While desalination is a globally proven technology, California projects have faced regulatory roadblocks at the state level. A new report from the California Policy Center and Californians for Energy and Water Abundance outlines how the federal government can bypass these hurdles by developing facilities directly on federal coastal lands under the Coastal Zone Management Act and the Submerged Lands Act.
The report advises that a severe water crisis in this region equates to a national economic crisis, making secure, drought-proof infrastructure essential. By invoking rights tied to interstate commerce and national security, the federal government could streamline the approval process and override restrictive state regulations.
Expanding California seawater desalination capacity on federal property would ultimately protect agricultural exports, stabilize interstate commerce, and ensure national economic resilience.
Photo credit: By James Grellier - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11038652
