Could Obama Endangered Species Decision Help Central Valley Water Lawsuit?

California’s water controversies — including the recent Central Valley Project lawsuit –  grew more complicated Tuesday with the  Obama Administration’s reversal of an  Endangered Species Act (ESA) decision made by the Bush Administration.

(A full copy of that lawsuit is available to VIP Subscribers in Wine Industry Insight’s Data Cellar)

The Obama Administration decision reinstates a rule from section 7 of the ESA requiring all federal agencies to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) before making any decision that could impact plants or animals  covered by the ESA.

That consultation requirement had been suspended by the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) in mid-December 2008. That decision had been praised by business for helping streamline the bureaucratic process. Environmental groups condemned the move as a gutting of the ESA.

VIP Subscribers click here to read the rest of the article.

Also in this article:

• HOW THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION DECISION COULD HELP CENTRAL VALLEY WATER DISTRICTS’ LAWSUIT AGAINST FEDS
• LACK OF CONSULTATION LEAD TO UNSCIENTIFIC STUDY ON DELTA SMELT
• FWS 2008 BIOLOGICAL OPINION BLASTED AS INACCURATE, BIASED, UNSCIENTIFIC AND IN VIOLATION OF ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT
• LAWSUIT REVEALS AN EXTENSIVE LIST OF FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE VIOLATIONS RELATING TO 2008 DECISION

(More details in the full copy of the lawsuit.)

The rest of this 1,498-word original article along with the legal filings original are available to subscribers.

Subscribe now, get this article and everything else on the site every day, including the Data Cellar for just $9.99 per month or $115.88 per year. Click here for more details.