Calif.
Assembly crafting leaner water bond package [Associated Press]
Assembly
Speaker John Perez said Monday that he expects the Legislature will approve a
$7 billion to $8 billion water bond proposal to replace a twice-delayed $11.1
billion bond scheduled to go before voters next year. The Democratic leader
said he sees strong legislative interest for a bond package to pay for water
infrastructure projects across California….A revised bond proposal for the 2014
ballot will have to be significantly smaller than the previous package, Perez
said. He said he views the "sweet spot" as $7 billion to $8
billion….When the bipartisan package was approved by lawmakers in 2009,
Republicans insisted on including the possibility of building new dams, while
Democrats generally favored alternatives such as cleaning up contaminated groundwater
and increasing conservation efforts. Perez said the money is needed to improve
access to quality water and boost storage capacity.
http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_23799960/calif-assembly-crafting-leaner-water-bond-proposal
Report
details economic benefits of water project [Associated Press]
A
proposed twin-tunnel water system in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta coupled
with a massive habitat restoration effort would generate billions of dollars in
economic activity for California, according to an economic report released by
state water officials on Monday. Implementation of the Bay Delta Conservation
Plan would lead to $4.8 billion to $5.4 billion in economic benefits for
California water users….
The
analysis also found that building the tunnels would create thousands of
construction jobs and increase recreational opportunities and jobs in the
delta. The project would also prevent further water delivery cuts and save
about a million agricultural jobs that might otherwise be lost as a result of
stricter environmental flow requirements to protect threatened fish. Critics
say the analysis is biased and incomplete, and that the state has exaggerated
benefits of water reliability while underestimating negative impacts on the
delta.
Salinas
group optimistic on reform [Salinas Californian]
A
contingent of growers and agriculture advocates just back from a trip to
Congress say they are optimistic that House Republicans heard the message of
the need for urgent immigration reform. “They seemed to appreciate that I am
one of the growers suffering from a shortage of labor,” said Jesus Alvarado,
owner of Fresalva Berries in Salinas. “They really listened to us when we
explained how we are losing a lot of revenue — at least 99 percent of them
did.” Alvarado was part of roughly three dozen representatives from the
agriculture industry and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group that met with about
70 congress members — mostly Republicans — to stress the fact that their plight
is an urgent one, said Sergio Sanchez, who is heading up the immigration effort
for the Watsonville-based California Strawberry Commission, which sponsored the
trip.
House
members want California egg measure removed from farm bill [Los Angeles Times]
More
than a third of House members are urging congressional negotiators to keep out
of a new farm bill a measure that would prevent California from requiring that
eggs imported into the state be produced under standards ensuring that hens can
spread their wings. Some 151 Democrats and 16 Republicans signed letters
warning the measure could upset a wide range of state laws. GOP lawmakers said
it also could jeopardize the entire farm bill. The measure, which would
prohibit states from imposing conditions on another state's production of
agricultural goods, is included in the House-approved farm bill. There is no
similar measure in the Senate version of the legislation. Formal
House-Senate negotiations to reconcile differences in the farm bill are
expected to begin in September.
Critics
jump on frog, toad protection plans in Sierra [Fresno Bee]
Frogs
will face a tough crowd Tuesday afternoon at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds in
Sonora. But those who will convene to fillet Fish and Wildlife Service plans
for protecting some local amphibians, including the Yosemite toad, face
frustrations of their own. They have failed, so far, to dislodge the
environmental protection law they don't like. So get ready for the latest round
in a never-ending battle over the Endangered Species Act, a 40-year-old
environmental landmark that's played an outsized role in California politics.
The 2 p.m. forum organized by local congressman Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Elk
Grove, targets federal proposals to designate two types of yellow-legged frog
as endangered and the Yosemite toad as threatened under the 1973 law. As part
of the designation, Fish and Wildlife Service officials have proposed
designating 1.1 million acres as critical habitat for the Sierra Nevada
yellow-legged frog, and 750,000 for the Yosemite toad.
Commentary: Commit to saving
California citrus [Visalia Times-Delta]
…Right
now, growers like me are facing the biggest threat we’ve ever known: a disease
called Huanglongbing or HLB that kills citrus trees and a tiny insect called
the Asian citrus psyllid that can spread the devastation. The only way to
overcome the threat is to come together as a community — growers and residents
alike — and take preventative actions now to help save California citrus from
the death sentence it faces if HLB takes hold in our state….One of the best
ways to protect local citrus trees from being infected with the disease is to
eliminate the insect that spreads it. This means that growers and area
residents need to act diligently to find and remove the Asian citrus psyllid to
aid the collective efforts already underway.
Ag
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