Thursday, June 19, 2008

Secession to Combat Corruption


From Nevada State Senator Bob Beers' website:

"My idea is to amend federal law to allow the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) to buy ranches downstream from us on the Colorado River, fallow them, and draw into Nevada their water allotments, through our Lake Mead water intakes, whose capacity is double today’s requirements. This plan harms no one, solves Clark County’s water shortage, and costs very little compared to the costs already incurred in the earliest stages of sucking Northeastern Nevada’s water table dry - much less the costs yet to come. My plan avoids the sure environmental ruin of the current plan, is much cheaper and faster, and is a market solution.... It’s almost as if there are some politically powerful entities out there who SNWA is catering to who would profit from building the pipeline to Northeasten Nevada, and who don’t care if the whole idea is stupid, expensive and environmentally damaging."

Hmmm... I've heard that KBR (Kellogg, Brown, and Root) is the contractor SNWA intends to pay billions to build the pipeline network


From Rolling Stone magazine:

“The undisputed master of milking the system is KBR, the former Halliburton subsidiary ... The company has been exposed by whistle-blowers in numerous Senate hearings for everything from double-charging taxpayers for $617,000 worth of sodas to overcharging the government 600 percent for fuel shipments. When things went wrong, KBR simply scrapped expensive gear: The company dumped 50,000 pounds of nails in the desert because they were too short, and left the Army no choice but to set fire to a supply truck that had a flat tire...

In perhaps the ultimate example of military capitalism, KBR reportedly ran convoys of empty trucks back and forth across the insurgent-laden desert, pointlessly risking the lives of soldiers and drivers so the company could charge the taxpayer for its phantom deliveries. Truckers for KBR, knowing full well that the trips were bullshit, derisively referred to their cargo as "sailboat fuel."


How can anyone believe for one minute that KBR won't milk Las Vegas (and the State of Nevada) for everything they can get?


This water grab will ruin the Central Great Basin - environmentally, economically, and culturally.

There may come a day when White Pine and Lincoln Counties have no choice but secession from Nevada.

If White Pine and Lincoln Counties are a part of Utah, Nevada water law will not apply - and there won't be a water grab pipeline.

I love Nevada. I've lived in Nevada all of my life. But, the state wants to take far more from here than it will ever give.


Good ideas are getting ignored for the sake of corporate profits. Someday soon, Eastern Nevada may have to consider secession – to save both the Central Great Basin and Las Vegas from environmental and financial ruin.

1 comment:

Dale B. said...

It seems to me that the ocean would be the ultimate water source - not to minimize water conservation & prudent reuse. In the long run would the cost of developing economical ways of desalination be greater than draining our aquifers?