CBIA Helps Defeat Onerous Bill Restricting Water Transfers
A controversional water transfer bill opposed by CBIA was voted down by the Assembly on Thursday.
AB 2049, authored by Assemblyman Juan Arambula, I-Fresno, would have imposed unnecessary and costly restrictions on voluntary agricultural-to-municipal use water transfers.
It is a long-established policy of the State of California to encourage and promote flexibility in water operations, including the targeted use of voluntary water transfers. AB 2049 proposed to put sever clamps on such transfers - even in situations where the seller, buyer and the water supply agency agree that the transfer would be beneficial to the state.
Under the measure, a “secondary CEQA process” was created with the water user required to provide a written evaluation of the economic, social and environmental effects of the transfer on the service area from which the water is to be transferred.
As CBIA pointed out in its opposition, AB 2049 invites potential and significant conflicts with the Monterey Agreement, the Bay Delta Conservation plan, many existing water rights, and the comprehensive water accord reached late last year by the Legislature.
In the final analysis, AB 2049 fell seven votes short of the 41 needed for approval.
For more information, contact Richard Lyon.
