Dear Friends,
Water is the lifeblood of the Delta, and the decisions being made right now threaten the future of the estuary for our children and future generations to come.
Governor Brown’s California Water (non) Fix, aka the Delta tunnels, will devastate the Bay-Delta estuary, first through fourteen years of construction impacts that will not be mitigated, and then through operation of the project, depriving the estuary of essential fresh water flows. The Delta tunnels will transform the estuary into a stagnant, polluted, saltwater pool, unfit for urban drinking water supplies, agricultural use, recreation, business uses, fishery protections, and terrestrial species.
Yet, despite being told by Governor Brown to “shut up” and to not speak the truth about the numerous problems with his tunnels project, Restore the Delta has not been silenced. We fought back hard in 2015.
Restore the Delta led the effort to generate 30,000 comments in opposition to the plan’s environmental impact report. Restore the Delta broadened and strengthened our connections to local business groups opposing the tunnels throughout the region, in addition to California’s broader environmental community.
Our campaign is now growing by thousands of people every month. Our position against Governor Brown’s Delta tunnels plan, and the state’s mismanagement of the Delta during drought, has been quoted in Forbes Magazine, Reuters News Service, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Contra Costa Times, the San Jose Mercury News, the Sacramento Bee, the Guardian (UK), the New York Times, the LA Times, the LA Daily News, the Fresno Bee, the Stockton Record, and the National Public Radio, and dozens of California radio and television stations.
More and more Californians are recognizing each day the Bay-Delta estuary is worthy of protection and that water planning based on regional self-sufficiency makes the most sense for California’s overall economic and environmental well-being.
Our earned media work and social media campaigns are reaching new supporters in every part of the state and from every walk of life. We have released videos and graphics campaigns viewed by hundreds of thousands of Californians monthly. And at a deeper process level, our policy team continues to prepare extensive technical comments related to permitting the Delta tunnels project, or weakening water quality standards for Delta protection. This extensive research feeds our outreach campaigns and supports the efforts of the broader litigation community for all processes.
This is why I am asking you to consider making a year-end gift to Restore the Delta.
You have responded to our calls for help over the years by making donations, renewing your membership, attending our rallies and events, signing our petitions, and helping to spread the word about our work. We are deeply grateful for your support in helping us raise awareness of why the Bay-Delta estuary is worthy of protection and the tunnels must be stopped.
With your support, Restore the Delta now has a proven, 9-year, track record of advocacy that has kept Governor Brown’s proposed massive underground water export tunnel project from getting off the ground. Yet, we anticipate 2016 and 2017 to be the most crucial years of the effort to protect the Bay-Delta estuary for future generations.
Let’s stop the Delta tunnels once and for all! Please make a year-end gift to help us win this fight.
We hope that you and your family have a joyous holiday season. We wish you good health, prosperity, and peace in 2016.
Yours in service,
Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla
Executive Director, Restore the Delta
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