California Gov. Jerry Brown discusses his 2017-2018 state budget plan he released at a news conference Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Governor Brown’s 16-billion dollar water tunnels project is one step closer to becoming reality. The National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service yesterday gave their approval to the tunnel system that would send water south from Northern California. Both agencies agreed the project likely will not endanger more than a dozen federally protected species in the largest fresh-water estuary on the West Coast. The approvals are the first of many more state and federal rulings that will determine the fate of the twin 35-mile tunnels that are expected to take over a decade to complete.