California
voters rebuff labels on GMO foods [Associated Press]
Voters
spurned a ballot measure that would have made California the first in the
nation to affix labels on breakfast cereals, baked goods and other processed
foods containing genetically modified ingredients. The rejection Wednesday
followed an expensive offense from agribusiness and chemical conglomerates,
which raised $46 million to blitz airwaves and mailboxes with negative
advertising.…The closely tracked initiative was seen as a test of consumers'
appetite toward genetically modified crops. Outsiders hoped a victory in
trend-setting California would catapult the issue to a national stage….A win
would have put California at odds with the federal government, which does not
require such labels because bioengineered foods are not significantly different
in taste, texture and nutrition. It would also have rattled American
agriculture, which has long harvested corn, cotton, soybean and other plants in
which the DNA has been tinkered with in the laboratory to resist pesticides and
ward off disease.
Yuba
County ag preservation ballot item in tight race [Marysville Appeal Democrat]
Though
final results were far from available, a ballot measure to protect Yuba County
ag land and open space appeared to be going down Tuesday night. Measure T,
whose principal supporter was foothills Supervisor Hal Stocker, was trailing by
about 150 votes out of nearly 9,000 cast, though it was not clear how many
precincts had been counted or how many outstanding ballots remained. If
approved, the measure would have required a public vote whenever a development
would've involved changing zoning or other conditions on land designated for
open space or agriculture.…Among its opponents were the other three county
supervisors and both the Yuba-Sutter Chamber of Commerce and the Yuba-Sutter
Farm Bureau's board of directors.
State
oversight panel approves contract for high-speed rail land [Fresno Bee]
The
state Public Works Board agreed Tuesday to a streamlined process for acquiring
land for high-speed rail in the San Joaquin Valley, easing the way for
negotiations to begin with property owners. On a 3-0 vote at the state Capitol
in Sacramento, the board adopted a standardized contract that the California
High-Speed Rail Authority will use in negotiations with property owners along
the proposed route from Merced to Bakersfield, as well as in the Bay Area and
southern California….Tuesday's vote clears the way for the authority to begin
negotiating with property owners. The authority is considering bids from
consultants who will be the agency's right of way agents, and could award
contracts later this month. Lawsuits are pending against the rail authority in
Sacramento, however, with the aim of overturning the agency's approval earlier
this year of its Merced-Fresno stretch.
Feds
to evaluate rates charged for Delta water [Sacramento Bee]
The
federal government is reviewing how much its clients pay for water pumped out
of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, and will update the public on the process
on Nov. 16 in Sacramento. The Central Valley Project diverts water from the
Sacramento, American and other rivers through the Delta to numerous water
buyers – mostly farmers in the San Joaquin Valley. The U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation, which operates the system, charges fees to water and energy buyers
for costs to operate the network of dams, pumps and canals. Other costs fall to
taxpayers at large. For the first time since 1975, Reclamation is reviewing the
way these costs are allocated. The result could mean higher water rates or a
larger share covered by taxpayers. One goal is to cover increased costs in
areas such as Endangered Species Act requirements to protect sensitive fish
species.
State
board affirms tougher sewage rules for Sacramento [Sacramento Bee]
Sacramento's
regional sewage agency appears likely to lose its appeal of a strict new
wastewater treatment permit that already has triggered rate increases….In
December 2010, the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board
concluded that high volumes of ammonia in the effluent are altering aquatic
habitat in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, potentially harming endangered
species.…Late last month, the State Water Resources Control Board issued a
draft order rejecting the appeal, saying the regional board had adequate
scientific evidence for all the new permit terms. The case has been watched
throughout the state because Sacramento is the largest source of sewage
effluent in the Delta watershed, which provides drinking water to 25 million
Californians. The ammonia in that effluent is suspected of disrupting the
aquatic food chain, potentially playing a role in the recent collapse of
several fish species.
Birding
tours offered where tundra swans swarm flooded rice fields [Sacramento Bee]
When
birds and farmers come together, it is often a matter of conflicting goals.
However, a steady evolution in the interaction between rice farmers and birds
has been changing that equation in the northern Sacramento Valley….As the
Central Valley wetlands that once allowed the swans to feast on submerged
vegetation and organisms disappeared, the swans moved to the flooded grain
fields. Rice farmers flood after fall harvest primarily to encourage leftover
rice stalks to decompose. Since the 1990s, the practice has largely superseded
burning the stubble, which was phased out because of air quality issues. The
flooding that replaced it immediately attracted a variety of birds, and a
number of benefits have come from that. The fields are widely used by duck
hunting clubs, for instance, and farmers get free fertilizer from hosting
thousands of birds.
Ag
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