January 12, 2023 - WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, Representative Josh Harder (CA-9) sent a letter to the Lieutenant General Scott A. Spellmon of the Army Corps of Engineers demanding his body reverse its’ decisions not to host in-person public hearings on the proposed Delta Tunnel project and extend the public comment period by an additional 60 days. At present, the Army Corps of Engineers, state, and federal agencies plan to host no in-person hearings on the 700-page draft Environmental Impact Statement concerning the project and will accept written public comment only through February 14^th. The letter is also signed by Reps. Garamendi, DeSaulnier, and Thompson.

“Today, I’m calling on the Army Corps of Engineers to reverse its unthinkable decision and hold a real, in-person public hearing on the greedy water grab that is the Delta Tunnel,” said Rep. Harder. “Building the Delta Tunnel will rob our farmers and put our whole community at risk. I promise that the politicians in Sacramento and Washington are going to hear from us on this project, whether they like it or not.”

The Delta Tunnel would ship water from the Central Valley south and would cost tax payers $16 billion. The project was first proposed more than 60 years ago. Rep. Harder is a longtime opponent of the Delta Tunnel project, first voicing his opposition in 2018.

Representative Josh Harder has also introduced the Stop the Delta Tunnels Actwhich prohibits the Army Corps of Engineers from issuing a federal permit necessary for the State of California to build the Delta Tunnel. Recently, KCRA3 News called Rep. Harder’s bill, “the strongest step yet to stop the state's proposed giant water tunnel from gaining ground.”

Read the letter below and online here.

Dear Lieutenant General Spellmon,

We write to express our concerns with serious shortcomings in the Army Corps’ public engagement on the federal permitting and environmental review processes for the State of California’s proposed Delta Conveyance Project.

As you know, the Army Corps recently released a 700-page draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Delta Tunnel project, with an additional 2,000-pages of appendices. The draft clearly details the significant negative impacts this misguided project would have on the Central Valley’s historic communities, agricultural economy, flood control infrastructure, environment, and water supply.

First, we urge the Army Corps to host an in-person, public hearing for the State of California’s proposed Delta Conveyance Project, commonly referred to as the Delta Tunnel. To date, the Army Corps has refused to allow the communities who will be directly impacted by this project, including Delta residents, to have every opportunity to express their concerns as required under federal law.

Second, we urge the Army Corps to extend the public comment period on the draft Environmental Impact Statement from the current draft Environmental Impact Statement. The current 60-day deadline is unrealistic, burdensome, and seemingly designed to preclude Delta communities from providing thoughtful comment. We recommend that the Army Corps extend the current February 14 deadline to provide an additional 60 days for public comment.

The Army Corps must make every effort to listen to Delta communities and others interested in this multibillion-dollar tunnel project. In our view, the bare minimum would be for the Army Corps to schedule at least one in-person hearing as soon as possible, so the Central Valley families and businesses can explain how harmful this project would be. The Army Corps should also provide for a more realistic deadline for public comment on this hefty draft Environmental Impact Statement.

Anything less would be irresponsible, an injustice to Delta communities, and ignore the original Congressional intent and spirit of our nation’s environmental laws that ensure public involvement in major federal permitting decisions.

Thank you for considering our requests. We look forward to your response.
Source: Congressman Josh Harder