Sign On to Support the Sierra
Dear Friends,
Sierra Business Council has been working diligently for many months to convince state lawmakers that any 2014 California Water Bond going to voters this November should include a strong set of “Sierra Principles”. The legislative process has been somewhat chaotic, however in the next three weeks the choices between competing bond measures will be made, likely boiling down to one or two that the legislature will vote on.
Sierra Business Council has been working with the Sierra Nevada Conservancy and the Mountain Counties Water Resources Association to advance the following four “Sierra Principles” and asking legislators to include them in final legislative language regardless of which Water Bond vehicle is selected.
We are hoping that you will agree to sign on to these principles in the next two weeks:
1. Recognize the Sierra Nevada as a region of ‘statewide significance’: because we contribute 65%-75% of the developed water supply in the state. This will give the Sierra a competitive advantage in future program guidelines.
2. Fund the Sierra Nevada Conservancy at least at the $125 million level: this is admittedly less than we hoped, but the most realistically achievable this year, and without your weigh-in could be entirely eliminated.
3. Maintain the Mountain Counties Overlay: include a specific allocation of at least $44 million for integrated regional water management planning in the Sierra.
4. Legacy Mining Contamination: include a specific allocation of $50 million from the roughly $1 billion water quality section of the bond measure to address prevention and remediation of mercury contamination in state drinking water resources. Sierra Business Council has not yet endorsed a specific piece of legislation.
We have not taken a position on water storage or Delta protection provisions, which many consider problematic in the bill. We are simply asking the legislature to include a specific set of “Sierra Principles” in whichever vehicle they choose.
I hope that you will consider signing on today. A copy of our full letter to the legislature is attached, along with a form for adding your voice.
Please help us stand up for the Sierra.
If you have any questions about the 2014 Water Bond process in general, or Sierra Business Council’s position specifically, please feel free to e-mail Kerri Timmer or Steve Frisch.
Sincerely,
Steve Frisch
President, Sierra Business Council
Sign Below to Support Sierra Principles in the California Water Bond
Photo Courtesy of Inyo County