Big
Valley farm meeting still on despite court ruling [Fresno Bee]
The
state was poised for one last workshop this week with anxious farmers about
landmark groundwater rules covering a $15 billion swath of California
agriculture. Now a tentative court ruling jeopardizes the state's environmental
studies on the contentious rules, and maybe the rules themselves. Farm leaders
want to hold off the workshop and keep negotiating on the rules in the new
state order as they have for years. But the workshop still is scheduled to
convene at 8:30 a.m. Thursday in the Radisson Hotel, 2233 Ventura St. in
downtown Fresno.
EPA:
Calif failed to spend $455M on water projects [Associated Press]
California
has failed to spend $455 million of federal money meant to improve water
infrastructure in the state, while thousands of people rely on groundwater
laced with nitrates and other contaminants, federal regulators said Friday. The
state has received more than $1.5 billion for its Safe Drinking Water State
Revolving Fund over the past 15 years, but has failed to spend a large part of
it in a timely manner, according to a noncompliance letter from the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency to the state's public health department. The
amount is the program's largest unspent sum in the nation, the EPA said.…Part
of California's struggle to spend the money, Blumenfeld said, is that the state
prefers funding projects from medium and large water systems that are years
away from being launched. He said the state should make more money available to
smaller communities that are in immediate need - especially those struggling
with contaminated drinking water.
Delta
pipeline pact could 'get project done, then go away' [Sacramento Bee]
Southern
California water agencies have been quietly negotiating with state officials to
take a major role in designing and building the giant Sacramento River
diversion tunnels at the core of Gov. Jerry Brown's water policy for the state,
according to documents obtained by The Bee….But documents obtained by The Bee
reveal that DWR is considering a different approach for the tunnels project: a
"joint exercise of powers agreement" that would give outside water
agencies a direct role in design and construction….DWR Director Mark Cowin
confirmed that the parties are looking at collaborating to build the facilities
under a joint-exercise-of-powers agreement.
Is
Merced County at risk from a fertilizer blast like the one in Texas? [Merced
Sun-Star]
An
enormous fertilizer plant explosion in Texas brought to light challenges faced
by agricultural regions of the United States, including Merced County, when it
comes to hazardous materials.…"When emergency response plans and employee
training are carried out, it reduces risks dramatically," said Ron Rowe,
director of the Merced County Environmental Health Department. There are six
fertilizer storage and distribution facilities in the county, Rowe said, and
they're inspected by the Certified Unified Program Agencies once every three
years -- or more often, if needed….The Merced County Farm Bureau provides
hazardous materials classes at least twice a year, led by the California Safety
Training Corp. in Bakersfield. "We're always concerned about our environment,
and we work hard to educate," said farm bureau President Jean Okuye.
Commentary: How farming and
communities can cohabitate [Santa Cruz Sentinel]
As
a teacher, I'm naturally concerned about safety issues created by the use of
agricultural chemicals near our schools in the Pajaro Valley….Pajaro Valley has
some of the best agricultural land in the world and it is an essential asset to
this community and our country. When we lose farmland in this country, it only
increases our dependence on food from foreign countries that may have
less-stringent regulations and controls on the food supply than exist in the
U.S. But Mr. McFadden has it right when he says that science has solutions and
best practices that can allow farming and communities to cohabit. Buffer zones
are one answer but there are others. Our community's health does not have to be
sacrificed to save equally precious farmland. The Pajaro teachers union is
ready to work with the school district and has already offered to help with the
kind of meeting that McFadden suggested -- a forum at which teachers, parents,
school administrators, farmers, community members and others can discuss
concerns and solutions that will allow agriculture and the community to coexist
in the Pajaro Valley.
Nature,
farming a delicate balance [Modesto Bee]
…Farmers
have a complicated relationship with soil, water and other resources. They use
them to make a profit, and yet they need to sustain them so they can produce
crops in future years. The 43 years since the first Earth Day have not brought
a mass conversion to organic farming. That's still a tiny part of the
business….But farmers I know have no problem using practices that, while not
organic, can arguably be called sustainable….They do this in part to save money
on pesticides, fertilizers and the tractor fuel needed to apply them. But they
also do this out of a belief that they are stewards of the land — a religious
belief for a good number of them.
Ag
Today is distributed to county Farm Bureaus, CFBF directors and CFBF staff, for
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