“We have to make sure American farmers and their families, wherever they may be, wherever they may go, have the infrastructure projects that they need to compete and grow.” – President Donald Trump

President Donald Trump today in Scottsdale (ARIZONA) signed an executive memorandum intended to promote reliable water access in the West. The Family Farm Alliance joined other Western and California agricultural organizations praising the move in a press release issued a short time ago.

With this executive memo, the President is directing the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce to:

• Streamline regulatory processes and remove unnecessary burdens.
• Develop a timeline for completing compliance requirements for major water projects.
• Responsibly expedite ongoing environmental reviews.
• Convene water experts and resource managers to develop an action plan for improving seasonal forecasts of water availability.
• Expand the use of technologies to improve the delivery of water and power.
• Consider the views of local operators during hydroelectric relicensing proceedings.

The Administration will expedite biological opinions for the Central Valley Project and the California State Water Project (CALIFORNIA), Klamath Irrigation Project (CALIFORNIA/OREGON), and the Federal Columbia River System in the Pacific Northwest.The memorandum establishes timelines for environmental reviews of infrastructure projects, allowing the best information to guide conservation of endangered or threatened species. The timelines allow for robust environmental review processes.

Click here for the joint press release noted above.