Despite drought, laws to track California’s biggest water users ignored [Center for Investigative Reporting]
The
last time California endured a drought, legislators set their sights on the
state’s heaviest water users: farmers. The state designed laws to pushagricultural
water districts to closely track their water flow and make the largest
districts charge farmers based on how much they use….But those rules are widely
being ignored as they come into effect in the midst of one of the state’s most
severe droughts on record….Only 20 percent – 48 of 242 districts – have filed
those reports, according to California Department of Water Resources data. They
were due 10 months ago….Under a 2009 law, the 55 largest agricultural water
districts also are required to more precisely measure how much water each
farmer is using. They’re then required to charge farmers – at least in part –
on that basis. The state doesn’t know how many suppliers are meeting this
requirement or are even taking steps toward doing so, because almost half of
them have failed to turn in the relevant reports, records show.
Federal
court rejects bid to stop flow from Friant Dam [Fresno Bee]
The
U.S. District Court in Fresno Tuesday refused to stop Millerton Lake water from
being sent to wildlife refuges and farmers with historic rights on the Valley's
west side. East San Joaquin Valley farmers, facing a zero allocation of
Millerton water, asked the court last week to stop the flow….The lawsuit, filed
by Friant Water Authority, was aimed at the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which
supplies water to refuges and landowners with historic rights. In rejecting the
bid for a temporary restraining order, the court said the water allocation is a
result of the way Congress wrote laws, not government regulators prioritizing
fish and wildlife above farmers and the economy.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/05/27/3946763/federal-court-rejects-bid-to-stop.html?sp=/99/217/&ihp=1
Bill
would allow local groundwater management [Associated Press]
The
state Senate approved legislation Tuesday asking local agencies to develop
plans to manage groundwater, a supply that is largely unregulated throughout
the state even amid a statewide drought. "We shouldn't waste the
opportunity to act this year," said the bill's author, Sen. Fran Pavley,
D-Agoura Hills. Careful reporting and monitoring of groundwater levels is
critical to ensuring the supply is not totally diminished, said Pavley, who added
that the intent of her bill, SB1168, is to allow local agencies to manage their
own water.
Gerawan
union dispute still in limbo after Fresno court hearing [Fresno Bee]
A
disputed contract affecting about 3,000 field workers at Gerawan Farming
remains in limbo Tuesday after testimony concluded on the case in Fresno County
Superior Court.
The
state's Agricultural Labor Relations Board is asking Judge Jeffrey Hamilton to
stop Gerawan from violating labor law by not honoring an employee contract
between the company and the workers represented by the United Farm Workers
union. The contract was hammered out in November through the state's mandatory
mediation process. But Gerawan's lawyers have challenged the constitutionality
of the process and that case is pending before the state Court of Appeals.
Valley
dairies are finally making money again [Visalia Times-Delta]
Any
veteran dairy operator in the Valley has endured the sometimes severe
fluctuations in the prices they get for their milk, with profit some months and
losses in others….But the industry’s financial problems didn’t end in 2009, as
prices paid for California-produced milk rose above the average cost to produce
it only briefly until it exceeded $19 per hundred weight in October and has
stayed above that mark since. “There’s a cautious optimism in the industry that
things are better,” but dairy operators know it doesn’t take much to cause milk
prices to fluctuate back down, said Rob Vandenheuvel, General Manager of the
Milk Producers Council, a nonprofit trade group representing dairy
operators….Experts are crediting the change to growing overseas demand for dry
milk and whey used to make a variety of goods including cake mixes and energy
drinks.
Supervisors
vote against letter supporting gray wolf endangerment listing [Eureka
Times-Standard]
The
Humboldt County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 during its meeting today to take
no action on a proposed letter to the state that would support listing gray
wolves under the California Endangered Species Act….Third District Supervisor
Mark Lovelace — who cast the dissenting vote — said that the letter would be
given to the state before the Fish and Game Commission makes a possible
decision on the listing at its June 4 meeting in Fortuna….Several members of
the public said that the county should not support reintroducing a species
known to cause problems. Local rancher John Rice spoke out against the letter,
saying that gray wolf populations in other states are a danger to livestock and
have reduced populations of other forms of wildlife.
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