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President Trump today signed an order directing his regulators to provide water more efficiently in California and other Western states, which could help Republicans in tight races. in Congress.
The order applies to state and federal water projects in California, as well as to federal projects in Oregon and Washington. In order to provide more water to farmers, as well as to some urban areas, he is calling on secretaries of departments of the Interior and Trade to streamline regulatory reviews and remove "unnecessary burdens" .
The projects covered include some of the most comprehensive irrigation distribution systems for farmers in California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Farmers in this country have long complained that they can not get enough water for their crops because of environmental regulations to protect fish and other endangered species.
Some political observers are also likely to regard today's order as political help for Republican politicians imprisoned in tight congressional races in California and elsewhere in the West. Stopping federal water supply in times of drought has often angered western farmers, and Republicans have tried in the past to use the issue to their political advantage.
Jessica Levinson, a law professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, said the timing of the announcement could hardly be a coincidence. "There is no chance of it being a coincidence," said Ms. Levinson. "It's better to do election advertising than anything you could buy on TV. We all know that the balance of power in the House is based on what is happening in California. And if you can convince key voters to vote Republican in some key districts, the win is huge. "
Trump administration officials, however, said the order had not been timed and congratulated as expected a long time ago. "Today's action is perhaps the most important action taken by a president on western water issues in my life," said David Bernhardt, deputy secretary of Interior, in a briefing with reporters.
The order was quickly condemned by environmentalists.
"This is clearly a political coup, and Californians will pay the price," said Mary Creasman, executive director of the California League of Conservation Voters. "The danger is that we will miss some of the important environmental protections we have put in place."
Environmentalists have called on farmers and other water users to focus on conservation and alternative sources in the face of frequent droughts in the region.
Several House Republicans who re-elected to California said that the order was a relief for state farmers.
When signing the order, Mr Trump said that the new water regulations would be "beneficial to farmers and the economy".
Write to Jim Carlton at [email protected]
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