Controversial Delta Tunnel Projected Blocked By State Legislature
At least for now, California Governor Gavin Newsom’s hotly debated Delta Tunnel plan, which many of those fighting to save California’s spawning salmon have concluded could decimate that and other fish species in the state, has been rejected by the State Legislature.
PBS affiliate KQED has some details:
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s attempt to fast-track his proposal for a 45-mile tunnel under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta failed to pass the Legislature before its deadline overnight Tuesday.
The Newsom administration’s tunnel plan aims to send more Northern California water south and prop up the State Water Project as climate change threatens water supplies. Some water agencies are supportive of the plan, along with agricultural and business groups.
After the trailer bill failed to pass before midnight, the fate of the tunnel plan is now in the hands of the State Water Resources Control Board, which is holding a monthslong hearing on the project’s viability and the delicate balance of water rights. That hearing, which is set to conclude next month but may be extended, will produce an opinion from the hearing officer as early as 2026 and a decision from the board members on whether to oppose the tunnel or side with Newsom.
Here’s some more reaction, starting with a statement from Golden State Salmon Association executive director Scott Artis:
Newsom’s Delta Tunnel and CEQA Trailer Bills are Dead – Golden State Salmon Association Responds to this Win for Salmon and Fishing Jobs
Statement by Scott Artis, Executive Director, Golden State Salmon Association:
“Governor Newsom marked the 175th anniversary of California’s statehood by praising our shared history and future in his State of the State letter. Yet, he was attempting to write salmon, fishing families, and entire coastal communities out of California’s future with his Delta Tunnel and CEQA trailer bills.
California won’t be the Golden State if it destroys its rivers, silences Tribes, or sacrifices working families for the benefit of a handful of wealthy water contractors. These bills would have done exactly that. They would gut environmental protections, eliminate due process, and lock in a water grab that could finish off already imperiled salmon runs. Make no mistake, both the Delta tunnel and the cynical “voluntary agreements” are an attempt at a massive water grab at the expense of salmon and salmon fishing jobs.
Our statehood anniversary should be an opportunity to celebrate the people and natural resources that built California. Instead, Governor Newsom is joining the feds in pushing salmon killing proposals that threaten to erase an iconic species, cripple an entire fishing industry, and abandon river and coastal communities that depend on salmon.
Golden State Salmon Association and our partners thank the legislature, and particularly Senate president pro Tem McGuire and Speaker Rivas, for rejecting these reckless and cynical trailer bills. Californians deserve solutions that restore rivers, protect jobs, and honor our heritage—not schemes that will be remembered as the moment California turned its back on its people and its salmon.”
And also state Senator Jerry McNerney (D-Pleasanton)
Delta Caucus Leaders Applaud Defeat Of Delta Tunnel Fast-Tracking Plan
SEPTEMBER 10, 2025
Delta Caucus Co-Chairs Senator Jerry McNerney (D-Pleasanton) and Assemblywoman Lori D. Wilson (D-Suisun City) on Wednesday applauded the defeat of the governor’s controversial proposal to fast-track the costly and destructive Delta Tunnel Project.
The fast-tracking proposal, which sought to greatly accelerate the construction of a 45-mile-long, $20-plus billion water tunnel through the fragile Delta region, is not advancing this year after the Legislature rejected the governor’s plan this week.
“Defeating the tunnel fast-tracking proposal is a major victory for California and the Delta, and for the communities, farms, and historic resources surrounding the largest estuary on the West Coast. The tunnel project not only would devastate much of the Delta region, but is also unaffordable and unnecessary,” said Sen. McNerney, whose district includes the heart of the Delta region. “We want to thank Senate and Assembly leadership for protecting the fragile Delta region and the thousands of Californians who called on the Legislature to reject the fast-tracking plan. Assemblywoman Wilson and I stand ready to work with the Legislature and governor on alternatives that will cost far less and will safeguard California’s main water supply system without inflicting major harm to it, such as fortifying Delta levees and increasing water recycling, water efficiency, and groundwater storage.”
“I am relieved to see that the proposed Delta Tunnel trailer bills did not move forward. Once a short-sighted policy, always a short-sighted policy and no amount of money, including the attempted $200 million payoff to Delta communities, can make up for the lasting harm this project would cause,” Assemblywoman Wilson said. “This conversation has gone on for decades, and make no mistake: alongside Senator McNerney and our Delta Caucus partners, we will continue to stand strong and fight for the Delta and the communities who call it home.”
Last month, the governor renewed his call for the Legislature to approve his fast-tracking plan for the Delta Tunnel Project, even though the plan was not included in this year’s state budget. The governor’s proposal released in May would have greatly weakened environmental and judicial review of water plans for Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, while giving the state a blank check to float bonds to pay for the water tunnel.
