The following video is provided care of my dear friends at the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA), which has been out front in the efforts to protect the SF Bay-Delta Watershed and all CA waters for decades
The video and text of my speech:
Million Boat Float Rally
Speech at the California State Capital – West Steps
August 17, 2009 – 11:30am
It is time the American people learn the true story underlying the PR campaign being played out across the country about radical environmentalists in CA putting a 2 inch fish before farm jobs in the SJ Valley. I call out to the national press corps to full investigate the story of agriculture expansion in the western SJV.
This is a story about wholesale manipulation of SJV farmers, farm workers and others by a Hydraulic Billionaire’s Cabal that led these people to believe that planting permanent crops and locating farm communities on the west side was their future. But truth be told: a handful of huge corporate agribusinesses – this Cabal – allowed a stunningly rapid permanent crop expansion of almonds, pistachio’s and cotton, based on expectation of continued – illegal – increased levels of exports. But this Cabal had full knowledge that in low water years water exports LEGALLY would be cut (as they have the most junior water rights in CA). And now instead of admitting the truth to the people of SJ Valley, we have this massive campaign to deceive us.
It gets worse: Californians, Assembly and Senate members: Know that if it weren’t for huge government subsidies and unenforced environmental regulations, practically all of this west side land, from Los Banos to Kettlemen City, would not be irrigated.
I call out Congressman Nunes, for his slanderous attempts to make this a NorCal-SoCal issue, his misrepresentations about 50,000 – 80,000 farm jobs lost and his insulting of elected officials that have been seeking a sustainable, win win solution to this issue for over a decade. I call out Sean Hannity, for his stunningly dishonest and mean spirited reporting of this situation, poking fun at the “two inch fish” while refusing to give air time to Delta Farmers, the collapse of entire ecosystem (Salmon, Steelhead, Stripers, and yes – Killer Wales) and air time to others who appose these illegal water exports and the Peripheral Canal.
Sean Hannity – I challenge you to man up, and come to the SF Bay-Delta region. Meet with the heads of our Salmon fleet, whose hearts and lives are broken from the stunning collapse of our fishery; Meet with our delta and nor-cal farmers. See how the increased water exports are also destroying their water for Delta farming, and how we are pitting farm communities against each other; Meet with representatives of the Large Mouth Bass fishing industry, who represent what was one of the preeminent fisheries in the US, meet with Indian tribes, coastal, SF Bay, Delta and NorCal communities who have seen economic hardship resulting from fisheries decline AND depleted reservoirs throughout the state. Sean Hannity – our Delta Farmers are also an Endangered Species!
(Unsaid: The increased salt water intrusion from water exports, coupled with the lack of fresh water flow through the Delta that the “Canal” will bring will mean certain death to 500,000 acres of subsidy-free, prime farmland. All this so that Westside SJV contractors can irrigate toxic land and ultimately a water privatization racket!!!!)
Finally: I call out to our elected officials to not only halt these 5 Peripheral Canal water bills; I demand that both federal and state officials IMMEDIATELY STOP NEGOTIATIONS INVOLVING THE SAN LUIS DRAIN. THIS INCREDIBLE ATTEMPT BY THE WEST SIDE CONTRACTORS TO HAVE ½ BILLION IN DEBT THEY OWE TO OUR GOVERNMENT FORGIVEN IN EXCHANGE FOR THEIR GETTING A PERPETUAL RIGHT TO PURCHASE EXPORTED WATER FOR $50 TO $100 / AF AND SELL THIS SUBSIDIZED WATER TO THE HIGHEST URBAN BIDDER AT PRICES NOW OFTEN OVER $650; PRICES THAT WILL SURELY RISE TO OVER $2,000 IN SEVERAL DECADES! All THIS FOR THEIR AGREEING TO CLEAN UP THEIR IRRIGATION TOXICITY! Sound like an abusive subsidy? This is all part of vast efforts underway to fully privatize most of the state’s water supply!
· I call out to our State assembly and senate members to step aside; allow us to expose the truth underlying this panicked, lobby-orchestrated rush to commit Californians to billions more in bond indebtedness. Legislators must know that until California and the federal government stop allowing private companies to earn BILLIONS by distributing water, there will always be a water crisis in California.
· And when we are done telling our story to the American people, it will be time for you legislators to remove these abusive subsidies, implement 21st century water policies immediately, and provide economic solutions to the humanitarian crisis that has been playing out in Fresno and Kern county for decades.