Auburn dam returns to limbo
But Demos' new control in Congress expected to aid Folsom project

By David Whitney - Bee Washington Bureau
Published November 19, 2006

The Auburn dam is back on life support

The dam's most ardent supporters concede that Congress' new Democratic leadership is unlikely to move forward with restoring funding for the controversial multibillion-dollar public works project.

"I recognize the political reality," said Placer County Supervisor Bruce Kranz, about turning his focus from building the dam to more promising matters. Kranz is chairman of the American River Authority, a three-county joint powers authority that a few months ago was touted as a possible local sponsor of a multipurpose dam.

The reality is that Democrats next year will hold key seats on the House Appropriations Committee, which, under Republican leaders, had been working to ship money toward getting the dam restarted.

In addition, the new chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which writes water project bills, is expected to be Sen. Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat and longtime opponent of an Auburn dam. The political changes in Washington, however, should be helpful for more immediate Sacramento flood control needs, such as levee improvements and modifications to Folsom Dam. Boxer, for example, would be well positioned to help push through Congress any new authorizations needed for Folsom Dam upgrades.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., is in line to become chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee panel over Interior Department, Forest Service and Environmental Protection Agency funding, enhancing her influence over issues like flood control. On the House side, Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn., is to assume control of the powerful Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, where battles over authorization of water projects are fought out. Oberstar will take over from Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, who had become a strong backer of the campaign to resurrect plans for an Auburn dam.

Of the turnover in leadership, Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento, said, "Obviously this is good news. All these people understand what needs to get done and what the critical needs are for Sacramento and California."

Just six months ago, the enthusiasm of Auburn dam proponents had reached a level not seen in a dozen or more years. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands, signaled his support for an Auburn dam in a speech before the spring lobbying trip here of the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, declaring that the "era of big dams is not over." In May, Rep. John Doolittle, the Roseville Republican who has championed building an Auburn dam, secured a $3 million earmark in a 2007 spending bill that would have jump-started a feasibility study for the dam. In addition, he won another $1 million to begin planning for a new Highway 49 bridge over the American River to accommodate the dam's reservoir.

Doolittle, who survived a close re-election battle Nov. 7, acknowledged in a post-election interview that progress on an Auburn dam would be one of the casualties of the election. So, too, would his Republican leadership post that put him in the position to secure major funding.
None of the money that Doolittle earmarked has been forthcoming because Congress has yet to complete work on most of the 2007 spending bills, even though the fiscal year began Oct. 1. It's uncertain whether the study money will be included in a final spending measure if a deal is reached by next month. But if Congress decides to pass only a temporary funding measure until the start of the new congressional session, most believe the study money will vanish.

Doolittle had argued that even with work under way to improve levees and the Folsom Dam, Sacramento would need an Auburn dam to provide a higher level of flood protection. He contended that the project was still viable since the dam had never been officially canceled after work on it was suspended three decades ago because of earthquake safety fears.

However, loss of congressional control to Democrats, as well as Doolittle's diminished clout due to the cloud of his financial connections to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, leaves the congressman with far fewer prospects of leading a successful charge for the Auburn dam.
"My range of options is constrained when I'm in the minority," he said.

Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Gold River, shares Doolittle's goal of building an Auburn dam but sees little likelihood of being able to push that agenda forward. Before the election, with the impact of Hurricane Katrina as a motivator and House Appropriation Committee leaders behind the funding, Lungren said, "we had a convergence of circumstances, but I don't know if we have that today."
A major setback? Lungren was asked. "You'd have to say that," he replied.

Ronald Stork, a senior analyst at Friends of the River, an environmental group opposed to the dam, said he thinks the election also spells the demise of Doolittle's premise that work on an Auburn dam could proceed without new congressional authorizations. "That was a stealth strategy of Lewis and Doolittle," Stork said. "I don't think that is likely to work in the next Congress."

For other dam critics, the Nov. 7 elections were just another part of the same on-again, off-again pattern that has kept the project gasping on life support since construction was stopped in 1975. "This is the project that will never die," said Steve Ellis, vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, which considers the dam a financial boondoggle. "Being out of the majority will hurt Doolittle's effort. But this project is not dead. It's just been pushed to the back burner."


The Bee's David Whitney can be reached at (202) 383-0004