A new report by the U.S. Geological Survey suggests the federal government's plans to clean up thousands of acres of polluted cropland could repeat the same environmental problem that caused the death or deformation of thousands of birds in the 1980s.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein has been brokering negotiations over the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's proposal, which is intended to fix a botched federal drain project that left fields in California's San Joaquin Valley too salty to grow crops.
Two weeks ago, Feinstein met in San Francisco with bureau officials and USGS scientists who wrote the internal report.
A copy obtained by The Associated Press Wednesday critiques proposals previously floated by the bureau.
Feinstein's office did not immediately comment.
