Oscar A Braun
is behind the initiative that will repeal many of the States Laws
that have resulted in infringement of Rights by the Regulatory
Agencies like the EPA. The controversy of the water being cut off to
the Joaquin Valley to save the Delta Smelts triggered this Proposal.
Oscar holds an EPA certification for watershed stewardship and is
considered an expert of the CEQA/NEPA environmental review process
and environmental mitigation.
"California has a new endangered species on its hands in the San
Joaquin Valley—farmers. Thanks to environmental regulations designed
to protect the likes of the three-inch long delta smelt, one of
America's premier agricultural regions is suffering in a drought
made worse by federal regulations.
The state's water emergency is unfolding thanks to the latest
mishandling of the Endangered Species Act. Last December, the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service issued what is known as a "biological
opinion" imposing water reductions on the San Joaquin Valley and
environs to safeguard the federally protected hypomesus
transpacificus, a.k.a., the delta smelt. As a result, tens of
billions of gallons of water from mountains east and north of
Sacramento have been channeled away from farmers and into the
ocean, leaving hundreds of thousands of acres of arable land fallow
or scorched.
For this, Californians can thank the usual environmental suspects,
meaning lawyers. Last year's government ruling was the result of a 2006
lawsuit filed by the Natural Resources Defense Council and other
outfits objecting to increased water pumping in the smelt vicinity.
In June, things got even dustier when the National Marine Fisheries
Service concluded that local salmon and steelhead also needed to be
defended from the valley's water pumps. Those additional
restrictions will begin to effect pumping operations next year.
The result has already been devastating for the state's farm
economy. In the inland areas affected by the court-ordered water
restrictions, the jobless rate has hit 14.3%, with some farming
towns like Mendota seeing unemployment numbers near 40%. Statewide,
the rate reached 11.6% in July, higher than it has been in 30 years.
In August, 50 mayors from the San Joaquin Valley signed a letter
asking President Obama to observe the impact of the draconian water
rules firsthand.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has said that he "doesn't have the
authority to turn on the pumps" that would supply the delta with
water, or "otherwise, they would be on." He did, however, have the
ability to request intervention from the Department of Interior.
Under a provision added to the Endangered Species Act in 1978 after
the snail darter fiasco, a panel of seven cabinet officials known as
a "God Squad" is able to intercede in economic emergencies, such as
the one now parching California farmers. Despite a petition with
more than 12,000 signers, Mr. Schwarzenegger has refused that
remedy.
The issue now turns to the Obama Administration and the courts,
though the farmers have so far found scant hope for relief from the
White House. In June, the Administration denied the governor's
request to designate California a federal disaster area as a result
of the drought conditions, which U.S. Drought Monitor currently
lists as a "severe drought" in 43% of the state. Doing so would
force the Administration to acknowledge awkward questions about the
role its own environmental policies have played in scorching the
Earth."
-Wall Street Journal
Green Gone Wild -
Elevating Nature Above Human Rights was written to educate and
inform the general public. It was not written for lawyers or
scientists, but with regular people in mind -- people who want to
know the truth about modern environmentalism and its harsh treatment
of the human species.
A NOTE FROM THE
WEBMASTER
The video clip above was
uploaded by Pacific Legal in 2008. What is interesting is that
Youtube suspended their account claiming spam violations. We know
the Pacific Legal Foundation and have had Theodore Hadzi Antich
speak to our Redding Tea Party group. Pacific Legal is not into
spam, it is a main player in defending citizen's property rights
issues. Hopefully this is a misunderstanding and will be resolved,
but it could be an indication of how the left is planning to defend
their political views.
This quote from Benjamin
Franklin is about a similar problem that we are now facing. How he
talks about power and money getting into the hands of corruptible
citizens seems parallel to our present dilemma.
Oscar
Braun
