Commentary: Trump greenlights California's dumbest water project

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Set us as preferred On July 9, the Trump administration delivered a gift to Cadiz Inc., a politically well-connected firm that has been trying for decades to win approval for a scheme to pump water out of the Mojave Desert and market it to water agencies across the Southland.The administration approved the company’s application to convert an abandoned 220-mile oil and gas pipeline crossing the desert to carry water instead.Susan Kennedy, the chief executive of Cadiz, called the approval “a pivotal milestone” that would enable the project to move into its construction stage.Here’s betting that Kennedy’s statement was somewhat premature.

The project still faces significant opposition from environmentalists, local Indian tribes and the state of California.It has been declared ready to go — and declared dead, too — so often that it could serve as a character in a zombie movie or streaming series.I haven’t seen anything to persuade me that there’s not going to be any environmental damage.— Ileene Anderson, Center for Biological DiversityIndeed, this is the second time that Trump has greenlighted this project.

He did so in 2019, but his decision was overturned during the Biden administration; Trump’s most recent approval overturned that action — but there’s no promising that the next president, whoever that is, won’t overturn this one.I’ve been covering the Cadiz project for nearly 25 years, starting in 2002; I take credit for helping to put the kibosh on a proposal for the Metropolitan Water District, which supplies water to 13 million Southern California residents, to partner with Cadiz.Commentary on economics and more from a Pulitzer Prize winner.By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service, which include arbitration and a class action waiver.

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