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Independent Delta Vision Task Force Reorganizes to Advance Sustainable Delta Plan: Delta Vision Foundation convenes as California faces drought and ecosystem crises

It seems that some people, once given the authority and responsibility to deal with a problem can't let go, even though their appointed task is finished. Haven't we heard this before? "Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely."  It appears that the group, now heady with perceived power, is trying to live up to the second half of the saying, seeking power to determine the delta's future, "absolutely." Is this really about the delta or their own image and legacy?

But have you ever heard the rest of the quote by John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton? "Great men are almost always bad men."

March 15, 2009 Sacramento – Members of the concluded Governor’s Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force announced they have reorganized under a new name and with non-governmental support. The newly formed Delta Vision Foundation has assembled to advance the set of recommendations and strategies proposed in their Delta Vision Strategic Plan, released in November 2008. Governor Schwarzenegger appointed the Task Force in 2006, to create an independent blueprint for a sustainable Delta, and a reliable water supply for California.

“Although our official duties concluded at the end of the year, we remain committed to meeting the challenge of securing a reliable water supply for California while protecting the Delta’s extraordinary environmental resources,” said Phil Isenberg, former Chair of the Blue Ribbon Task Force. “We’re entering the worst drought in twenty years, the iconic salmon fishery was closed last year, and finding a durable solution for the Delta has never been more important.”

Under the new designation, former Task Force members will seek to maintain the visibility and viability of their final recommendations, and encourage the public policy process to utilize the full package of their Strategic Plan recommendations. The Foundation will issue reports and participate in policy processes. The newly constituted body will take no formal position on legislation.

According to Delta Vision Foundation and former task force member Sunne Wright McPeak, president and chief executive officer of the California Emerging Technology Fund, “The Delta’s problems cannot be fully addressed by any single action. Each recommendation in the final Plan is an important element of the over-arching strategy. These recommendations are linked just as the Delta’s challenges are linked.”  

Thomas McKernan, also a Delta Vision Foundation member and chief executive officer of the Automobile Club of Southern California, added “California has fought for over 30 years in an effort by one side or other to achieve their preferred goals, and that attempt has lead to stalemate.  It is time to move forward in a broad framework, and to act simultaneously on all of the important issues.”

A critical component of the recommendations package is the establishment of a single governance structure with the authority, responsibility, accountability, science support and secure funding to achieve the Strategic Plan’s goals. Currently, more than 200 federal, state and local government agencies have some jurisdiction in the Delta.

“Everyone is involved but no one is in charge,” said Foundation member Richard Frank, executive director of the California Center for Environmental Law and Policy. “Without a designated policy making, planning and oversight body, it will be impossible to implement any substantial change to provide water for Californians or protect the Delta from further deterioration.”

“The Blue Ribbon Task Force was appointed as an independent body by the Governor,” said Isenberg. “He asked us to develop independent recommendations and not once did he or staff attempt to push or prod us in any particular policy  direction.  That made our process unique and allowed us to articulate a comprehensive set of recommendations. We remain committed to an autonomous consensus that reflects the best available knowledge and the input of the hundreds of stakeholders and experts who helped shape the final Strategic Plan, and although the terms have changed, our goals remain the same – to advance balanced solutions that restore the Delta ecosystem and create a reliable water supply for California.”

For more information about the Delta Vision Foundation, visit www.deltavisionfoundation.org <http://www.deltavisionfoundation.org>

Contact:
Julie Dixon, Resource Media / 916-446-1058
Nicole Lampe, Resource Media / 415-325-5000 x302

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