California politicians didn’t start the fire. It aggravated them

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Seeing homes in Malibu and Pacific Palisades go up in flames is bad enough, but knowing the water shortages caused by bad bureaucratic decisions makes the horrific sight even worse.

Water is everywhere in California. The Golden State borders the Pacific Ocean, which holds countless gallons of water to fill reservoirs and feed fireplaces.

But California’s bureaucracy discourages saltwater plants that would guarantee more water, and no reservoirs have been built with the $2.7 billion approved in 2014.

Los Angeles wildfires: California fire arrest caught on video as police warn of arsonists

Environmentalists prefer to blame climate change for wildfires, just as the ancient Greeks blamed their gods when things went wrong. Rather than looking in the mirror, it’s about passing the price.

Water is dropped by helicopter on the Kennett Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (Ethan Swope/AP)

Hectares burned by fires on federal lands, where carbon dioxide emissions were low from 1916 to the mid-1940s, peaked in the first decade of the 2000s. It has arrived.

In California, politicians have pushed an agenda to eliminate water, energy, and minerals, increasing human suffering. The question is how the people will retain their power without voting them out of power.

This could have been prevented with water, especially considering the tragedy of the fire.

State agencies that must approve dewatering projects include the State Water Resources Control Board, California Coastal Commission, California State Land Commission, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, National Marine Fisheries Service West Coast Region, and six coastal regional waters. Quality control boards. This system is designed to slow down growth.

Additionally, approval is subject to tribal consultation, environmental justice, consideration of marine life and energy use, and other factors.

California awarded $120 million for desalination projects, $1.4 billion for charging stations and $500 million for electric school buses. The California Air Resources Board has the authority to fast-track clean air regulations.

Surely, if California can afford billions of dollars in electric vehicles, the state can fill its reservoirs with water—especially since the wildfires are causing more damage to the air than gasoline-powered vehicles?

Countries with a lower GDP than California have no problem building desalination plants. Such plants produce more than 7 million cubic meters per day in the United Arab Emirates, which is 40% of the country’s drinking water. Kuwait and Oman use desalination for 90% of their drinking water, and Saudi Arabia’s share of desalination is 70%.

Cars are on fire

More cars burned in the Eaton fire at Brake Masters in Altadena. (Fox News Digital / Ashley Carnahan)

Bahrain recently completed its second desalination plant with new reverse osmosis energy-saving technology from France-headquartered Veolia Water Technologies. The plant produces 227,000 cubic meters per day and became operational after 22 months.

The problem is that California’s government has created water shortages just as it has created energy shortages and critical mineral shortages.

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California It needs 60% of its energy to come from renewables by 2030, so it has high-cost energy shortages. The Legislature passed the Marine Protection Act in 2011.

An environmental agenda that focuses on scarcity rather than pollution empowers governments to allocate those scarce resources. In times of crisis, people depend on the government instead of making decisions on their own.

Water is everywhere in California. The Golden State borders the Pacific Ocean, which holds countless gallons of water to fill reservoirs and feed fireplaces.

Robert Kerbeck, author of “Malibu Burning: The True Story Behind L.A.’s Most Devastating Wildfire,” learned first hand how to spray the home with fire retardant, one of two homes on the street that survived the 2018 Woosey Fire in Malibu. And who cut the brush that could feed the fire.

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As Kerbeck recently wrote, “we need more water to fight fires, more reservoirs to store the water, and more firefighters with the right equipment to fight these massive wind-driven fires.”

California’s policies are often based on Churchill’s myth of the Soviet Union. Californians who have pushed the energy, water and mineral scarcity agenda for the sake of the environment should think again. Nature should not be worshiped at such a price on humans.

Click here to read more by Diana Furchtgott-Rose