Earlier this year, several lawsuits were filed against the Trump administration’s biological opinions (BiOps) governing operations of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta pumps, including one by the state of California and another by a coalition of six environmental organizations. 

Both sets of plaintiffs filed motions for preliminary injunction, which would effectively revert Delta pump operations back to the more restrictive Obama-era BiOps.

A U.S. district court judge has issued an order granting in part, and denying in part, the motion for a preliminary injunction, while holding some aspects in abeyance.

First, the court granted the State’s motion for preliminary injunction with regard to the Calif. Central Valley steelhead, concluding that the Trump Administration’s LTO may irreparably harm the threatened species during the period from May 11 to May 31. This will limit the operations of the Delta pumps per the Obama-era BiOps, but only for the remainder of the month.

The court denied the State’s motion in all other respects as having been rendered moot by this order, and did not address the harm to Delta smelt, longfin smelt or salmon. Furthermore, the court found that the State failed to prove that injunctive relief was needed beyond May.

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The court also denied the environmental coalition’s request to enjoin operations on the Stanislaus River as moot, and held all other aspects of the environmental coalition’s motion in abeyance with the understanding that the court intends to issue a separate order in the near future.

Click here to read the full text of the order.

Source: Western Growers, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.​​