AT:
In California, the water wars are continuing to boil.
Leftie greenies recently hailed the return of … five … salmon, swimming upstream to the San Joaquin river to spawn. Paradise restored! In water-starved California, that was quite an achievement, given that each salmon required 50,000 gallons of water to get the job done, coming at a price tag of $890 million at the low end and $2 billion at the high. And that water came out of the hides of California’s farmers, who got very little of the water they were promised, and paid for, as a result. That’s some use of resources to get those five salmon to swim upstream.
Wayne Western, Jr., at The Sun, writes how this clown show spend-fest came to be:
In 1988, then-Rep. George Miller (D-Martinez) developed the first version of the Central Valley Improvement Act (CVPIA). That same year, the Natural Resources Defense Council filed a lawsuit claiming that Friant Dam violated environmental laws.
In 1992, Congress pushes through the CVPIA. This action single-handedly shifted water and money from Valley farmers by driving money to environmental organizations and sending water to the ocean.
In 2006, a Settlement is reached and by 2009, the Democrat-led Congress and President Obama enact the Settlement.
Cost estimates of this effort range from $890 million to $2 billion to restore 153 miles of the river from Friant Dam to the confluence of the Merced River.
Between 250,000 and 360,000 acre-feet of water are specifically dedicated to fish habitat on the San Joaquin. Based on this week’s news, it appears to be working.
Taking the conservative cost estimate, each of the five fish caught cost taxpayers and water users $178,000,000.
And each of those fish needed 50,000 acre-feet of water per year.
I won’t even stress the cost of pumping, aquifer consequences, fallowed land, and – lest we forget – lost jobs. Many politicians aren’t either.
Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif), who represents some of the agricultural districts that got stiffed on the water, tweeted this:
@DevinNunes
Green Leftists take over California. Congratulations America you just spent $178 Million per fish and flushed millions of gallons of precious water out to the Pacific Ocean. http://sjvsun.com/ag/salmon-are-back-in-the-san-joaquin-but-what-did-it-cost-us/ …
$178 million per fish and that’s on the low end, not the $2 billion end.
It certainly is in line with California’s bullet train boondoggle, which saw Californians shelling out $82 million per rail mile before the entire money-eating nightmare was scrapped por ahora. But the amount spent per salmon more than double the amount spent per rail mile figure. MORE
h/t Forcibly Deranged.
The way this article is written they make it sound like it’s too much money.
Might be a deal after the US taxpayer funded Congress has paid the life-long supporting of Boxer, Pelosi, Waters, Feinstein, etc…
All of which, including Salmon, fish I’ve never liked.
Periodic Press release from Amalgamated Consolidators Incorporated, Limited:
Our research and development department has again applied for federal grants. We are about to begin another bold research project. Given the economic fallout from recent programs, we are exploring the feasibility of completing the high speed railroad system. Free lifetime passes will be provided for use of the system to all salmon who are found to be eligible. This is projected to have massive savings for the california taxpayer. Early assessment of the program suggests it has the possibility to pay for itself at some point in the future. Human use of the rail system will be considered in the second phase of our analysis.
On a side note- our human resources department is now taking applications for the position of fish qualifier for pass eligibility. There are expected to be 462 hires, with support staff hirings to follow. This will be an equal opportunity position, however, white males should not waste their time applying.
I was wondering why a salmon steak was so expensive…..
“Speaking the truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act.” Geo. Orwell
Meanwhile, the legal and illegal marijuana cultivation industry has been diverting creeks and stealing irrigation water in “water-starved” California, and other western states.
Salmon- the only endangered species you can buy in a can.
Tony R: More information on how much water it takes to grow pot:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/06/26/forget-almonds-look-at-how-much-water-californias-pot-growers-use/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.24686a8045d8
Water Wars will be the new Range War.
Some folks say, “I’ll be glad when the last salmon in the lower 48 is dead. Then the foolishnes can move on to some other waste.
$178 million per fish…any word on how much for the bagels and cream cheese?