Where Is the Drought from AGW?

Per the dogma of AGW believers, more CO2 in the atmosphere is to create a warmer world, where droughts will predominate. Specifically in California, the geniuses in the legislature (and Gov. Schwarzennegger) passed the absurd AB 32, predicated on a rapidly warming climate that would, among other things, create drought and reduced snowpack in California. Hmmm...apparently, the snowpack didn't get the word this year. In fact, all across the Western US, the snowpack is already above normal, with several storms dropping more snow and rain since this (see below) was written on Feb 24, 2011. From this link,

"Current water supply forecasts and outlooks in the western United States are for above average snow melt runoff volumes for most basins. This includes the following major river basins as of February 1, 2011.

• Colorado River - Median forecast inflow to Lake Powell is 113% of average
• Columbia and Snake Rivers - Median forecast at the Dalles is 103% of average
• Missouri River - Median forecast at Toston is 105% of average
• California - Median forecasts range from 95% to near 150% of average

Major exceptions to the above average forecasts include basins in the Lower Colorado River and the upper Rio Grande where forecasts are for below normal runoff. These forecasts reflect the very active series of storms that affected much of the western United States in the second half of December 2010 and the second half of February 2011. This series of storms produced very significant mountain snow accumulations over most of the western United States. In many cases snow water equivalent readings are already at or near their average annual peak values with another 1-3 months of accumulation possible."

California's snowpack was measured on March 1, and the results are much above normal. From the press release:

"Department of Water Resources (DWR) hydrologists today confirmed that water content in California’s mountain snowpack is well above average. Manual and electronic readings indicate that statewide, water content is 124 percent of normal for the date, and 109 percent of the April 1 seasonal average."

What is also true is that California's water system is letting perfectly good fresh water run out of the lakes, into rivers, and out into the ocean. Farmers are understandably frustrated over this. The water is running out into the oceans to make room for all the snowmelt that will occur in the warmer Spring season. What California desperately needs are more dams and more lakes, storing more fresh water for use during the dry season. The state has an abundance of hills and mountains with their valleys, all ready to be dammed and turned into lakes. Does anyone think that will happen? Not in this lifetime, not with this citizenry and governance, and not with the environmental rules in place. Meanwhile, the fresh water runs into the ocean, the farmers receive less water than they could profitably use, and cities are under water conservation mandates. Desalination plants are either under construction or under review for future construction.

One supposes that, eventually, the facts will outweigh the belief system. The world is not getting warmer, sea levels are not rising any more than usual, snowpack is not disappearing, droughts are not happening, yet CO2 in the atmosphere continues to rise. And Californians are having to live with AB 32 partially in place and the remainder looming on the very near horizon: January 2012 will see most of its draconian provisions in place, killing the economy and eliminating thousands of jobs, while "saving" the world from a fictional "problem."

Roger E. Sowell, Esq.

Marina del Rey, California