Local leaders join Sen. Feinstein in protecting Mojave Desert
California U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) joined local leaders Congressman Raul Ruiz (D) and Sen. Richard Roth (D) at Whitewater Preserve to support preserving the water aquifer underneath the Mojave Desert from business interests.
Earlier this month, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee advanced Sen. Feinstein’s California Desert Conservation and Recreation Act. The bill follows her 1994 Desert Protection Act which preserved 7.6 million acres of land and created the Death Valley National Park, Joshua Tree National Forest and Mojave Preserve.
A large talking point at Thursday’s press conference was the Cadiz Inc. project, a controversial deal President Trump supports that would allow Cadiz Inc. to extract and sell the water underneath the Mojave Desert.
Sen. Feinstein, Congressman Ruiz and Sen. Roth all oppose the project, citing environmental concerns and what they say was a biased environmental review of the project.
Candiz Inc. provided this statement in response:
“As a longtime desert business, we hold a deep commitment to protecting the desert environment in all we do. That is why our project was reviewed in accordance with California’s strong environmental laws, approved by multiple public agencies, and then validated by California’s Courts in 12 separate decisions that have all agreed: the Cadiz Water Project will not harm the desert environment, including springs, water resources, flora, or fauna. It’s unfortunate that Senator Feinstein has chosen to play politics with our Project as part of her campaign for re-election, risking new clean water for 400,000 people and 6,000 jobs that our Project will create and support, including jobs dedicated to our veterans.”
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