PRO ECOLOGY
Through the years, in the CA26 Congressional District, we have had a handful of ecological disasters. Most have taken place when we just didn’t know any better. Not all of those disasters have been dealt with. While the Ormond Beach is being cleaned up with superfund money, there are others that need attention. For example, the Matilija Dam. This Dam, which was built in the mid 1940s killed off the Ventura River, and with it one of the worlds largest steelhead trout populations. The Dam stands today, yet because the reservoir filled with sediment within a few years of having been built, is useless. The only chance of restoring the Ventura River, and possibly the Steelhead Trout population is the removal of the Matilija Dam. The project to remove the Dam is currently mired in litigation and excessive governmental regulation. Consequently, the costs to remove it have unnecessarily skyrocketed beyond the ability of local government or private environmental groups to fund removal. Once elected, I will be to using the full faith and power of my office to resolve this ecological disaster once and for all.
