WASHINGTON -U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday issued an executive order directing the federal government to override the state of California’s water-management practices if they are found to be ineffective.
The order comes two days after Trump visited the Los Angeles region, which has been devastated by a series of wildfires.
Trump has falsely claimed that Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom and other officials refused to provide water from the northern part of the state to fight the fires.
His order directs federal agencies to “immediately take actions to override existing activities that unduly burden efforts to maximize water deliveries.”
It orders the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to deliver more water and hydropower through the Central Valley Project, a network of dams, canals and other infrastructure, even if that conflicts with state or local laws.
It also orders the White House budget office to see whether it can attach conditions on federal aid to the state to ensure cooperation.
It is not clear whether those changes would bolster California’s firefighting abilities. Water shortages during the height of the disaster caused hydrants to run dry in some parts of Los Angeles, but local officials say that is because they were not designed to deal with such a massive disaster.
Newsom’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Andy Sullivan; editing by Diane Craft)
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