Calif. environmental reforms quashed for the year [Associated Press]
Legislative leaders said Thursday they have dropped plans to overhaul California's environmental regulations in a way that would have made it easier for developers and local governments to build new projects. California's business community made a highly visible push this month to loosen the state's landmark law, known as the California Environmental Quality Act. On Thursday Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg told a group of reporters that the effort would not go forward this year, despite legislative language introduced a day earlier.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/23/4752330/calif-environmental-reforms-quashed.html#storylink=misearch
Hanford meat plant's woes spread to dairy industry [Fresno Bee]
The temporary closure of a Hanford meat-processing plant for alleged acts of animal cruelty is causing ripple effects in the Valley's already struggling dairy industry and prompted calls Thursday from three Valley congressmen to reopen the plant and protect 360 jobs….The congressmen -- Republicans Devin Nunes of Visalia, Jeff Denham of Turlock and Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield -- proposed in a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack that the plant resume slaughter operations while the government investigates. But soon after the congressmen made their plea, the Agriculture Department appeared to reject it….As federal officials continue their investigation, the plant has been unable to process any animals, forcing the only other slaughterhouse in the area -- Cargill -- to take up the slack. The shift has resulted in a swell of animals at Cargill's plant in southwest Fresno….Farmers say the oversupply has caused prices to fall about 20 cents a pound. In some cases, farmers are getting $150 to $200 less per cow. "Things are bad enough as it is, and now we are paying the price for someone's bad management," said Brian Pacheco, a Fresno County dairy operator.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/08/23/2962217/congressmen-to-vilsack-reopen.html
Proposition 37 in California: A high-stakes food fight [Vallejo Times-Herald]
California's crowded November ballot includes white-hot measures to raise taxes, amend the state's Three Strikes Law and repeal the death penalty. But a once-obscure measure requiring labels on genetically engineered food is quickly emerging as one of the most expensive, high-stakes showdowns on the 11-measure ballot. If Proposition 37 passes, California would become the first state to require new labels on a host of food products commonly found on grocery store shelves, from breakfast cereals to sodas to tofu…."This one snuck up on everyone," said Bob Stern, a California campaign finance expert. "No one was paying attention, and all of a sudden proponents turned in their signatures. It takes a lot of money to get something on the ballot, but once it's on the ballot it takes a lot of money to defeat it." Stern noted that in 2008, California passed Proposition 2 -- which prohibits the close confinement of farm animals like chickens in crates -- with 63.5 percent of the vote. He sees similarities with Proposition 37, saying both are "feel-good" initiatives. Spending on Proposition 2 was roughly equal. Supporters spent $10.6 million, opponents $8.9 million.
http://www.timesheraldonline.com/news/ci_21390315/proposition-37-california-high-stakes-food-fight
High-speed rail adds comment time for environmental report [Fresno Bee]
The California High-Speed Rail Authority is extending by 30 days the deadline for the public to review and comment on a draft environmental report for the Fresno-to-Bakersfield section of the proposed train line. The extension pushes the comment deadline from Sept. 20 to Oct. 19. The draft environmental-impact report includes thousands of pages of technical details on how building and operating the high-speed train system would affect residents, neighborhoods, cities, businesses, farms and wildlife habitat in the southern San Joaquin Valley.
John Laird: Delta realities cry out for action and a new direction [San Jose Mercury News]
…The Bay Delta Conservation Plan today elevates biological restoration to a coequal goal along with water supply reliability -- reliability that was the dominant goal of some previous proposals. In just the past six months, the intakes for the project we are considering most seriously have shrunk by 40 percent. The proposal at hand for the first time firmly bases water availability from the Delta on science. These changes mean that the amount of water exported from the Delta is unlikely to increase….The governor and secretary of the interior committed that the plan will be vetted in an environmental review process that looks at many different alternatives. Starting over is not the answer. We can use the existing process to point out any flaws in the science or questions about engineering. We need a water policy that is based on science and a debate based on today's realities. The danger of doing nothing is a chance we can no longer take.
http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_21384111/john-laird-delta-realities-cry-out-action-and
Letter to the Editor: Farmers work for worker safety [San Francisco Chronicle]
Your editorial "Shade and water" (Aug. 23) asserts that farmers do not take the safety of their employees seriously. Nothing could be further from the truth. Of all the sectors in the California economy, agriculture has been the most proactive in addressing the safety of employees who work outside on hot days….The legislation, on the other hand, was designed to saddle farmers with new liability and guarantee they can be sued even for minor noncompliance. California should continue to focus on improving worker safety, not enriching bounty-hunting lawyers.
http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/letterstoeditor/article/Letters-to-the-editor-Aug-24-3811369.php
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