State Supreme Court won’t take up Kings County high-speed rail challenge [Fresno Bee]
The
state Supreme Court decided Wednesday that it will not take up the challenge to
high-speed rail funding sought by opponents in Kings County. By closing the
case Wednesday, the Supreme Court essentially made the judicial score 2-1
against Kings County farmer John Tos, Hanford homeowner Aaron Fukuda and the
Kings County Board of Supervisors. But the fight against high-speed rail is not
over, board Chairman Joe Neves said. “It’s definitely disappointing, but it’s
not going to dissuade us,” Neves said. “We’re going to continue to fight
it.”…Wednesday’s ruling does not clear away litigation against the high-speed
rail project. Six lawsuits are pending in Sacramento County Superior Court
challenging the authority’s certification earlier this year of the
environmental impact report for the Fresno-Bakersfield section of the line, and
approval of the route itself through southern Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Kern
counties
Conservation
groups at odds over California water bond [KTXL TV, Sacramento]
Some
conservation groups are taking opposite positions on Proposition 1 on the
November ballot. The 7 Billion dollar water bond was approved by legislature
and is being pushed by Governor Jerry Brown. But groups like the California
Sportsfishing Alliance, the Sacramento River Preservation Trust, and the
American River Association urged voters today to reject the measure. They say
it helps finance or expand more dams without creating more water. They say
there is plenty of dam capacity now….But others say there’s nothing in the bod
measure that allocates money for new dams. Instead they say the Water
Commission will determine the best and most efficient use of the bond money.
Jay Ziegler of the Nature Conservancy of California says the money will help
regions develop water saving measures and replenishing groundwater
supplies….While polls show a two to one advantage in support among voters,
opponents hope that will change once people learn how expensive the measure is
and how ineffective it will be in having an immediate impact for thirsty
Californians.
Editorial: Record
endorsements: Water bond 'something' to approve [Stockton Record]
As
reservoir levels plummet, grass turns brown and communities across California
either adopt or consider water restrictions, the importance of doing something
appears to be crucial. Proposition 1, the $7.1 billion water bond, can be
described as “something.” It is not a be-all, end-all, cure-all proposition.
Hardly so. But the proposition contains many key elements to help get long
struggling water policy turned around. We urge a Yes vote on Proposition 1 in
the upcoming General Election….
Drones
could become familiar sight over Wine Country [Santa Rosa Press Democrat]
As
he went around Napa Valley in the past two years, Ken Giles had the unenviable
task of notifying nearby residents that UC Davis would be conducting a
demonstration project using drones to spray pesticides at its vineyard in
Oakville. Giles, a professor in the university’s biological and agricultural
engineering department, said he was prepared for questions, especially given
the civil rights qualms over military and police use of drones…But Giles said
he has not experienced much uproar over the program with partner Yamaha Motor
Corp. USA, which has used its RMAX helicopter to test the efficiency and safety
of aerial spraying over the Oakville vineyard….The drones are expected to be
more commonplace in the Napa vineyard, likely by next year if the Federal Aviation
Administration approves Yamaha’s application to use unmanned aircraft systems
for agricultural purposes.
New
GMOs get a regulatory green light, with a hint of yellow [National Public
Radio]
Government
regulators have approved a new generation of genetically engineered corn and
soybeans. They're the latest weapon in an arms race between farmers and weeds,
and the government's green light is provoking angry opposition from
environmentalists. The actual decision, at first glance, seems narrow and
technical. The Environmental Protection Agency has announced it had "registered"
a new weedkiller formula that contains two older herbicides: glyphosate (better
known as Roundup) and 2, 4-D. Versions of these weedkillers have been around
for decades. But farmers in six Midwestern states will be allowed to use the
new formula, called Enlist Duo, on their corn and soybeans. And that counts as
big news.
GMO
labeling in Oregon: Measure 92 turns state into 'battleground for food culture'
[Portland Oregonian]
Forces
for and against mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods sold in Oregon
agree on almost nothing….If there is one slender thread on which both sides
concur, it's that the Nov. 4 fate of Measure 92 could play a pivotal role in
how the contentious and politically costly issue plays out elsewhere across the
United States….If Measure 92 passes, it would make Oregon the first state in
the U.S. to pass a labeling measure at the ballot box. The Vermont Legislature
approved a labeling bill, set to take effect in 2016, but it's being challenged
in court. Money for and against the measure is pouring into the state, just as
it did for narrowly defeated initiatives in California in 2012 and Washington
in 2013.
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