Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing to accelerate his administration’s plan to build a $20-billion water tunnel beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta by short-cutting permitting for the project and limiting avenues for legal challenges. Newsom urged the Legislature on Wednesday to adopt his plan to “fast-track” the tunnel, called the Delta Conveyance Project, as part of his revised May budget proposal. …The tunnel would create a second route to transport water to the state’s pumping facilities on the south side of the Delta, where supplies enter the aqueducts of the State Water Project and are delivered to 27 million people and 750,000 acres of farmland. … Newsom said his proposal would: simplify permitting by eliminating certain deadlines from water rights permits; narrow legal review to avoid delays from legal challenges; confirm that the state has authority to issue bonds to pay for the project, which would be repaid by water agencies; and accelerate state efforts to acquire land for construction.

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• Politico: Newsom asks lawmakers to fast-track delta tunnel project
• KQED (San Francisco): Newsom pushes to fast-track $20 billion Delta tunnel for California water
• CBS News: Newsom announces plans to fast-track California’s delta tunnel project
• Contra Costa News: McNerney, Ransom & Wilson issue statements on proposed delta tunnel project fast-track
• Action News Now (Chico, Calif.): California Governor Gavin Newsom pushes for swift action on Delta Conveyance Project
• Daily Kos: Blog: Delta Tunnel opponents slam Gov. Newsom’s revised budget plan to fast-track Delta Tunnel