Courtney Bourgoin, courtney.bourgoin@sierraclub.org
Bakersfield, CA— Today, reports suggest that Donald Trump and Interior Secretary Bernhardt will officially grant a permanent contract to Westlands Water District to divert water from California’s Central Valley to wealthy agricultural interests. Sec. Bernhardt led efforts to establish the contract, and was a former lobbyist for Westlands Water District before his tenure at the Interior Department— raising serious questions about conflicts of interest in the decision.
The move will greatly affect how the federal government decides who gets water and how much in California— where climate change is increasing the state’s droughts and water shortages.
In response, Kathryn Phillips, Director of the Sierra Club’s California Chapter, released the following statement:
“The Trump administration’s handout to Bernhardt’s former clients will hurt Californians across Central and Southern California who are facing severe water shortages. Climate change continues to threaten dangerous, extended droughts in our state. Trump’s politically driven decision to ignore science and permanently grant limited water supplies to a single industry is indefensible.
“Communities will suffer as the requirements to fulfill permanent contracts to special interests cuts access to drinking water. In the state’s rivers and Bay Delta, wildlife like endangered salmon and the Pacific whales who depend on them will be pushed further toward extinction.
“The Trump administration has essentially decided to distribute California’s limited water to benefit its wealthy, well-connected friends. Everyday peoples’ livelihoods and futures are being devalued by Trump and Bernhardt for political gain.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.