U.S. to Pay $16 Million in Water Rights Case

[Quetzal]

U.S. to Pay $16 Million in Water Rights Case

The Bush administration announced Tuesday that it has agreed to pay $16.7 million to a group of Central Valley farmers and irrigation districts whose water deliveries were cut to protect endangered fish.

State officials had strongly urged the administration not to settle the farmers' claims, arguing that such a precedent could make it prohibitively expensive to protect endangered species.

But the payment was immediately hailed as a significant victory by property rights advocates and critics of the Endangered Species Act.

"This is a very strong precedent," said Brian Kennedy, a spokesman for the House Resources Committee, which is headed by one of the act's most vocal detractors, Richard W. Pombo (R-Tracy). "This should really fire a shot across the bow of federal regulators, reminding them that their actions have consequences and their actions cost money."

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U.S. to Pay $16 Million in Water Rights Case

[RC]

1. What does it matter...

The oil will run out within 20 years and the resultant mass starvation will curtail the population enough that the numbers left won't have much impact in the environment anyway.

[Xithras]

2. I actually don't have a problem with this

The government could do a lot of good by simply buying these farmers out. Think about it, buying 10,000 acres of valley farmland would free up the water that would have otherwise been secured for its use, AND it would allow that land to be reverted back to its natural form to benefit ground based wildlife. It's win/win/win.