Judgment Day coming for water bond [Hanford Sentinel]
As
the Nov. 4 moment of truth approaches for California’s water bond (Proposition
1), the “yes” campaign is marshaling impressive support. Almost every leader
and organization you can think of in Kings County is for the $7.5 billion
measure: The Kings County Farm Bureau, the Kings County Board of Supervisors
and many others….But amid all the kudos, there’s an undercurrent of opposition
in some circles. Skeptics doubt the money will be spent on Temperance Flat and
Sites Reservoir, two proposed dam sites that have been on the books for years
but have never been built.
Sites
becomes focus of water bond fight [Marysville Appeal-Democrat]
With
Election Day looming, the fate of the $7.5 billion water bond, called
Proposition 1, will soon be known. And tied to that fate is the future of the
project it could make a reality after decades locked in a quagmire of planning
process. Once a local dream for Sacramento Valley residents and water district
managers, Sites Reservoir has been launched into the state spotlight as the
largest proposed storage project that could be funded by the $2.7 billion
allocated for storage projects in the bond. Advocates say the project will
secure water supplies by providing a greater flexibility for managing water
flows for environmental needs….The No on Prop 1 organization is stridently
opposed to Sites Reservoir, saying the estimated $4 billion project is too
costly and will increase the state's water supply by only a fraction while
harming fish populations and the environment.
Editorial: Prop. 1 would aid
Delta habitat, fish and region [Sacramento Bee]
Restoring
the ecological health of the Delta is critical to California’s water system.
It’s also a prime reason why voters should approve Proposition 1, the $7.5
billion water bond on the November ballot. More than $137 million would be
earmarked for habitat restoration in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
Another $295 million would be spent on levee improvements. The bond also would
fund projects statewide for clean drinking water, recycling and groundwater
cleanup, all in serious need of attention as California heads into the fourth
year of severe drought.
Valley
drought, disease, shrunken habitats await migratory birds [Fresno Bee]
…When
the birds make their annual arrival this fall and winter after flying thousands
of miles from the north, they will find drought-depleted wetlands on the west
side of the San Joaquin Valley. Authorities don’t have the water to maintain
about half of the wetlands….The wetlands in this grassland are supported with
Sacramento River water pumped from Northern California. The water comes through
the federal Central Valley Project as part of an environmental reform law
passed two decades ago. For the first time since the law was passed in 1992,
the federal refuges are getting only 50% of their allotment, due to drought.
That’s more water than most San Joaquin Valley farmers got from the Central
Valley Project….But wildlife advocates, such as Audubon California, said
government leaders still need to make every effort to deliver more water to
refuges, adding that refuges have not yet gotten all the water that was
required in the 1992 reform law.
Opinion: Supervisors should
adopt ‘right to farm’ ordinance [Salinas Californian]
…County
supervisors will have the opportunity to increase the protection of
agricultural operations from nuisance claims through a revised “right to farm”
ordinance. In effect these ordinances disclose to home buyers that ag
operations in all their splendor happen near their homes. With this
foretelling, lawyers are declawed….Passing the ordinance would, on the surface,
protect growers from homeowners who become shocked, shocked that farming
practices occur on farms….It will be interesting to see how supervisors handle
these issues, but they should pass this ordinance. It wouldn’t be fair to
punish farmers for the sins of government many, many years ago.
http://www.thecalifornian.com/story/news/2014/10/26/supervisors-adopt-right-farm-ordinance/17965767/
GMO
wheat mishaps foster skepticism of USDA [USA TODAY]
The
discovery of another unapproved variety of genetically modified wheat in
Montana has increased pressure to tighten the regulation of biotech crops, a
change that could cause havoc for farmers in Iowa and across the U.S. eager to
get their hands on the newest varieties. The popular crops are staunchly
defended by farmers who depend on genetically altered seeds to provide them
with higher yields, better-quality products, and lower consumption of chemicals
to rebuff attacks from weeds or insects….But food and environmental groups are
skeptical about the safety of these crops in everyday foods and in the
environment in which they grow. The discovery of unapproved wheat has renewed
calls for regulators to adopt a slower, more stringent approval process.
Ag
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