As farm interests line up against water regs, EPA officials begin the hard sell [McClatchy News Service]
The
Environmental Protection Agency, admitting that “we haven’t had the best
relationship with the agriculture industry in the past,” is beginning a push
for a proposed new water rule that has generated strong opposition from farm communities….Republican lawmakers in both houses
of Congress are pushing back against the proposed “Waters of the U.S.” rule,
saying it oversteps federal authority and would bring routine farm practices
under the purview of government regulators….Nationally, the American Farm Bureau
Federation is against it. The EPA is pushing back against the push-back, saying
the proposed rule doesn’t come close to doing what its opponents allege.
Valley
irrigation leaders warn against state’s river flow proposal [Modesto Bee]
Irrigation
districts pledged to keep up their fight against a state proposal to boost flows
in the lower Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Merced rivers. They said the proposal,
aimed at improving conditions for salmon and other fish, would hit hard at the
region’s agriculture and lead to an increase in well pumping….The State Water
Resources Control Board has proposed that February-through-June flows on all
three rivers increase to 35 percent of the natural conditions before they were
diverted. The idea is to help young salmon get out to sea, part of the effort
to rebuild fish numbers that have been reduced by dams and other changes to the
rivers. The proposal, which came out in late 2012, could go to the board for
final approval by year’s end, Smart said. The board could choose an amount
other than 35 percent….Critics said the change would be especially tough in a
year such as 2014, one of the driest on record.
Delta
water getting saltier, fish kills show [Stockton Record]
Sardine-like
fish that spend most of their lives in the ocean were sucked by the thousands
into the south Delta export pumps near Tracy this spring. While your life might
not hinge on the wellbeing of Pacific herring, their presence deep in the Delta
is evidence that the estuary is becoming saltier, which could be bad news for
farmers if the drought persists. Saltwater from San Francisco Bay is creeping
farther than usual into the Delta this year because there has been little
runoff from the mountains to keep the estuary fresh….And herring are not a
threatened or endangered species, such as the infamous Delta smelt, whose
demise at the pumps can trigger restrictions on how much water can be delivered
to two-thirds of Californians. Still, the mere presence of the herring says
something about current conditions in the Delta.
Water
levels at Nevada's Lake Mead drop to new low [Associated Press]
LAS
VEGAS (AP) — Drought in the southwestern U.S. will deplete the vast Lake Mead
this week to levels not seen since Hoover Dam was completed and the reservoir
on the Colorado River was filled in the 1930s, federal water managers said
Tuesday. The projected lake level of about 1,080 feet above sea level will be
below the level of about 1,082 feet recorded in November 2010 and the
1,083-foot mark measured in April 1956 during another sustained drought. But
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation regional chief Terry Fulp said water obligations
will be met at least through next year without a key shortage declaration.
"We continue to closely monitor the projections of declining lake levels
and are working with stakeholders throughout the Lower Basin to keep as much
water in Lake Mead as we can through various storage and conservation
efforts," Fulp said in a statement.
Lawsuit
demands Calif. stop approving pesticides that harm honeybees [Reuters]
California
regulators violated the law by approving expanded use of pesticides that have
been shown to hurt honeybees needed for pollinating key American crops,
according to a lawsuit filed against the state by environmental groups on
Tuesday. The lawsuit seeks an injunction prohibiting the state Department of
Pesticide Regulation from approving any new neonicotinoid products or new uses
of those products unless it completes a required re-evaulations of the
pesticides. The environmental and food safety non-profit groups also seek to
overturn the department's recent approval of expanded use of Venom Insecticide,
manufactured by Valent USA, a unit of Sumitomo Chemical Co Ltd, and Dinotefuran
20SG, made by Mitsui Chemicals Agro.
Yuba
County ordinance cracks down on walnut thefts [Marysville Appeal-Democrat]
Yuba
County is moving forward with an ordinance it is hoped will discourage walnut
theft by creating a "buying period" for nonprocessors to purchase the
product. County supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the ordinance
that would designate such a time period. It would also require proof of
ownership and ID before walnuts can be sold at any time of the year…."It's
a shame we have to do this heightening of our security and awareness,"
said Supervisor Mary Jane Griego….Under the new law, Chandler walnuts can be
sold to or purchased by a nonprocessing walnut operation only during the
"buying period." It follows similar ordinances approved in other
surrounding counties. It does not affect growers who deliver walnuts from their
farm or ranch to a commercial or processing facility.
Ag
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