Shatner: So Build A Pipeline!
2 min read
William Shatner‘s solution to California’s drought problem is simple, raise money and build a pipeline.
The actor estimates that it would take thirty billion dollars to get the job done.
“California’s in the midst of a four-year-old drought,” he said. “They tell us there’s a year’s supply of water left. If it doesn’t rain next year, what do twenty million people in the breadbasket of the world do? In a place that’s the fifth-largest GDP — if California were a country, it’d be fifth in line — we’re about to be arid! What do you do about it?”
What Shatner proposes they do about it is raise the money, build the pipeline and ship some water down to Lake Mead from Oregon or Washington. “So I’m starting a Kickstarter campaign,” he said. “I want thirty billion, to build a pipeline like the Alaska pipeline. Say, from Seattle — a place where there’s a lot of water. There’s too much water. How bad would it be to get a large, four-foot pipeline, keep it above ground — because if it leaks, you’re irrigating!
“It’s simple,” said Shatner. “They did it in Alaska — why can’t they do it along Highway 5? This whole area’s about to go under!”
And what do those states think about Shatner’s proposal? Sorry, California. “Our water goes to provide water for people, for businesses and for fish,” said Paul Faulds, water resources manager for Seattle Public Utilities. “We use our water wisely and manage it throughout the season. We’re not being greedy. We do sympathize with them for sure.”
Shatner knows that it’s a long-shot to raise such a sum and indeed, it is probable that his true motive is simply to raise awareness about the problem and the need to do something about it. “If I don’t make thirty billion, I’ll give the money to a politician who says, ‘I’ll build it.’ Obviously, it’s to raise awareness that something more than just closing your tap…so why not a pipeline?”
About The Author
If it weren’t for that pesky prime directive, one could simply use a combination of transparent aluminum plus transporter technology and….
Voila! There be water here!
Obama needs to pull his fingers out of his backside and give California enough federal aid to build enough desalination plants on the west coast, along with pipelines to the affected areas before the whole of the US begins to starve. Obama’s thankfully coming to the end of his time in office, but his inaction will affect the nation for years to come. For once, Shatner’s quite right.
Actually, the governor of CA is hell-bent on building a high speed bullet train that almost no one wants and is slated to cost upwards of $80-$100 billion. Certainly at that cost, said train will never recoup the costs nor be economically viable without even more taxpayer funding in the long haul.
Seems to me that we could instead use that money to build the pipeline and/or desalination plants, either or both of which are much more needed in drought-stricken CA than the Governor’s pet choo-choo train to nowhere…
Put up to a vote of the citizens of CA, I’d wager good money that the pipeline or the plants would win by a landslide.
It’s not up to the president it’s on congress to act and he has indicated if such a bill lands on his desk he will sign it asap.
However there are too many on the far right who have no interest in such a bill moving forward. The president is limited in what he can do through executive action and anytime he even attempts to use his authority he is blasted by the GOP. He can’t make funding magically appear. It will take an act of congress and this congress does not care.
Gotta love Shatner. Misinformed, misguided or not,…gotta love him for his bravado! Pure Shat! At least he’s trying.
Hee!
Perhaps empty shelves in the supermarkets, and a hungry population will make congress care.
So its the republicans fault? Give me a break. He had the senate and the house for 2 full years and all he did was pass a crappy health bill at the last minute.
Obama doesn’t give a shit so long as his billionaire Hollywood and Silicon Valley buddies keep their checkbooks open and the greens at Pebble Beach are kept watered for him.
Nah.
It’s time we face facts: We can’t keep up the tight eco laws in CA AND maintain the bursting populations we have. The two are starting to butt heads. We either need to lessen the eco laws a bit or start shipping people out of the state. I for one would love if if the enviornmentalist would show true leadership and offer to move first.
I favor a vote!
And save us from another great depression, bring down the deficit cut unemployment restore the auto industry create jobs kill Bin Laden and that crappy health care law saved my life because even with a pre-existing condition I now have insurance and was able to get emergency surgery without going bankrupt. Thanks Obama!
It’s sad how partisan the U.S. is.
Yes, Obama wasted his first 2 years. Until the end of 2010. The drought didn’t start until then.
The problem is, CA has too many lawns in natural desertlands. That’s a population problem. Those properties can use dirtier water and still thrive, sure, but that water still has to come from the same source as drinking water. More water for lawns = fewer amounts of consumable water.
So your solution is to have the federal government solve all your problems, or just steal what you need from some other state. Typical liberal trash.
*Gets on soapbox* I am embarrassed by some of the Trek fans here. Rather that discuss the scientific, economic, and awareness merits of his idea they start partisan discussions that have no bearing on anything near as I can tell. I (perhaps naively) thought that our love for a show that valued diversity and science would result in a more civilized conversation. Let’s all converse with each other in a way that would make our 23rd and 24th century heroes proud. *Gets off soapbox*
Practicing what I preach . . . this plan was seriously discussed in 1991. At the time the estimate was a pipeline along the continental shelf would take 15 years and cost $110 billion in 1991 dollars. Engineering advances may reduce time and money, as would above ground construction, but it doesn’t appear practical as a solution (and would only account for 1/10th of the current need if implemented as designed back then). See Wired Magazine at http://www.wired.com/2015/02/california-pipe-water-alaska/ for more.
Typical California hubris to just assume that Oregon will want to serve California and its water needs. Oregon has its own struggles figuring out how to share its water among fellow Oregonians. Plus, Oregon farmers have everything to gain economically from Californians inability to manage their water supply. Really, why should Oregonians pipe their water to California? so Bill Shatner and other Southern Californians can continue to fill their gleaming backyard pools?
“Thank you, massa.”
“Bathroom break, massa?”
PIPE! LINE! NEGOTIATOR!
They’d never do it. The greenies would never allow it. They’ve been fighting the Keystone pipeline; why allow this?