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Barry Nelson is a senior policy analyst with the Natural Resources Defense Council. Mr. Nelson has been active on California water issues for more than twenty five years, with a particular focus on protecting the Bay-Delta Estuary and its tributary rivers, and on advancing sustainable water management policies. He was the chair of the successful campaign for the passage of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act. He has been active in the restoration of the San Joaquin River, the CALFED Bay-Delta Program, the Delta Vision process, state water reform legislation and many other efforts. He has been a leader in exploring the connections among climate change, energy and water management. Prior to coming to NRDC in 1999, Mr. Nelson was on the staff of Save The Bay in Oakland, serving nine of those years as Executive Director. Mr. Nelson is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, with a BA in economics and rhetoric and a MA in rhetoric.