Senate Democrats wade into California drought debate, offer legislation [Sacramento Bee]
California’s
drought has now fully captivated Congress, with the introduction Tuesday of a
Senate water bill that counters one passed by the House of Representatives last
week. The two bills differ significantly, and the legislative end game remains
murky. But combined with an upcoming presidential visit to the parched San
Joaquin Valley, the introduction of the latest California water measure by its
two Democratic senators, Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, propels the
likelihood of Capitol Hill action….The 31-page Senate measure introduced Tuesday
offers $300 million in drought aid through a variety of programs. It tries to
wring out more water for users, in part by requiring “flexibility” in how
federal officials manage pumping through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River
Delta. It allows stricken water districts to delay their federal contract
payments and speeds up federal decision-making on water supply projects.
Water-bond debate
exposes sharp differences among California interest groups [Ventura County
Star]
State
Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis, on Tuesday presented a Senate committee with a
proposal to place a scaled-down, $6.9 billion water bond on the November
ballot….Two and a half hours later, after representatives of almost four dozen
interest groups and government agencies had testified, Wolk tallied their
requests for additional spending at $5.4 billion, representing a combined
amount greater than the bond measure her proposal seeks to replace.…Business
and agricultural groups argued that more money should be spent on new storage
projects. Environmental groups asked for money to protect and preserve
watersheds. Advocates from different regions argued for approaches that would
most benefit them.
Drought brings flood
of business for irrigation equipment firms [Los Angeles Times]
California's
drought could prove devastating to the state's farmers and ranchers. But the
dry spell has brought a gusher of new business to companies that provide them
with water. That much was clear at this year's World Ag Expo, which kicked off
Tuesday in Tulare, a town of 60,000 about 45 miles south of Fresno. At one
booth was a well repair company that had to add extra shifts to meet all the
agricultural demand for groundwater. Nearby, a firm that provides turbine pumps
for wells said orders were coming in so furiously it was running out of
parts….Amid what could be one of the worst droughts in California's recorded
history, growers are relying on a host of companies to help them deliver what
water remains to their fields.
Drought on minds of
farmers, vendors at Tulare's World Ag Expo [Fresno Bee]
…Tuesday
was the first day of the three-day expo, the largest farm equipment show of its
kind in the world. More than 1,400 exhibitors are at the expo. which is
expected to draw an estimated 100,000 people over three days. Gov. Jerry Brown
is scheduled to tour the Ag Expo Wednesday morning and discuss state efforts to
address the drought. Brown declared a drought state of emergency last month and
directed state agencies to take steps to prepare for water shortages….Ag Expo
chairman Stephen Cunha, a Tulare County pistachio farmer, expected exhibitors
with irrigation equipment and technology to get a fair amount of attention.
Like many farmers in the Valley, Cunha is dealing with his own water shortages.
Deere sees farm
slowdown; projects sales decline [Associated Press]
Deere
& Co. said its first-quarter net income rose almost 5 percent, but it
projected a slowdown in sales of farm equipment this year. High crop prices in
recent years have put money into farmers' pockets and driven a boom in demand
for Deere's tractors and other motorized farm gear. But Deere said Wednesday that
demand for farm equipment is "moderating," and it expects sales of
its agriculture and turf gear to fall 6 percent this year as farm incomes
decline compared to last year. It's expecting the slowdown to be especially
pronounced for sales of larger equipment.
New California
high-speed rail business plan gets first public airing [Fresno Bee]
The
latest business plan for California’s embattled high-speed train project
endured its first volley of slings and arrows Tuesday when a draft of the
document was presented to the state’s High-Speed Rail Authority board in
Sacramento. The 101-page document, hot off the press from its release Friday,
lays out the latest estimates for the cost to build the first 520-mile phase of
the bullet-train line between San Francisco and Los Angeles, as well as
ridership, revenue from fares and long-term operations and maintenance costs.
The draft 2014 business plan is subject to 60 days of public comment before a
final version is sent to the Legislature by May 1. The rail agency’s CEO, Jeff
Morales, described the plan as “a progress report” as the authority anticipates
the start of construction on its first section of the rail line in the
Madera-Fresno area this year.
Ag
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