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October 8, 2007
Southwest
California Businesses Supporting More Water for
Businesses and Region
The Southwest California Legislative Council supported
legislation to increase more access to water for the region
at its August legislative meeting. H.R. 31 (Issa) will allow
the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District (EVMWD),
working in conjunction with the Secretary of the Interior’s
office, to participate in the design, planning, and
construction of permanent facilities that are needed to
establish recycled water distribution and waste water
treatment for EVMWD’s jurisdiction.
EVMWD is responsible for the areas of Lake Elsinore, the
City of Canyon Lake, a portion of the City of Murrieta,
unincorporated areas of the County of Riverside, and a
portion of the Cleveland National Forest. EVMWD provides
potable water service, wastewater treatment and disposal,
and recycled water to customers within its jurisdiction
“This piece of federal legislation is not only important for
our neighboring areas, but for our businesses as well so
they may succeed and growth can continue,” stated Dennis
Frank, Chair of the Southwest California Legislative
Council. “If businesses throughout our region are not able
to receive enough water, it will stunt growth to the entire
region,” continued Frank.
Currently water demand throughout the region has been
growing rapidly due to new development and population
growth. For example, the City of Lake Elsinore is the third
fastest growing city in Riverside County and the county is
the second fastest growing county in the Nation. EVMWD
expects water demand to more than double by 2020.
August 22, 2005
Emphasizing
the Need to Secure
the Region’s Energy Supply, Southwest
California Legislative Council
Joins Coalition
Business and
community coalition educates Californians on the importance
of
meeting
the
growing demand for clean-burning natural gas. Specifically,
the statewide coalition advocates for the approval of
facilities to allow for the importation of liquefied natural
gas (LNG)
Californians for Clean Affordable Safe Energy (Cal-CASE)
today announced that the Southwest California
Legislative Council joined its coalition, an alliance of
more than 60 organizations, businesses and associations
dedicated to securing California’s energy future. To meet
the growing demand for clean-burning natural gas, the
coalition advocates for the approval of facilities to allow
for the importation of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
“The Southwest
California Legislative Council’s support will go a long way
toward achieving our goal: safe, reliable, and affordable
energy for all Californians,” said
Cal-CASE Chair Dorothy Rothrock,
vice president of government
relations of the California Manufacturers & Technology
Association.
The
Southwest California Legislative Council (SWCLC) is a regional
business advocacy coalition of the Temecula Valley Chamber
of Commerce, Murrieta Chamber of Commerce, and Lake
Elsinore Valley Chamber of Commerce.
California, the tenth largest consumer of natural gas,
currently generates only 15 percent of the natural gas it
consumes, and demand is expected to grow consistently over
the next 10 years. Furthermore, the natural gas California
relies on for its homes, businesses and to produce
electricity is now imported from Canada and Texas. Bringing
LNG ports to California could help meet this growing demand
and reduce the potential for price volatility and blackouts
that negatively affects businesses, residents and the
economy.
“Southwest California is one of the fastest growing areas in
the state,” said Gene Wunderlich, Chairman of the Southwest
California Legislative Council Board. “The Southwest
Legislative Council believes it is important for us to
support a better way for our businesses and residents to
consume energy.”
Earlier
this month, the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and
the San Diego County Taxpayers Association joined Cal-CASE.
The growing coalition includes the
California Chamber of Commerce, the California State
Association of Counties, the California Restaurant
Association, the Los Angeles Economic Development
Corporation, the California Farm Bureau Federation,
Consumers First and the California Council for Environmental
and Economic Balance.
For more
information on Cal-CASE log on:
www.casefornaturalgas.com
Click here to download a copy of the press release
(MS Word,
102 KB)
July 22, 2005
Southwest California
Legislative Council Fights for Regional Business in
Securing Reliable Water Sources
The
Southwest California Legislative Council voted to
SUPPORT the Department of Water Resources (DWR)
public process as outlined in the Environmental
Impact Report for the South Delta Improvement
Program. The release of a draft Environmental Impact
Report (EIR) for the South Delta Improvement Program
is to provide objective information about the pros
and cons of a particular projects or actions. Any
attempt to block the project before the EIR is
released, denies the public any opportunity to
review its merits and impacts.
The proposal allows the DWR to allow additional
movement of water to its customers, when it is
deemed safe to do so by the fish protection
agencies. This would occur through existing pumps,
installed nearly 20 years ago. It would allow the
Department’s customers to meet increasing demands
through greater system efficiency, a goal that has
been advocated ardently by the environmentalists.
Being able to pump water at higher rates during
“safe” periods is the right thing to do
environmentally. Requiring the pumping capacity to
remain idle at all times would be like keeping an
extra lane on the freeway closed to backed up
motorists and telling them they can’t use it because
they should be taking mass transit.
Letter to Governor Schwarzenegger
July 20, 2005
The Honorable Arnold Schwarzenegger
Governor, State of California
California State Capitol
Sacramento, California 95814
RE: South Delta Improvement Program (SDIP) - SUPPORT
Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:
On behalf of the Southwest California Legislative Council
(SWCLC), we are writing in SUPPORT of the Department of
Water Resources (DWR) public process as outlined in the
Environmental Impact Report for the South Delta Improvement
Program. The release of a draft Environmental Impact Report
(EIR) for the South Delta Improvement Program is to provide
objective information about the pros and cons of a
particular projects or actions. Any attempt to block the
project before the EIR is released, denies the public any
opportunity to review its merits and impacts.
The proposal allows the DWR to allow additional movement of
water to its customers, when it is deemed safe to do so by
the fish protection agencies. This would occur through
existing pumps, installed nearly 20 years ago. It would
allow the Department’s customers to meet increasing demands
through greater system efficiency, a goal that has been
advocated ardently by the environmentalists. Being able to
pump water at higher rates during “safe” periods is the
right thing to do environmentally. Requiring the pumping
capacity to remain idle at all times would be like keeping
an extra lane on the freeway closed to backed up motorists
and telling them they can’t use it because they should be
taking mass transit.
We recognize that the environmental review of this project
could result in essentially no supply benefits in the
foreseeable future. If that occurs, we will aggressively
support additional fish protection efforts so that this
important management tool can be added to the suite of
actions necessary to maintain adequate water supplies for a
growing population without damming any more rivers.
For now, we urge you to allow that debate to go forward, and
issue the EIR without further delay.
Sincerely,
Gene Wunderlich
Chairman
Southwest California Legislative Council
Alice Sullivan
President and CEO
Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce
Rex Oliver
President and CEO
Murrieta Chamber of Commerce
Kim Cousins
President and CEO
Lake Elsinore Valley Chamber of Commerce
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