There has never been a more opportune time than the present to learn from our mistakes and change course before the next big crisis hits us. According to the Association of California Water Agencies, if you like the current energy crisis, you will love California's looming water crisis. Those words are not to be taken lightly and if the increased volume from fringe environmentalists is any indication, we can be sure that they, too, sense the crisis and understand what needs to be done to fix our problems.

California once spent roughly 14 percent of the state budget on infrastructure. That was back in 1967, which to me, doesn't seem so very long ago. It was the era of big water projects that enabled the Golden State to prosper and become what is now the sixth largest economy in the world. Today, spending on infrastructure equals only about one percent of the state budget. Water development, a basic resource, provided the necessary foundation for much of the state's prosperity, including the world's most productive agricultural region. It was water development, actually going back to the Gold Rush that pushed California to the forefront of world economics. The opportunities here attracted people from all over the world who have mixed, grown and prospered to the point that there are now 33 million and growing.

Environmentalism has changed the public's attitude toward the development of resources. Actually, I think there are two kinds of so-called environmentalists - those who oppose every project despite its merit, and those who support a balanced approach and work to find solutions that both protect the environment and address the needs of a growing population and vital economy. We have proven time and time again that energy and water resources can be developed and managed in a way that both protect the environment and serve our needs.

Off the coast of California are 27 platforms and five man-made islands that supply 20 percent of the state's oil and gas needs. Six platforms have been decommissioned since 1988 and the remaining ones have the capacity to produce less than 400 million barrels of oil and a limited amount of natural gas. It is estimated that there is an additional one billion barrels of oil yet to be developed. According to the Western States Petroleum Association, total statewide oil production in 1998 was 22 percent less than the 423.9 million barrels of oil produced in California in 1985, the peak of the state's production. Offshore production is down 27 percent from its 1995 peak. At the same time reductions in production have been occurring, demand for oil has been increasing steadily.

Despite California's severe energy crisis, Governor Gray Davis favors a moratorium on further offshore drilling, even though in 1999, then Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt extended undeveloped oil leases that were set to expire. President Bush has indicated an interest in further developing US energy resources, but stated that he is willing to strike agreements with Canada and Mexico to meet our energy needs. Domestic energy development, however, would create domestic jobs.

One of the cleanest forms of energy is hydroelectric power. Generated by water stored in reservoirs turning electrical generation turbines, this form of power is inextricably tied to water storage and supply. Without the system of dams and reservoirs throughout the state we would need to rely on energy production from other sources such as coal as they do in the Midwest and northeast. Those who argue that the environmental costs of water development are too high simply aren't looking at the big picture. Water projects which most of us have taken for granted, have brought us flood control, recreation, energy and abundance in agriculture. We all benefit from that.

Extremists want a California of 150 years ago but we can't go back. There weren't 33 million people living here at that time and it is irresponsible to deny today's growing population of its basic needs. We are in a time of uncertainty. We are uncertain about energy supply dependability, about energy costs and about future water supplies. What we can be certain about, though, is that unless we start now on solutions to meet our ever growing needs, we will have tarnished the luster of the Golden State that our predecessors polished for the world to see.

Reprinted with permission from:
The Farm Water Perspective
Monthly Commentary by Michael Wade, Executive Director
California Farm Water Coalition
717 K St., Ste. 505, Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916/441-7723 Fax: 916/441-7842
Email: mwade@cfwc.com
May 2001

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