Speaker: Immigration overhaul tough to pass [Associated Press]
Speaker
John Boehner on Thursday all but ruled out passage of immigration legislation
before this fall's elections, saying it would be difficult for the
Republican-led House to act on the issue that President Barack Obama has made a
top domestic priority. In his most pessimistic comments, Boehner blamed the
stalemate on widespread skepticism that Obama would properly enforce any
immigration reforms that Congress approved. The GOP leader didn't mention that
his own members have balked at acting on the contentious issue, which could
enrage core conservative voters in the midterm election year. "The
American people, including many of our members, don't trust that the reform
we're talking about will be implemented as it was intended to be," Boehner
told reporters at his weekly news conference. "The president seems to
change the health care law on a whim, whenever he likes. Now, he is running
around the country telling everyone he's going to keep acting on his own."
Editorial: Feinstein needs to finally step up with serious water
solutions [Fresno Bee]
…But
we digress from the main point: Feinstein for many years has met with Valley
farmers, especially those on the west side, to talk about the possibility of
securing more reliable water deliveries. She has listened to them and accepted
their campaign contributions, but the water situation — except in wet years —
hasn't gotten better. Now, with California in the midst of a historic drought,
agricultural interests expect her to introduce legislation that will ease their
short-term suffering and provide long-term solutions….We look forward to seeing
Feinstein's ideas. And we'll hold Valadao to his word on being open to
legitimate, good-faith negotiations. Providing meaningful drought relief for
Californians will require compromise and legislation that survives a House
dominated by Republicans and a Senate controlled by Democrats.
Moratorium on well
drilling broached by Glenn supervisor [Chico Enterprise-Record]
The
idea of government managing groundwater isn't a comfortable subject in an
agricultural community. In the ongoing drought, trees in orchards could die if
they don't get enough water. Yet, Glenn County Supervisor Leigh McDaniel
broached the delicate subject Tuesday during the Glenn County Board of
Supervisors meeting….McDaniel asked whether Glenn County is reaching a point
that groundwater use is being maxed out. "I would like to know from the
board if we, the board, are at the point that we would like to consider or
suggest a well drilling moratorium in certain areas of the county."
…If
nothing else, the subject of groundwater should at least be discussed fully, he
said.
House backs salvage
logging near Yosemite [Sacramento Bee]
Salvage
logging could speed up on fire-scarred federal land near Yosemite National
Park, under an amended bill passed by a divided House on Wednesday. If the
Senate goes along, the Yosemite-area logging projects would be exempt from the
usual environmental challenges and courts would have less power to stop them.
In theory, the expedited logging would boost employment while protecting
forests left vulnerable by last year’s devastating Rim Fire….The House approved
McClintock’s measure as part of a larger package of public lands bills. But as
with other legislation approved by the Republican-controlled House, the overall
bill’s long-term prospects are uncertain. The House approved the overall bill
by a 220-194 margin, with only six Democrats in support.
Researchers gear up
for battle against disease that’s devastating U.S. citrus crop [Sacramento Bee]
…
The building is called the UC Davis Research Containment Facility. And in this
state-of-the-art operation, researchers work with exotic pests and pathogens
that threaten U.S. agriculture and natural resources – things such as the
glassy-winged sharpshooter and the brown marmorated stink bug. They’re also
studying what may be the biggest threat these days to the U.S. citrus industry:
the Asian citrus psyllid….In labs on both ends of the country, researchers are
employing different strategies to detect the disease, stop its spread, and
hopefully cure already-sick trees.
Food industry seeks
voluntary GMO labeling [Associated Press]
People
who want to know more about genetically modified ingredients in their food
would be able to get it on some packages, but not others, under a plan the
industry is pushing. Large food companies worried they might be forced to add
"genetically modified" to packaging are proposing voluntary labeling
of those engineered foods, so the companies could decide whether to use them or
not. The effort is an attempt to head off state-by-state efforts to require
mandatory labeling. Recent ballot initiatives in California and Washington
state failed, but several state legislatures are considering labeling
requirements, and opponents of engineered ingredients are aggressively pushing
for new laws in several states.
Ag
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