Free Republic

U.S. Rep. Tom McClintock has been a vociferous opponent in Washington about plans to pump nearly $1 billion into the economy through a new spending bill. But as a newcomer to D.C. politics, the veteran state legislator now serving as 4th District congressman has taken more tentative steps in introducing his own legislation. He did so last month, with introduction of his first bill, to honor former President Ronald Reagan on his Feb. 6 birthday. That date came and went Friday with McClintock’s bill at the committee level. McClintock said he’s co-signed several pieces of high-visibility legislation but used the...

A California board has revoked federal water claims that were critical to building a long-stalled dam northeast of Sacramento, effectively ending the project. Tuesday's unanimous vote by the State Water Resources Control Board comes more than four decades after Congress authorized the Auburn Dam to control flooding along the American River. Board members said the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation had not done its job. --snip-- The Bureau of Reclamation could apply for new permits, but Congress first would have to reauthorize the project.

Reviving a dam project in the Sierra foothills that was halted three decades ago would cost up to $10 billion, more than 10 times the original price tag, according to a federal report released Tuesday. Skyrocketing land values and increased environmental restrictions will complicate any efforts to restart construction on the dam, which drew strenuous objections from environmentalists when it was proposed in a scenic canyon of the American River about 40 miles northeast of Sacramento. The report by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation provides a mixed assessment of the Auburn Dam. It underscored increased benefits for flood control, cheap...

WASHINGTON - Key Republican lawmakers said Thursday that building a dam on the American River at Auburn is the only way to protect Sacramento against catastrophic flooding that might occur once every 500 years. But the head of the California Department of Water Resources cautioned against losing focus on flood-control projects now underway that are meant to give 200-year protection to the region. Sacramento is now protected only at the 100-year level--the lowest of any large urban area in the nation. "Our focus right now in the state is that we need to be sure we get these improvements and...

Tempting fate: A torrent of doubtsProject backers expect electricity, water and flood protection, but critics call it pie-in-the-skyBy Matt Weiser -- Bee Staff Writer Published 2:15 am PST Sunday, February 19, 2006 American taxpayers have had an unsteady relationship with the Auburn dam: $400 million spent so far on a dam that was never built; another $30 million through the end of this year to restore the former construction site; and now $1 million more to study whether to build the dam after all. Since Hurricane Katrina swamped New Orleans, Auburn dam supporters have rallied behind the project anew, suggesting...

<p>WASHINGTON -- While Rep. John Doolittle works to stall any progress on raising Folsom Dam in hopes of getting a multipurpose dam built at Auburn, the Senate is moving ahead with firm conviction that the $219 million project is crucial for Sacramento's flood protection.</p>