Immigration
talks bog down over numbers [Los Angeles Times]
Senate
negotiations to overhaul the nation's immigration laws have stumbled over the
hiring of half a million migrant farmworkers each year — an issue that is
crucial for California's vast agricultural industry, which employs more farm
labor than any other state. A dispute over how many visas to issue to foreign
farmworkers, and how much to pay them, looms as the chief remaining obstacle to
completion of a draft bill, the focus of intense negotiations on Capitol Hill
since November's election. Although Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) is not one
of the eight senators drafting the overall bill, she has taken a lead in the
effort to solve the farmworker issue.…Leaders from the United Farm Workers
union, which seeks higher wages, and the American Farm Bureau Federation, which
represents farmers and seeks to expand the number of visas, issued conflicting
assessments as to how far apart they remain.
Powerful
House Republican enters Drakes Bay oyster fray [Santa Rosa Press Democrat]
A
powerful House Republican has waded into the Drakes Bay Oyster Co. controversy
by asking the Interior Department for copies of all the documents related to
last year's decision not to renew the Marin County oyster farm's permit. Rep.
Doc Hastings, R-Wash., chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, made
the request in a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar that revived
allegations of scientific misconduct in the government's assessment of the
oyster farm's impact on Drake's Estero in the Point Reyes National Seashore.
"Serious questions have been raised about the science used by the National
Park Service to justify the closure of the oyster farm," Hastings said in a
written statement. Oyster farm operator Kevin Lunny said he appreciated
Hastings' support, while Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, whose district
includes Marin County, said it reflected a Republican Party agenda to make
public lands "available to oil and mining interests to exploit."
Alternative
needed for strawberry fumigant [Associated Press]
Despite
long-standing concerns about pesticide exposure, a report issued Tuesday
suggests California strawberry growers will have to keep using a contentious
set of fumigants to keep the state's $2.3 billion strawberry industry
competitive, even as the state ultimately seeks to restrict the chemicals'
use.…Methyl bromide, the best known pesticide of this type, was phased out by
international treaty because it depletes the Earth's protective ozone layer.
But it is still used in very limited quantities in California, which produces
88 percent of the nation's strawberries. The report released by the California
Department of Pesticide Regulation suggests growers should try to stop using
methyl bromide and its numerous replacements, but acknowledges the industry
will need to keep using fumigants for years to avoid a dip in revenue.
Opinion: Delta tunnel plans
have water districts on edge [Bakersfield Californian]
As
details of the governor's plan to run water around the Sacramento-San Joaquin
delta through twin tunnels continue to emerge, water districts in Kern that
rely on that state water are having to make some tough decisions. Some
districts, including Kern Delta Water District, have already opted out of the
planning phase, known as the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP), after having
spent hundreds of thousands thus far on studies without any guarantee of more
water or even just a certain supply. Other districts are having to dig deeper
and lean on farmers to stay in the game. For growers in the sprawling
Semitropic Water Storage District in northwestern Kern, the options could
include two new assessments that would add up to an extra $100 per acre of
irrigated land, according to General Manager Jason Gianquinto.
Repeal
of fire fee can't clear committee hurdle [Sacramento Bee]
A
Republican-authored bill to eliminate a fire prevention fee levied on some
California residents failed to make it out of committee Tuesday. Senate Bill
17, by Sen. Ted Gaines, R-Rocklin, fell on a 4-3 vote in the Senate Natural
Resources and Water Committee. Supporters wearing bright red T-shirts bearing
the phrase "Burned by the Fire Tax" packed the hearing room and lined
up to register their support, joining fire officials and advocates for
taxpayers and homeowners. No one appeared to voice opposition.
Ag
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