Push
to protect immigrant farm workers [Wall Street Journal]
Farm
workers and some agriculture industry officials are making a last-minute push
for President Barack Obama to include protections for undocumented agricultural
workers in his new immigration policy, worried that the pending executive
action may be the last opportunity to change immigration rules for a while.
Their hope is that at least some farm workers can win the temporary legal
status and work permits that are expected to be offered to several million
people now in the country illegally, according to officials who are lobbying
for the change. The farm industry, however, is divided on the matter, with some
worried that granting work permits would give workers the chance to move to
other jobs rather than bolster the industry. The American Farm Bureau Federation,
the U.S.’s largest agricultural trade group, isn’t pushing for Mr. Obama to act
without Congress, saying such a move would hurt the effort to pass more durable
changes to the immigration system through laws….The push to include agriculture
workers is being led by the United Farm Workers union and is backed by groups
including the National Immigration Forum, which works with businesses that
support liberalized immigration legislation.
Obama
to lay out case for immigration action at Las Vegas stop Friday [Los Angeles
Times]
President
Obama is expected to unveil a series of major changes to immigration policy
this week and will travel Friday to a Las Vegas high school to lay out his case
for the new plan. The president is expected to speak at Del Sol High School on
Friday afternoon, a source familiar with the plans said Wednesday. Obama first
launched his campaign to overhaul the immigration system during a speech at the
school in January 2013….The White House said Tuesday that Obama had not yet
decided on the details of his plans. Administration officials have indicated
that the proposals could affect as many as 5 million people and could be aimed
at the parents and relatives of U.S. citizens and permanent residents.
Talks
on drought bill underway on Capitol Hill [Fresno Bee]
California’s
water future is boiling below the surface this week. Only the chosen few have a
clue about details. Bill documents, currently about 50 pages, are stamped
“confidential draft language, do not distribute.” Capitol Hill doors are shut,
congressional timetables are opaque and negotiators are strictly mum….The
coming days, though, could be crucial. House Republicans and Democratic Sen.
Dianne Feinstein of California and their respective staff members have been
amicably swapping proposed language and coming ever-closer to
agreement….Democrats who voted against the 68-page House bill, and whose
congressional districts span part of the 1,100 square-mile delta, have
complained they have been shut out of the subsequent
negotiations….Environmentalists, fishing and wildlife advocates also want a public
hearing on any drought legislation.
Diversion
order lifted on the upper Russian River [Santa Rosa Press Democrat]
State
water regulators have lifted a nearly six-month freeze on certain water
diversions from the upper Russian River, provoking relief among Sonoma and
Mendocino county grape growers and others north of Healdsburg who are dependent
on the river for crop irrigation and other uses. Notice served over the weekend
to 652 state permit holders whose claims to river water were suspended last May
means they can once again pump from the river. More importantly, given the
season, those with permits allowing for wintertime storage can begin refilling
reservoirs in preparation for the dry summer months if rain comes, several
grape growers said….The situation cut available supplies for several small
Ukiah Valley water districts and forced some growers to haul thousands upon
thousands of gallons of water from whatever sources they could find to irrigate
crops during the warmest months.
Imperial
Irrigation District demands state live up to Salton Sea promises [Imperial
Valley Press]
The
Imperial Irrigation District is calling on the state of California to live up
to its commitment to restore the ailing Salton Sea as, IID officials say, a
public health threat looms on the horizon….The petition caps nearly two weeks
of meetings with state officials and Colorado River water users and could open
a new chapter on efforts to restore the Salton Sea. It calls on the SWRCB to
bring together the parties of the Quantification Settlement Agreement water
transfer, Salton Sea Authority and other stakeholders for a dialogue about a
Salton Sea restoration plan and a way to pay for it….At issue is the air
quality of Imperial and Riverside counties as reduced flows of water to the
state’s largest inland lake are predicted to expose thousands of acres of
lakebed, which officials say will result in dust storms from the sea and increase
health risks for the surrounding communities….The roots of the IID’s action lie
in a 2002 SWRCB order that led to the signing of the Quantification Settlement
Agreement one year later….Over the life of the agreements, millions of
acre-feet of water will be shifted from the largely agricultural Imperial
Valley to urban areas.
Almond
grower to pay hefty price for vernal pool destruction [Modesto Bee]
An
Oakdale man who destroyed nearly 33 acres of vernal pools while converting
grazing land to an almond orchard north of Merced has agreed to pay a $160,000
fine, plus buy a conservation easement valued at $1 million, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday. The U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers had warned Ed Brown to get a ground-working permit when he leased 850
acres at 7450 G St., west of Lake Yosemite, in August 2012, a settlement says.
A couple of weeks later, tractors spent at least 10 days “deep ripping” 380
acres, or dragging six-foot metal shanks through soil to prepare it for tree
planting, the document says….Brown previously owned California Healthy Harvest,
a fruit and nut company with addresses in Modesto and Empire….“No comment,” he
said on the telephone Tuesday. “I want to farm. That’s all I want to do.”
Ag
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