THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR
WASHINGTON

FEB 24: 20201

 

The Honorable Gavin Newsom
Governor of California
Sacramento, CA 95814

Dear Governor Newsom:

Thank you for your correspondence dated Monday, February 17 (Presidents Day), which I received
at 8:41 pm. EST that same day.

In this correspondence you emphasize your commitment to ?protecting our environment while
maintaining our state?s economic Vitality.? You further explain that our ?intertwined state and
federal infrastructure demand harmonized management?; that our water users ?rely on us to work
together to reliably provide water?; and that ?[r]ecovering our ?sh populations requires our state
and federal environmental agencies to work together and use all tools at their disposal.?

While I could not agree more with your comments, it is equally notable that less than 48 hours after
delivering your correspondence, you announced your intention to ?le litigation regarding the long-
term operations of the State Water Project and the Central Valley Project and associated biological
opinions, minutes before the President arrived in Bakers?eld on Wednesday.

Given the extensive collaboration in the development of the biological opinions by your State
agencies, and the science they are grounded in, I believe your litigation is ill-founded. However, I
am respectful of your decision to litigate. Over time, I suspect this litigation, like many other
California water cases before, will end up with many parties and many twists and turns.

As the litigation you initiated proceeds, I anticipate the State of California and the Department of
the Interior will face signi?cant administrative and operational challenges regarding the intertwined
operation of these two water projects, some of which have not been seriously contemplated for
decades. The result of this and any litigation will be further uncertainty of water supplies to 35
million people, including numerous disadvantaged communities, farms, and ecosystems dependent
on these water sources.

Given that tens of millions of people and over 3 million acres of farmland depend on the intertwined
operation of these projects for their crucial water resources, your expressed commitment to ?staying
engaged and working to ?nd a shared path forward? after precipitating this litigation will not be

forgotten.

SinCerely,

  

Secretary of the Interior