Trump Seeks to Assert More Control Over Californias Water

The White House on Sunday released an executive order by President Trump that laid out a plan to exert the federal government’s role in California’s complex water management operations and claimed its authority to overrule state officials.The order, dated Friday, comes after Mr.Trump traveled to the state to see the devastation from wildfires that have been raging in Los Angeles for weeks.

It put formal directives behind Mr.Trump’s steady criticism of California’s leaders and their response to the fires.In a section titled “Overriding Disastrous California Policies,” the order tasked more than half a dozen agencies with finding ways to circumvent federal and state laws that control various aspects of water management in California.

It also directed the Interior Department to make decisions about how to supply water around the state, “notwithstanding any contrary state or local laws.”More confrontational language in the order directed federal officials to stake out their authority without necessarily working alongside the state officials who manage the state’s reservoirs and plan for droughts and fires.Interior Department officials “shall take all available measures to ensure that state agencies — including the California Department of Water Resources — do not interfere with the Bureau of Reclamation’s operation of the project,” the order said, referring to a federally operated network of dams, reservoirs, canals and other facilities.Many of the actions outlined in the order relate to restrictions governed by the Endangered Species Act, since the region is home to several imperiled fish.One of them attempts to convene a committee known as the God Squad that can override the law, ultimately leading to the extinction of a species.

Conservation groups blasted the order and threatened to sue depending on how it is implemented.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for...