Opposing California's WaterFix: The Trump Administration and the Future of Environmental Advocacy

摘要

In October 2017, the Trump administration announced that it would not participate in a $17 billion 'WaterFix' plan to remake California's water conveyance system by drilling two massive tunnels underneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta east of the San Francisco Bay Area. The administration cryptically announced that it 'did not fund the project and chose to not move forward with it' (Boxall, 2017). WaterFix, oft-called the 'Twin Tunnels' or 'Delta Tunnels,' is presented as an 'upgrade' to California's water system that was built in the mid-20th century, one that is needed to mitigate the risk posed by earthquakes, floods and rising sea levels.1 Proponents point to direct environmental improvements due to eliminating the reliance on 'harmful reverse flows, trapping endangered fish and pulling them toward predators'(CNRA, 2017).