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U.S. NEWS Saturday 25 February 2017
Storm-lashed California roads, dams could cost $1B to fix

can’t agree on a way to sage on the north-south
fund. Highway 1 through the
Winter storms have tourist destination for up
dumped enough rain and to a year. The total cost
snow on the northern part for responding to flooding,
of the state to end a five- storm damage and repairs
year drought. But with the statewide in the first two
wet weather, comes a host months of 2017 will prob-
of problems for crumbling ably exceed $1 billion,
infrastructure. Gov. Jerry Brown’s finance
A section of mountain high- director, Michael Cohen,
way between Sacramento said Friday. Much of it will
and South Lake Tahoe has be covered by the federal
buckled, with repairs esti- government, which is help-
mated to cost $6.5 million. ing the state recover from
In the Yosemite Valley, only severe storms, he said.
one of three main routes The tally includes $595 mil-
into the national park’s ma- lion to clean up mudslides
jor attraction is open be- and repair state highways.
cause of damage or fear Costs for evacuations and
the roads could give out non-highway damage, as
from cracks and seeping well as for repairs at Oro-
water, rangers said. ville Dam, whose spillways
Residents walk through a muddy sidewalk in a flooded neighborhood Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017, On central California’s rain- threatened to collapse and
in San Jose, Calif. Thousands of people evacuated from a flood in San Jose, California, returned soaked coast, a bridge in flood communities down-
home Thursday amid warnings to be careful about hygiene and handling food that may have
come into contact with flood water. Big Sur has crumbled be- stream, have not been pre-
(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) yond repair, blocking pas- cisely tallied, he said.q
SCOTT SMITH emergencies, officials said
The Associated Press Friday.
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — The Adding to the problems,
bill to repair California’s many communities have
crumbling roads, dams drained their emergency
and other critical infra- budgets and are looking to
structure hammered by the state and federal gov-
an onslaught of storms this ernment for help. But on
winter could top $1 billion, top of the latest damage,
including nearly $600 mil- the nation’s most populat-
lion alone for damaged ed state is struggling with a
roadways that more than $6 billion annual backlog of
doubles what the state repairs for roads, highways
budgeted for road repair and bridges that leaders

New Jersey OKs gas pipeline

through protected Pinelands

WAYNE PARRY tion.
Associated Press It was the most emotion-
CHERRY HILL, N.J. (AP) — ally charged jobs-vs-en-
New Jersey environmental vironment clash in recent
regulators on Friday ap- New Jersey history, and
proved a hotly contested was closely watched by
plan to run a natural gas environmental and energy
pipeline through a feder- groups around the nation,
ally protected forest pre- particularly with a new
serve amid raucous pro- presidential administration
tests that included drums, seen as more supportive of
tambourines and choruses the energy industry.
of “This Land Is Your Land.” “As a priest, I will pray for
The 15-member New Jer- you when you stand before
sey Pinelands Commission the throne of God and you
voted to approve a plan are asked to give an ac-
by South Jersey Gas to run counting of your steward-
the pipeline through the ship of this special ecologi-
federally protected Pine- cal area,” said Rev. David
lands preserve, where de- Stump, a Catholic priest
velopment is drastically from Jersey City. “May God
restricted. The protesters’ have mercy on your souls.”
loud ruckus drowned out “Your legacy is disgrace-
the members, even as they ful!” added Jeff Tittel, di-
voted nine in favor and five rector of the New Jersey
against, with one absten- Sierra Club.q