Opinion: Trump’s water release in Tulare County sparks controversy
Fruit and nut crops grown in Tulare County in 2023 were worth more than $4 billion in gross revenues. The single-largest commodity produced in the county that year was milk, with dairies earning more than $2 billion in sales. Adding up the more than 150 different agricultural products from that year, Tulare County farmers posted nearly $8 billion in total production values. Yet there is one priceless commodity those farmers and livestock producers could not go without: Water. So it is shocking that President Trump just ordered more than 2 billion gallons of water to be released from two lakes in Tulare County, ostensibly to help Los Angeles fight its wildfires, in the middle of winter when farmers’ water needs are low.
–Written by Tad Weber, opinion writer at The Fresno BeeRelated articles:
- Rolling Stone: Opinion: Trump drains California’s most precious resource for a photo op
- Bloomberg: Opinion: Trump ‘opened’ the water in California and wasted it
- LegalPlanet: Blog: A disinformation deluge on California policies
- Manteca Bulletin: Opinion: Trump wasted water? Newsom channeling Trump? Welcome to the mad, mad world of Californian water
- Coeur d’Alene Press: Opinion: Risch, Crapo, Simpson — Stop federal usurpation of state water rights
- Newsweek: Donald Trump’s release of California waters stuns locals
- ABC7 (Los Angeles): Trump’s Central Valley dam water release could signal fight ahead
- Politico: Newsom to meet with Trump over LA fire aid, water
