A federal judge in Fresno ruled today that people matter as much as fish, siding with farm and urban water agencies fighting water cutbacks from Northern California.
U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger said federal agencies did not comply with environmental law in protection plans for winter- and spring-run chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead, green sturgeon and a population of killer whales.
Wanger's ruling could result in an increase of water pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. He set a hearing for 10 a.m. Wednesday to determine how much pumping can be allowed without harming fish.
Fresno Bee, 5/18/10. Judge Wanger's 134-page opinion is available at the Fresno Bee's website here. Initial commentary on the opinion is available at the NRDC's Blog, the PLF's Blog, and in the online Contra Costa Times.