Drought be dammed, California lawmakers look to storing water [Fresno Bee]
The
California drought is stoking a congressional appetite for additional water
storage, with new and larger dams back on competing menus. The latest offering
is expected Friday, as House members plan to introduce a package of bills to
authorize a larger Shasta Dam, a new dam on the Upper San Joaquin River and an
expanded San Luis Reser voir. Next week, a bill is expected that would call for
construction of a reservoir northwest of Sacramento. The water storage flurry
comes, not coincidentally, as negotiators seek common ground on broader
California drought legislation. Now lawmakers face several important tactical,
political and financial questions that will shape whether the dam building
proposals sink or succeed.
California
Legislature passes $687 million drought plan [Associated Press]
California
lawmakers on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a $687 million plan to provide
immediate relief to drought-stricken communities, a package that includes
emergency money for communities running low on drinking water and farming
communities where fallowed fields are leading to sky-high unemployment. Amid
one of California's driest years on record, the Assembly and Senate voted to
approve SB103 and SB104 and send the legislation to Gov. Jerry Brown. The
legislative package will take effect immediately if signed by the governor, as
expected….Sen. Jean Fuller, R-Bakersfield, said negotiations in the days since
the governor and Democratic leaders announced the package last week had largely
satisfied the concerns of water districts and farmers in her
district….Assemblyman Frank Bigelow, R-O'Neals, said he supported the bills but
cautioned lawmakers have more work to do to solve the state's water shortage.
Editorial: Don't be fooled by rain; drought isn't over yet
[Bakersfield Californian]
…Now
is not the time for Californians and their elected representatives to lose
focus. We must develop and implement a short-term strategy to relieve the
existing drought’s pain, and commit to a long-term plan to better capture,
allocate and use California’s chronically scarce water supplies.…Lawmakers for
decades have put off for tomorrow what they should have been doing today —
taking steps to assure Californians that they will have adequate water
supplies. Tomorrow has arrived. No matter how much rain and snow falls this
week, it is time for all Californians — and that includes Republican and
Democratic legislators — to unite, develop a plan and support it….There is no
better time than now, during this persistent drought, for Republican and
Democratic legislators to unite, strip out the pork and agree to place a
reasonable water bond on the November ballot. Create one bipartisan plan that
will serve all of California.
Farmers question bill
offering treated wastewater to cows [Santa Rosa Press Democrat]
Organic
dairy farmers greeted proposed legislation to use treated wastewater for
livestock consumption with skepticism Thursday, saying it risks the health of
their animals and could jeopardize their businesses. “I'm not going to risk our
animals or our customers to an idea that's not tested,” said Albert Straus,
president of Straus Family Creamery in Marshall. Assemblyman Marc Levine, D-San
Rafael, authored AB 2071 ostensibly to provide drought relief to California
ranchers as supplies of potable water dwindle from lack of rain. But Levine
mainly heard doubts about his proposal at a public hearing Thursday at Petaluma
City Hall….Levine's bill would require state public health officials to approve
the use of recycled water for pasture animals by 2016 unless officials
determine that doing so would pose health risks, in which case, the state would
be required to establish uniform standards, such as additional treatment of the
water before it could be used.
Cattle prices jump to
record highs [Wall Street Journal]
Tight
supplies of U.S. livestock sent cattle futures to a record high Thursday, while
hog futures surged to the highest level in 2½ years…. Cattle prices are
underpinned by tight supplies after years of drought in the central U.S., which
forced ranchers to cull their herds. The supply squeeze is being exacerbated
this year by a sharp drop in the cost of animal feed. The lower costs are
prompting ranchers to retain more female cattle to breed animals and rebuild
their herds, which in the near term cuts the number headed for slaughter.
Live-cattle futures have jumped 10% so far this year, a gain that is leading to
higher wholesale beef prices and is widely expected to result in record U.S.
consumer prices for steaks, ground beef and other products in coming months.
Walnut growers leery
of China competition [Marysville Appeal-Democrat]
Fears
of China increasing its role in the walnut market are still present, but
California is still on top. About 350 people from the industry, mostly farmers,
gathered on Wednesday to discuss that issue and others during the annual Walnut
Day event at Veterans Memorial Hall in Yuba City.…"At this point, China
isn't a threat to the California walnut industry," said Janine Hasey, a
farm adviser with the U.C. Cooperative Extension, who led the discussion.
Concerns over China being a competitor or customer have been on the minds of
California walnut growers since the 1990s, Hasey said….Mat Conant, a Pleasant
Grove farmer who also traveled to China last summer, said, "They love
California walnuts because they don't trust their own food supply."
Ag
Today is distributed by the CFBF Communications/News Division to county Farm
Bureaus, CFBF directors and CFBF staff, for information purposes; stories may
not be republished without permission. Some story links may require site
registration. To be removed from this mailing list, reply to this
message and please provide your name and e-mail address. For more
information about Ag Today, contact 916-561-5550 or news@cfbf.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment