to re-examine the environmental impact of the dams. Rodgers pushed legislation this year to overturn the court's decision and ban the removal of the dam, but these provisions were not included in the final funding agreement reached between the government and the government last month.

The memo formalizes the 2020 deadline for the completion of two key environmental studies by 2020, according to officials.

In addition, on the other side of the border, in Oregon, the memo is advancing in time to federal agencies to complete a new biological opinion on the effect of federal water infrastructure on endangered fish species in the Klamath River basin. The drought-affected basin is the scene of some of the country's fiercest wars, in which farmers have adopted chainsaws and torches to defend their access to water.

Farmers, tribes and environmentalists in the basin have spent decades developing a water-sharing agreement, but it collapsed in 2016 after Congress did not agree to it. not approved, despite pressure from Representative Greg Walden, a member of the Republican leadership whose district includes many members. affected parties.

The provisions of the new order are based on several months of new negotiations orchestrated by one of Zinke's senior advisers. But the tribes, who felt particularly scorched by the collapse of the previous agreement, did not fully engage in the new negotiations. Legal action is under way to secure the construction of new dams in order to protect the fish species that are about to collapse and have had the upper hand over the courts through their conventional fishing rights.

Nancy Cook contributed to this report.