Do water woes help 2014 bond? [Capitol Weekly]
When
it comes to water, there’s bad news flowing for the state and its farmers,
water agencies, customers, environmentalists, home owners, towns, landscapers —
you name it — as California faces a third consecutive dry year. But even as the
rain clouds appear sparse, there may be a silver lining for the backers of a
major ballot measure: Experts say the grim outlook could spur voters to approve
a multibillion-dollar bond facing voters in November 2014. It could bring to
reality the need to borrow money and resolve some of the state’s water issues.
Dry:
Drought worries weighing on North State water managers [Marysville
Appeal-Democrat]
Several
weeks ago, as California emerged from its second consecutive dry year, Yuba
County Water Agency General Manager Curt Aikens was withholding judgment about
the possibility of the local drought stretching into its third year. But after
looking at the long-term forecast and examining New Bullards Bar storage
levels, Aikens is withholding judgment no more. "We have the foundation
for a historically dry year," Aikens said Tuesday.
Delta
tunnels plan's true price tag: As much as $67 billion [San Jose Mercury News]
For
more than a year, Gov. Jerry Brown's administration has been describing his
plan to build two massive water tunnels through the Delta as a $25 billion
project. That would rank it as one of the largest public works plans in
California history. But when factoring in long-term financing costs, the price
tag actually ranges from $51 billion to $67 billion, according to new figures
that emerged last month…."The numbers are big. There is sticker
shock," said Jason Peltier, chief deputy general manager of the Westlands
Water District, an agency in Fresno that provides water to farmers. "We
keep going back to our policy people and saying 'Yes, this is tough to look at,
but consider your other scenarios. How much more groundwater can we pump?' That
kind of thing."
Immigration-bill
pressure backfires [Wall Street Journal]
Supporters
of an immigration overhaul, looking for allies in the Republican-led House,
concluded months ago that a top prospect would be Majority Whip Kevin
McCarthy….But an aggressive campaign to win his support appears to have
backfired. People who have talked to him say Mr. McCarthy is less inclined to
support an overhaul after protests at his district office by overhaul backers
that, in turn, provoked counter-protests and TV ads from opponents of the
legislation….The difficulty in winning over Mr. McCarthy, with his
immigrant-dependent district, shows the steep challenge that immigration
activists face as they push the House to pass legislation resisted by powerful
voices in the Republican Party.
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Commentary: Our View: New farm
bill on the horizon [Modesto Bee]
There’s
a good chance Congress will come back from its winter recess in January and
pass a farm bill….The farm bill is one of those huge, omnibus laws that reaches
far beyond the farm gate. Many believe it exists only to help Midwestern
corporate farmers. But it also helps feed poor children, affects prices of
everything from fuel to fruit cups and, here in the San Joaquin Valley, plays a
big role in cleaning up our air and water….By helping our area farmers, we’ll
be helping everyone in our part of the valley.
Editorial: Making the Rim fire
damage worse [Los Angeles Times]
…Loggers have an ally
in Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Elk Grove), whose irresponsible bill would allow
almost unfettered timber operations throughout the burn area, heedlessly
crushing the forest's recovery and undermining a history of science-based
environmental review that is supposed to govern logging in national forests….
There is one grain of sense to McClintock's absurd giveaway to the logging
industry. There might be good, damaged but salvageable lumber that can be taken
with little if any environmental damage — mainly relatively young trees along
existing roads. But there's a solution that makes more sense. Congress should
appropriate funds for a timely and independent study of Stanislaus recovery,
resulting in a plan that allows for limited logging, where appropriate.
Replanting might be called for in areas adjacent to inhabited towns to avoid
mudslides. But according to forest scientists, most burn areas are best left to
regenerate themselves, even those as unimaginably large as the Stanislaus.
Ag
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