Legislative Attempt to Block Mojave Water Drilling Project Dies

Ian James and Evan Wyloger report: "A bill that could have blocked Cadiz Inc.’s plan to pump groundwater out of the Mojave Desert died in the California Legislature for a second straight year on Friday, dealing a blow to the company's opponents after days of intense lobbying."

"The bill would have required a new state environmental review before the company could proceed with its plan to pump groundwater and pipe it across the desert to sell to Southern California cities," according to the article.

The bill had passed the State Assembly earlier in the week by a 50-23 vote, according to an earlier article by Sammy Roth. That article notes that environmental groups were pushing hard to get the bill approved by the State Legislature before the end of the year's session.

Without Senate approval for the bill, "Cadiz will have an easier path toward pumping up to 16.3 billion gallons of groundwater per year on land surrounded by Mojave Trails National Monument, especially after last year's decision by the Trump administration to approve the company's water pipeline."