California's $20 billion Delta tunnel project cleared a key regulatory hurdle last week, but faces major obstacles including financing, water rights, and community opposition. The Delta Stewardship Council voted 6-1 to require the Department of Water Resources to address only two of many challenges.
However, court rulings have blocked the state's financing plan, and no water agencies have committed to paying for the project. Third-generation cattleman Duane Martin Jr.
of Sacramento County fears the project will devastate his community and land. The project remains mired in planning, with construction not expected until 2029 at the earliest.