California Resources Agency Secretary Responds to Statement by Interior Secretary Scarlett.SACRAMENTO Sacramento, city, United States Sacramento (săkrəmĕn`tō), city (1990 pop. 369,365), state capital and seat of Sacramento co., central Calif. , Calif. -- California California (kăl'ĭfôr`nyə), most populous state in the United States, located in the Far West; bordered by Oregon (N), Nevada and, across the Colorado River, Arizona (E), Mexico (S), and the Pacific Ocean (W). Secretary for Resources Mike Chrisman today sent the following letter to U.S. Acting Secretary of the Interior Lynn Scarlett P. Lynn Scarlett is the Deputy Secretary of the Interior. Appointed by President George W. Bush, Scarlett was sworn in as Deputy Secretary of the Interior on November 22, 2005. . The letter is regarding her tour Monday Monday: see week. of the state's levee levee (lĕv`ē) [Fr.,=raised], embankment built along a river to prevent flooding by high water. Levees are the oldest and the most extensively used method of flood control. system and subsequent comments regarding California's flood flood, in hydrology flood, inundation of land by the rise and overflow of a body of water. Floods occur most commonly when water from heavy rainfall, from melting ice and snow, or from a combination of these exceeds the carrying capacity of the river protection and levee repair needs. April 18, 2006 Lynn Scarlett Acting U.S. Secretary of the Interior Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20240 Dear Lynn, I'm writing regarding your trip yesterday to tour our levees and the subsequent comments that were attributed to you in various papers across the state. As you well know, we continue to face potentially catastrophic levee failure in California that could result in billions of dollars in property loss and God-forbid, loss of lives. That crisis is as real today as it was in January 2005 when Governor Schwarzenegger released his recommendations on California flood management and protection. Some of the comments attributed to you, including an inference that our levees are not in need of immediate repair and that, " ... a crisis could re-emerge if the 'perfect storm' hits," are of serious concern to all Californians. This crisis remains very real now, without any additional storms. The snow pack is greater than it's been in years and the recent storms have left California in a virtual deluge, taxed our dams and filled our reservoirs to the brink. Hundreds of miles of levees are saturated to their limit and ready to give way. That you are attributed suggesting otherwise is deeply troubling. Last month, Governor Schwarzenegger asked President Bush to declare a state of emergency and provide emergency assistance to repair 24 critical erosion sites in California. As you know, a federal declaration of emergency would immediately allow the state to expedite our urgently needed levee repairs and help prevent a disaster before the next flood season. Following the state declaration of emergency, and when no help came, Governor Schwarzenegger traveled to Washington. Working with the state's congressional delegation, the Governor has intensified efforts to obtain regulatory relief and federal funding for levee repairs in the Central Valley and Delta. California is moving forward to protect our people in the hope that federal support will be forthcoming. I look forward to talking with you about California's levee crisis soon. Sincerely, Mike Chrisman Secretary for Resources |
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