RBOC is urging the state to begin meaningful engagement with the recreational boating community regarding the single tunnel project through the Sacramento - San Joaquin River Delta.
RBOC has contacted the Delta Conveyance Design and Construction Authority, confirming the serious concerns of the recreational boating community that the Delta Stakeholder Engagement Committee [SEC] is not providing the opportunity for meaningful engagement of our community, our interests, or our concerns regarding the single tunnel project.
Through the thirteen meetings that have been held to date, the SEC has not served as a good-faith effort to work with the community to use the design process as a way to avoid or minimize local community impacts.
Participants have repeatedly attempted to raise a number of significant negative local community impacts and have been informed that they are not appropriate as the committee is limited to technical, engineering and design issues.
The committee is not collaborating with the Delta community to avoid and minimize local impacts. This is a stark contrast to the Department of Water Resources’ September 4, 2019 “Modernizing Delta Conveyance Infrastructure Q & A" statement:
“Participation and collaborative problem solving will be critical to our success. The Newsom administration wants to engage with Delta communities to hear their ideas and concerns… Our agencies are committed to making the public, especially the Delta community, a part of this new strategy to prepare the state for climate change.”
RBOC is also greatly concerned that the public review and comment on the Draft EIR has not yet happened, will not occur for many months, and will not consider any of the main alternatives to a tunnel that the public has suggested for further analysis.
For each of these reasons, it is critical and timely that a formal, meaningful and collaborative engagement with the recreational boating community be initiated.