Hearings
set next week on plan to restore delta, SF bay [Modesto Bee]
An
epic struggle over rivers is heading toward a showdown Wednesday, and the
ultimate decision could affect just about everyone. So worried are farm
interests that they've reserved a bus to haul supporters to hearings in
Sacramento, if enough people sign up….At issue is the board's idea for
restoring the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and San Francisco Bay, called the
Bay-Delta Plan for short. Its relevant catch phrase is "unimpaired flow,"
reflecting how much water would flow down rivers, through the delta and into
the bay if not for dams. Decimated salmon and migratory trout populations could
rebound if springtime flow would return to 60 percent of unimpaired flow,
scientists say, and fish advocates like that number better than the current 17
percent to 20 percent. That would mean lots more water flowing in rivers from
February through June, instead of being trapped in dams to quench thirsty crops
later in the summer and fall.
Health
hazard: West Fresno the riskiest place to live in California [Fresno Bee]
The
California Environmental Protection Agency takes it a step further. EPA says
people in West Fresno live with higher health risks than anyone in California
-- higher than any part of Los Angeles, Oakland or any place else you can
name….The state EPA's draft documents show the Valley has nine of the 12 worst
places in California, including four in Fresno County and three in Stockton.
The map of California's worst 10% shows mostly Valley ZIP codes. The state's
designations will be part of a program called California Communities
Environmental Health Screening Tool, or CalEnviroScreen….Businesses and
industries worry that the science is vague and might be misused by government
agencies….The California Farm Bureau Federation last month wrote a letter to
the state EPA, saying the screening tool makes it look as though pesticide use
equates to 100% exposure. "These pesticides have the strictest application
and use regulations (buffer zones, worker safety clothing requirements,
restricted entry intervals, etc.) of any pesticide applications
nationwide," wrote Cynthia Cory, the Farm Bureau group's director of
environmental affairs.
Suit
accuses EPA of ignoring harmful pesticides [Associated Press]
A
federal judge is considering whether to dismiss a sweeping lawsuit claiming the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency allowed hundreds of pesticides to be used
despite evidence of harmful effects on more than 200 endangered and threatened
species. The Center for Biological Diversity and Pesticide Action Network North
America allege the EPA has allowed the pesticide use without required
consultations with federal agencies to study the impacts….Magistrate Judge
Joseph Spero heard arguments on Friday on motions by the EPA and pesticide
industry to dismiss the 2011 lawsuit. Spero told attorneys he was initially
inclined to grant the EPA's dismissal motion. But after hearing arguments from
both sides, the judge said his ruling would not be issued anytime soon, Giese
said.
Demand
grows for new farm jobs visa [USA Today]
As
the White House and Congress try to settle on the first major overhaul of
immigration laws in a quarter-century, a point of simple agreement would appear
to be that the nation’s crop producers need a legal and reliable pool of
workers. Otherwise, produce will be left rotting in the fields. This is the one
piece of the immigration puzzle that affects all Americans, as the stability
and affordability of the food supply is at stake. Members of Congress keenly
aware of this problem say that if they can’t reach agreement on farm visas,
there will be little hope for any meaningful progress on immigration.
Bipartisan groups in both chambers of Congress have been trying to finalize
their bills by this week before leaving Washington for a two-week break.
Although they’ve reached agreement on many aspects of the immigration overhaul
— including enhancements to border security, a pathway to citizenship for the
nation’s 11 million illegal immigrants and enforcement of immigration law — the
farm visa controversy festers.
U.S.
Supreme Court will divine the legal stakes in Valley raisin wars [Fresno Bee]
Dissident
raisin growers will soon get their day in the U.S. Supreme Court sun, with a
case that's juicier than it seems….The case, scheduled for an hour-long oral
argument, pits Marvin and Laura Horne, proprietors of Raisin Valley Farms, and
their allies against the U.S. Department of Agriculture. More broadly, the case
is the latest front in a series of long-running disputes between farmers who
like to go their own way and farmers who prefer to unite for collective
action….The underlying legal challenge, though not the precise issue that will
be heard by the Supreme Court, involves the raisin marketing order. Authorized
by Congress, and approved by industry, marketing orders can undertake various
actions to boost demand and stabilize prices, including regulating how much
product enters the open market.
Debate
over genetically modified organisms precedes UCD conference [Sacramento Bee]
Droughts.
Population explosions. Salty soils. These are the problems that many say will
cause worldwide food shortages in coming decades…. Finding a solution will be
one of the many subjects at this week's Climate-Smart Agriculture Global
Science Conference at UC Davis. Hundreds of scientists and policymakers from
around the world will convene at Davis from Tuesday through Saturday to grapple
with these problems and others, many wrought by climate change. UC Davis plant
biologist Eduardo Blumwald, who will speak at the conference, says he knows
what needs to be done – further development and use of genetically modified
crops, also known as GMOs for genetically modified organisms. Not every
scientist agrees.
Ag
Today is distributed to county Farm Bureaus, CFBF directors and CFBF staff, for
information purposes, by the CFBF Communications/News Division, 916-561-5550; news@cfbf.com.
Some story links may require site registration. To be removed
from this mailing list, reply to this message and please provide your
name and e-mail address.
No comments:
Post a Comment