A decade after firestorm, blue-ribbon panel’s recommendations have mixed record [Sacramento Bee]
Torched
homes still smoldered a decade ago this month when a panel of experts convened
to figure out what went wrong in the deadly Southern California wildfires of
fall 2003 and suggest ways to prevent similar disasters….Overall, fire
officials say, the state is better prepared for the next big blaze. Yet more
people than ever live in fire-prone parts of California, increasing the risk of
accidental starts….Disagreements among the panel’s members scuttled any
recommendation on ways to raise more money for wildfire-prevention efforts. In
2011, Gov. Jerry Brown and majority Democrats pushed through a fee on homes in
rural areas, although critics call it an illegal tax and have gone to court to
overturn it. Lawmakers also proposed several bills to increase state
involvement in local land use decisions. The first law of its kind takes effect
in January.
Residents'
concern grows over Delta tunnels plan [Contra Costa Times]
As
the state prepares to unveil key environmental documents for Gov. Jerry Brown's
proposal to build two large tunnels to move Sacramento River water south,
dozens of concerned East Contra Costans were brought up to speed last week on
how it could impact their Delta backyard. The governor's $24.7 billion plan is
widely opposed around the Delta communities…Most, if not all, of the 60
residents at Thursday's forum hosted by the Contra Costa Farm Bureau and Contra
Costa Taxpayers Association, echoed those sentiments…."They are taking too
much (water), it's in the wrong location and there's no local control over
it," she said. Dr. Jeffery Michael, an economist at University of the
Pacific, said the plan is bad for the state as a whole and questions who would
benefit….The state's plan assumes that Los Angeles is growing faster than it
is, that the tunnels will open on time and there will be no extra costs, he
said. Michael urged those in the farm bureau to show the math, which he says
doesn't pencil out, to other group members around the state.
Editorial: Big obstacle for
Delta tunnel project -- who will pay for it? [Sacramento Bee]
…But
no matter what is released next month, financing for the project is far from
settled. How will the costs be divided among contractors? Will it be affordable
to both urban and agricultural farm districts? Would a smaller tunnel project
make more financial sense? The other lingering issue is one of transparency.
State officials are floating the idea of its “enhanced environmental flows,”
with major public money going to water agencies, without involving the public.
Trust in BDCP foundered years ago because of a lack of transparency. Why does
the Brown administration keep repeating this mistake?
Commentary: Water is the value
that runs farming [Modesto Bee]
…For
now, the lending environment for agriculture is relatively strong. Farmland
continues to possess considerable value. Land prices are rising. But the
emerging concerns about water – both in their sheer number and their serious
nature – seem of greater long-term concern than ever before….Lenders worry
about risk. Water has rapidly risen to the top of the list of risks facing the
industry. There was once a sense that water availability in the Central Valley
was not a primary risk for the long term. That calculation is changing.…Land
has farming value only if it has sufficient and reliable water. Long-term water
solutions are essential to ensuring that money can continue to flow from
lenders to farmers and to all beneficiaries of our agricultural economy. That
includes all of us as we sit down to eat our next meal.
Editorial: Farm bill must
preserve California's ability to set food standards [San Jose Mercury News]
Listening
to Iowa Rep. Steve King rant about the five-year, $1 trillion farm bill
lurching through Congress this fall, you'd think the Hawkeye State had the
biggest agriculture industry in the nation. It doesn't. California does. But he
and other tea party Republicans want to not only suck up all the subsidies they
can, they also want to keep states from setting standards for food safety or
animal treatment that may be different from federal rules. He has proposed a
broad prohibition on state laws affecting food products that come from other
states -- and his chief target is California's humane standards regarding
poultry, pigs and cows, which include a requirement that eggs imported from
other states be produced under similar standards.
Editorial: Big ethanol finally
loses [Wall Street Journal]
It's
not often that the ethanol lobby suffers a policy setback in Washington, but it
got its head handed to it Friday. The Environmental Protection Agency announced
that for the first time it is lowering the federal mandate that dictates how
much ethanol must be blended into the nation's gasoline. It's about time. It's
been about time from the moment the ethanol mandate came to life in the
1970s….About 40% of corn production is now used not for food or livestock feed,
but for fuel. This has raised the price of corn, and a 2009 study by the
Congressional Budget Office found that in some years ethanol has raised retail
food prices by 5% to 10% for everything from corn flakes to ground beef….The
EPA's modest reduction is a nod in the direction of market and technological
reality. But expect the lobby to fight back ferociously, and it has powerful
supporters in Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and GOP Senator Chuck Grassley.
Democrats and Republicans who don't bow to Big Ethanol should unite to repeal
the mandate for the good of consumers, business and the environment.
Ag
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