Even with an approaching El Niño, Californians shouldn’t lose sight of long-term water management goals, since climate change can intensify heat, evaporation and dry weather.
A bill being considered in the House of Representatives places blame for the lack of water in California on protections for salmon and other imperiled species, such as the delta smelt. The reality is that an historic drought—not environmental protections—is causing water shortages in the West.
California’s drought is draining the state’s reservoirs and preventing hydropower from feeding the state’s energy grid, creating an opportunity for cleaner energy sources to take its place.
