Environmentalist Defends Newsom’s $114 Million Delayed Butterfly Bridge Rip-Off

California taxpayers under Gov. Gavin Newsom are getting fleeced again. This time it’s for a lavish wildlife overpass that’s ballooned to $114 million. Meanwhile, the state stares down a $2.9 billion budget deficit.

The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, hyped as the world’s largest, was promised to open in 2025 at around $92-93 million. Now it’s delayed until November 2026, with costs surging thanks to overruns that activists refuse to own.

Enter Beth Pratt of the National Wildlife Federation.

Decked out in a hard hat and safety vest at the site, she clutched a stuffed mountain lion toy like a prop in a redelicious infomercial. In a woke video clip, she delivers the excuses straight to camera:

“Hi, I’m Beth Pratt with the National Wildlife Federation. And I’m here at the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, which is the world’s largest wildlife crossing. It’s for mountain lions and other wildlife to safely get across the 101 freeway.

We’re so excited that it’s almost done. It’s gonna open in November of 2026.

And, um, you know, we’ve had some cost overruns, like every project in America right now. Uh, this one, you know, was hit by inflation, by tariffs from the Trump administration, and by labor shortages.

But we’re still moving forward. The state’s come in with some additional funding to help cover those costs.

And, uh, you know, we’re really excited that this bridge is gonna help save our mountain lions from extinction, and also help with, uh, climate resilience by connecting habitats for all sorts of species, including butterflies.”

Butterflies? On a $114 million bridge over the 101 freeway? That’s the punchline.

California, already drowning in red ink, just ponied up another $18.8 million in state funds to keep this green dream alive—pushing total taxpayer exposure even higher.

Pratt’s background is in park management and environmental public relations, not heavy construction. She claims that it’s all Trump’s fault due to tariffs and shortages.

Never mind California’s own regulatory swamp, endless environmental reviews, or the rain delays everyone else acknowledges. This is classic elite virtue-signaling: virtue for the mountain lions (and butterflies), pain for working families footing the bill.

While Gavin Newsom’s administration touts “climate resilience,” everyday Californians deal with crumbling roads, failing schools, and sky-high taxes. This isn’t conservation—it’s a jobs program for activists and a monument to government waste.