A new federal report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says that natural variations in La Nina weather oscillation are the reason for California’s drought and not man-made global warming.

According NBC San Diego, the actual transcript for the report will be submitted for peer review and the research was headed by a scientist from Columbia University and one from the NOAA. The researchers say that 160 computer model runs show greenhouse gases should lightly increase, not decrease, winter rain in parts of California.

There is some dissent from some climate scientists. They state global warming enhances the drying in a feedback effect resulting from extra heat. But researchers with the NOAA say that is less of a factor in California because the state is on the ocean and its rain is the result of storms emanating from the Pacific.

The first thing someone who wants to investigate if California’s droughts are due to global warming should do is check the records of droughts. There have been droughts that have taken place in The Golden State as far back as there is data. There is nothing unusual about this drought than any other time in the state’s history. I am not saying we should not be concerned or or not have empathy for what is happening. The reality is that the state’s drought is not only not due to global warming, it is also due to the lack of infrastructure for water delivery.

California’s water infrastructure was constructed as part of The New Deal and hasn’t been updated since the 1980’s. Fortunately, state voters approved a bond issue to upgrade it in November but, mark my words, environmentalist law firms are licking their chops and sharpening their swords waiting to take efforts to do so to court for environmental impact.