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Ease up on endangered speciaes rules says Poizner
FIREBAUGH July 15, 2009 12:05pm 
• Offers plan to solve Central Valley’s water problems • ‘Our state must protect its citizens in this emergency’ More reservoirs, some sort of peripheral canal to shunt fresh water around or through the San Joaquin-Sacramento Delta, looser enforcement of the endangered species law and more power to the governor to act on water shortage problems are part of a package of reforms urged Wednesday by Steve Poizner, the state insurance commissioner who is seeking the Republican nomination for governor.
“We cannot continue to ignore the substantial economic toll that the reduced water supply has taken on the livelihoods of so many Californians," says Mr. Poizner. "Our state must protect its citizens in this emergency.”
His suggestions include:
• Encourage more flexible application of the Endangered Species Act during times of drought emergency
• Utilize the Governor's executive power to get water to where it is needed
• Build the "Two Gates" Project
• Invest in other short-term infrastructure projects that increase the reliability of California's water supply
• Increase reservoir and groundwater storage to provide stability during sustained dry periods
• Build a “conveyance system,” which some are calling a peripheral canal, a concept rejected by voters in the 1980s.
• Manage Delta ecology for a reliable water supply and a sustainable environment
• Promote conservation and efficiency to reduce waste and increase water savings
• Promote water recycling and desalination by local agencies
• Empower local water agencies to implement diverse water management strategies
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