In this story from today’s Bee, the crucial point is that the levee work will be put on a fast track, though new federal funds will not be available for this levee work, and if this frees up new federal funds for the work being done on the optimal flood solution, a dam on the American River, that is truly good news.
Here is an excerpt.
State levee plea rejected
No new federal money, but work put on fast track
By Sam Stanton and Jim Sanders -- Bee Staff Writers Published 2:15 am PDT Saturday, April 22, 2006
SAN JOSE - The Bush administration announced Friday that it had ordered federal officials to streamline procedures that will allow 29 endangered California levees to be repaired by November, but the White House refused to declare an emergency or to offer any federal funding.
The announcement, which came shortly before President Bush landed in California and met with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger over the state's levee problems, left some state leaders angry.
But one top Bush official said that the administration was limited in what action it could take, and that the federal government could not issue the disaster declaration requested by Schwarzenegger because no crisis had yet occurred.
Bush will continue his four-day California visit with a stop today in West Sacramento, marking his first appearance in the capital area since a Memorial Auditorium event in October 2001.
Schwarzenegger spokeswoman Margita Thompson labeled Friday's levee developments "a step in the right direction."
"However, more work needs to be done if we are going to rebuild our levees as quickly as possible," she said.
"We look forward to seeing the details and language of the president's directive. The governor will continue pressing the federal government to expedite the levee repairs."
Specifically, Bush directed his Cabinet to put planning and permitting processes on a fast track to allow levee repairs to begin immediately, and to take procedural steps necessary to accept money from California to launch the work.
