Citing California’s worsening drought conditions, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday urged the California Coastal Commission to give final approval in two weeks for construction of a new $1.4 billion desalination plant on the state’s coastline.
The proposed oceanfront facility in Huntington Beach has been under debate for more than 20 years, and its outcome could set a course for other desalination plants on the state’s coast.
“We need more tools in the damn tool kit,” Newsom said during a meeting with the Bay Area News Group editorial board when asked about the project. “We are as dumb as we want to be. What more evidence do you need that you need to have more tools in the tool kit than what we’ve experienced? Seven out of the last 10 years have been severe drought.”
