Court rules for environmentalists in Delta smelt water fight [Fresno Bee]
An
appeals court said Wednesday that federal officials should have consulted
wildlife agencies about potential harm to the tiny, threatened Delta smelt fish
before issuing contracts for water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. An
11-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled
that the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation violated the Endangered Species Act when it
failed to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the National
Marine Fisheries Service in renewing 41 contracts a decade ago.…The ruling
arises from one of several lawsuits filed in Fresno by the National Resources
Defense Council and other environmentalists seeking to protect the Delta smelt.
The ruling won't affect water flows because protections for the smelt were kept
in place during the lawsuit….Stuart Somach, a lawyer representing water-rights
holders who intervened to fight the lawsuit, said the ruling
"destabilizes" the state's water-allocation system because it raises
uncertainty over the contracts and water delivery.
Editorial: Dianne Feinstein’s water bill is an overreach
[Sacramento Bee]
What
remains in the revised version are two troubling provisions that The Bee’s
editorial board urged her to amend in February. The effect of these two
provisions would be to allow more water flow south of the Sacramento-San
Joaquin River Delta to benefit the Westlands Water District in Fresno and Kings
counties and Paramount Farms in the southern San Joaquin Valley, owned by
billionaires Lynda and Stewart Resnick of Los Angeles….In the past, Feinstein
has said it is important to avoid seeking “gains for certain water users at the
expense of others” or abandoning “fundamental state and federal environmental
laws.” To make actions match words, she should fix the two provisions.
California delays
decision on protecting gray wolf [Associated Press]
Advocates
for the gray wolf in California will have to wait 90 days before learning if
the animal will be listed as endangered, a state board decided Wednesday.
Ranchers and state wildlife officials oppose granting the species legal
protections. The five members of the California Fish and Game Commission voted
unanimously to delay a decision so they can gather more public comments on
protecting the species, which is showing signs of a comeback after being killed
off in the 1920s….The commission gathered in Ventura and heard from more than
60 members of the public, most of them in support of wolves but others in
opposition….Mike Williams, a cattle rancher in Ventura County, said wolves
cause high stress on cattle, increase illness and weight loss, and kill
valuable livestock. “Wolves are beautiful animals,” he said. “But they’re also
vicious, brutal and efficient killing machines and a threat to people,
livestock and pets.”
Appeals court denies
petition, clears way for high-speed rail trial [Fresno Bee]
A
state appeals court rejected a petition by the California High-Speed Rail Authority,
potentially clearing the tracks for a trial over whether the agency's
controversial and ambitious bullet-train plan can comply with state law. Three
justices with the the 3rd District Court of Appeal in Sacramento issued an
order late Tuesday summarily denying the rail agency's March 21 request related
to a lawsuit by high-speed rail foes in Kings County. The rail authority had
asked the appeals court to overturn a Sacramento County Superior Court's
decision ordering a trial on one part of a lawsuit while another portion of the
case is pending an appeal. "It's nice when you win one," said Stuart
Flashman, an Oakland attorney representing Kings County farmer John Tos,
Hanford homeowner Aaron Fukuda and the Kings County Board of Supervisors.
"I thought this (petition) was stupid, and by issuing a summary judgment,
it looks like the justices thought so, too."
Report urges
reduction of wildfire fuel in Sierra Nevada forests [Modesto Bee]
A
new report says increased thinning and controlled burning in Sierra Nevada
forests could reduce the risk of intense fires by up to 75 percent, saving
timber and other resources, as well as taxpayer dollars. The report, which
looked at the Mokelumne River watershed, east of Stockton, comes several months
after the Rim fire devastated part of the Tuolumne River watershed to the
south. The findings were endorsed by several government agencies and
environmental groups, as well as Sierra Pacific Industries, which has two
sawmills in Tuolumne County….Supporters say loggers could thin stands that have
grown unnaturally dense, in part because of suppression of the low-intensity
fires that used to keep the understory open. This could be paired with
controlled burning, done when conditions allow, to mimic fires that once were
sparked by lightning and American Indians. People from industry, government and
environmental groups already agree on this general idea, though they might
differ on the location and volume of logging.
A tiny pest is a
deadly threat to SLO County’s citrus industry [San Luis Obispo Tribune]
…The
pest, called the Asian citrus psyllid, was detected in Arroyo Grande earlier
this month and could pose a death sentence to all citrus trees in the area,
including the $9 million lemon industry and countless citrus trees in
residents’ backyards….If this disease reaches San Luis Obispo County, it would
mean the end of locally grown citrus. My livelihood and that of those who work
for me would be gravely impacted….The best way to protect our county’s citrus
trees from the disease is to find and stop the Asian citrus psyllid — an act
that will take a concerted effort on the part of my fellow citrus growers,
homeowners and agriculture officials, who are placing traps and monitoring for
the insect around the county….In addition to cooperating with agricultural
officials on psyllid identification and treatments efforts, residents can help
save county citrus trees from this pest and the deadly disease it can carry by
not bringing citrus plants into the county from Southern California or other
areas.
Ag
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