Posted: January 16, 2009     Author: Dean Baker

WHAT'S RIGHT VS. GREED, MONEY, AND POWER

WHAT'S RIGHT VS. GREED, MONEY, AND POWER

Pipelines built to take the water and the future of rural Nevada to grow the metropolitan cities of Nevada will be the biggest disaster the people of Nevada have ever faced. It will affect every single person. A Carson City spokesman seem to say that agriculture can with stand droughts but cities and people can’t, so cities should get the water. Las Vegas Water Authority filed with the state engineer on Oct. 17, 1989, about 20 years ago for the underground water of rural Nevada.

The amount of water they want now to take is based on plants dependent on this water for life and growth. This is also the water that has supported meadows and agriculture, much for over a hundred years. The amount of water looked at called “the perennial yield” is used for plant life and agriculture.

Those of us who look at this project from rural Nevada view it as greed, money, and power, simply versus what is right; right for the environment, right for food from agricultural production, right for wildlife, and right for the people of Nevada as a whole.

Southern Nevada powers want to change Nevada. They now expect to control the politics of Clark County and thus, Nevada. The current example now is SNWA and its “Harry Reid Legacy Pipeline” to take water from eastern rural Nevada. This shows a belief only in the growth of the metropolitan areas.

They have for several years hired an infiltrator in the cattle industry. In 2002 his contract was at $100,000 a year, raised now to $10,500 a month, plus significant expenses spent on influencing rural Nevada. This simply is one example of the use on money to establish control. SNWA has given some employment to most water lawyers, creating a conflict of interest if any potential client opposes SNWA. There have been many highly paid consultants, learning institutions, and employees to show only positive positions, and at least shade any negative information. It appears federal agencies have had influence from above to make agreements that look at impacts that have no power to shut off pumps. The Las Vegas Sun quoted the head of SNWA saying that if the state engineer didn’t give them the water they wanted, the state engineer would be replaced. This creates the real question of who is not being influenced by power and money in the conditions and amount of water in the pipeline.

It is clear that the ranching industry is an obstacle to the metropolitan areas taking water from rural Nevada. This is shown by SNWA buying the ranches in Spring Valley. It was for water ONLY. There is a problem that a less expensive way to kill the ranching industry in Nevada is to stop public land grazing.
The pipeline projects are pushed forward by political power. This power is pushed by greed and money, with little care for the environment. This “Harry Reid Legacy Pipeline” of SNWA is the example of the day.

It is my opinion, that there has been a lack of knowledge coupled with a lack of caring about the impacts of this pumping and pipeline project. The lack of knowledge was shown when SNWA did not know a large spring existed that has been used for agricultural production since first viewed. This sight has a grave yard, 130 years old, at its side.

SNWA bought the majority of the ranches in Spring Valley. Just after they bought the ranches, the head of the ranching operation of SNWA said they were going to show other ranches how ranches should be ran. He believed what he was saying. There are real questions if they knew what they were getting into buying and trying to run the sheep and cattle ranches.

SNWA’s lack of knowledge is that in the end the largest potential loser is Las Vegas itself. Billions will have to be spent on the pipeline. The biggest question is , “Will there be enough water to justify the billion dollar pipeline or will there have to be more billion dollar pipelines reaching farther into the deserts and meadows of northern Nevada?”

Reality has not been a part of many of SNWA’s comments. From the top down they have often said they can take the water without impacting the area. Any knowledgeable person looking at their applications knows there will be significant environmental impacts. SNWA should be that knowledgeable, at times it comes out that they are. The only reason that SNWA bought ranches in Spring Valley is because of the impacts they know will come with the pumping of water.

There was a discussion with a significant person working to achieve the SNWA water grab, when the expression of “What was Right” was used. He strongly said that “Right” had nothing to do with this project, only the “Legal Rights” established on October 17, 1989 counted. Quit talking about what is “right,” it has no relevance to this project.

It is hard to believe that the sending of a paper application to the Nevada State Engineer has more power of what is right than all of the impacts on the environment, wildlife, agriculture food production, and the future of rural Nevada, with all of its potential, than an October 17, 1989 piece of paper.

Nevada as a whole should look at what is right and work hard to get southern Nevada another source of water, with controlling growth and conservation as other options. What is right should be the goal, not just greed, power, and money.