Calif.
officials: Delta plan to help fish survival [Associated Press]
California
water officials said Wednesday that a $14 billion twin-tunnel plan for the
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta would restore the ecosystem and reduce deaths of
threatened fish, although during dry years the delta smelt would be killed at
the same rate as today. During water-scarce years, the existing pumps in the
south portion of the delta would continue to divert most of the water, cause
reverse flows and kill the fish that get caught in the machinery, according to
an analysis in new draft chapters released by the California Resources Agency.
Officials said the plan does provide a cumulative net gain in fish populations
over time. There would be significant improvements for the smelt during wet
years, they said, because water would be diverted from the north portion of the
delta, where fish would not be sucked into deadly pumps.
Chowchilla
gets a look at ideas for high-speed rail junction [Merced Sun-Star]
Area
residents got an up-close look Wednesday at the High-Speed Rail Authority's
plan for the "Chowchilla Wye." Authority officials held a public
meeting to discuss several alternative routes for the Y-shaped junction, all of
which would fork off south of the city heading west to San Jose and north to
Merced.…Since the fall, rail officials have narrowed the potential alignments
to four from 14 using several criteria, said Diana Gomez, the rail authority's
regional director for the valley. "Aquatic resources was one of the
concerns," she said. "Farmland was another concern. Schools,
businesses were also primary factors."…Up to 16 businesses and 163
residences would be relocated, according to rail authority data.
California's
High-Speed Rail Authority sues everybody, invites you to argue case in court
[San Jose Mercury News]
If
you're reading this, consider yourself served. The state of California has
filed a civil case against everyone -- literally, the whole world -- seeking to
validate $8.6 billion in voter-approved bonds for its $69 billion high-speed
rail project. The lawsuit, titled "High-Speed Rail Authority v. All Persons
Interested," is meant as a pre-emptive strike so the state can confirm
that it's definitely legal to issue some of the bonds needed to begin bullet
train construction this summer. By citing a somewhat obscure California civil
code, the state can use the "sue now or forever hold your peace"
strategy to prevent a string of future lawsuits and, instead, deal with the
legal issues in one fell swoop. Anyone interested in trying to block the
project can sign up with the court, put their endless hours of "Law &
Order" watching to use, wear their best suit and show up at a hearing to
argue their case. They would join lawyers who are already suing the rail
authority in other cases and go toe-to-toe with the state Attorney General's
Office, which is representing the rail authority.
Immigration
in spotlight as senators tour Arizona [New York Times]
Four
United States senators came to this bustling city on the Mexican border on
Wednesday searching for answers to the question that has ensnarled the debate
over immigration reform: How secure is that border? They met Border Patrol
agents, hovered over the region by helicopter to appreciate its challenges and
magnitude, and visited one of the ports of entry here, where people and cargo
cross back and forth all day and night….Resolving the security question has
been among the senators’ top priorities — it is a necessity if they are to
persuade conservative politicians to endorse their plan — and two new studies
have found that the reality on the ground is complicated, with the communities
on both sides of the border bound together in ways that defy traditional
notions of home, country and citizenship.
Former
U.S. ag official Shirley Sherrod says racism hurts small farmers [Fresno Bee]
Shirley
Sherrod, whose forced resignation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture made
her an accidental symbol of race relations nationally, said Wednesday that
racism still permeates Washington and America's small towns and small farms
bear a brunt. Speaking at a gathering of Hmong farmers in Fresno, Sherrod said
federal agricultural programs don't offer the same benefits to growers in
minority communities as they do large, corporate farms….Sherrod said the
federal government continues to lack minority representation when it comes to
setting agricultural policy. She urged minority groups to band together and
advocate for policies that go beyond benefiting big ag: getting government
programs into minority communities and farm bills that help small growers.
Commentary: Antibiotics and the
meat we eat [New York Times]
…We
need to know more about the use of antibiotics in the production of our meat
and poultry. The results could be a matter of life and death….We have more than
enough scientific evidence to justify curbing the rampant use of antibiotics
for livestock, yet the food and drug industries are not only fighting proposed
legislation to reduce these practices, they also oppose collecting the data….I
appreciate that not every lawmaker is as convinced as I am that feeding
low-dose antibiotics to animals is a recipe for disaster. But most, if not all
of them, recognize that we are facing an antibiotic resistance crisis, as
evidenced by last year’s bipartisan passage of a measure aimed at fighting
superbugs by stimulating the development of new antibiotics that treat serious
infections. Why are lawmakers so reluctant to find out how 80 percent of our
antibiotics are used?
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.
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