The White House has released a long list of regulations targeted for review by the new administration. Among them is a biological opinion governing the long-term operations of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project.
The Fish and Wildlife Service, along with the Commerce Department, will review the 2019 assessment. The administration has said it will pause litigation over regulations like this. Several lawsuits are currently directed at the Trump administration’s biological opinions, including one from the Newsom administration that led to stalled negotiations over voluntary agreements for Bay-Delta outflow.
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The EPA is also reviewing a change to the 401 certification rule for the Clean Water Act. Attorney General Xavier Becerra said last year that the Trump administration’s change undermined the state’s authority for approving or denying certifications for water projects.
The Legislature approved a measure allowing the State Water Board to undercut the rule change, which drew scorn from Central Valley lawmakers, who called it a water grab that hurt farmers.
