Again I beg to differ. While greenies certainly lobbied against the Auburn project, the project collapsed because of financial considerations. Specifically:
While the feds were obviously willing to stand the cost of flood control, no agreement could be reached regarding the substantial, additional cost of water storage and power generation. The only local consensus was that both the water stored and the power generated would not be voluntarily ceded to existing water or utility districts. The promoters could not reach a consensus on who would distribute the water or the power. Without a consensus, the feds were left holding the whole bag. Because of the conflicting local opinions, the feds could not clearly identify a method to recover the substantial, additional expense. More than quadruple the cost of 100 year flood control .
I wonder if whitewater rafting companies and Zsierra Club had much to do with ‘conflicting’ opinions?
Robert Matsui and his family probably have lifetime passes to whatever rafting co. is on the river. Doris sounds very stupid and wet- all wet, really.
Well, again, I don't care if you differ because you ignore the politics both here and in D.C. The money was not re-authorized and had it been, the locals would have had time to work out distributive matters.
The Dem controlled CONgress and the Carter Whitehouse were both pist at CA for electing Gerald R. Ford, a rotten Repellican!!!
Jerry Brown was governor and his ties to the rafting crowd are well known and he had to teach his constituents to "lower their expectations!" The rafters were still pist from being "mitigated" from the Stanislaus to the American river due to the New Melones reservoir being created on their playland thrill ride and they refused to grow up and were determined to stop any further dams upon the rivers... especially one that was only 2/3rds finished!!!
You can blame the local governmental agencies all you want, but everything imaginable was thrown at Auburn Dam, most of which was more stupid, senseless EnvironMental crappola!
i.e. an ancient earthquake fault (Bear Mtn. Fault) ran under the site and would create too much risk for Sacramento. Hell, every reservior in CA is built on faults more recently active than that old thing!!!
They even got the local oldsters living in Auburn Lake Trails to worrying about "The Lake Effect" and how the added humidity would cripple them with arthritus. Now it sits up there on that ridgeline as a dried up target for the next wildfire that belches up out of that canyon!!!
Now I can't remember where you told me you got that point of view of yours on this subject, but it sounds a lot like you simply compiled it in your memory out of all the Sacramento Bee's negativity at the prodding of the rafters, "Progressives" Pagans and enviros!!!