As drought ravages California, Biden’s infrastructure bill could help store more water [Sacramento Bee]
As California and the West suffer through an epic drought, President Joe Biden and Senate Republicans and Democrats have included $5 billion for Western water projects in their infrastructure deal. The prospect of federal money comes as several big-ticket water projects are on the drawing boards in California — although many are still years from completion and probably wouldn’t get finished in time to help California with the current drought. But the federal dollars, which are probably months and several more negotiations away from possible approval, could enable California to jump-start projects that have been in the works for years.
https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/water-and-drought/article252427993.html
Water deliveries ending early for local farmers as dry conditions continue [KFSN TV, Fresno]
Wednesday is the last day the Fresno Irrigation District will issue water deliveries for local farmers. The water normally flows to farms through September, but because of drought conditions, this year’s deliveries end after June 30. Fresno County Farm Bureau CEO Ryan Jacobsen said earlier this month that this is one of the shortest years they have recorded in over 100 years. Famers hoped more water could be delivered in July, but that won’t be the case. Next month, farmers will have to pump water from their underground wells to sustain their crops.
Drought has pitted farmers against native tribes protecting endangered fish [NPR]
Along the California-Oregon border, the Klamath Basin is in the midst of a record drought, pitting farmers against native tribes with historic water rights who are trying to protect endangered fish. … Besides being protected under the Endangered Species Act, the fish are culturally significant to the Klamath Tribes. … Just across the border in California, farmer Scott Sues [sic] walks through dry, crackling brush on the edge of the Tule Lake Wildlife Refuge. … Sues blames the problems on federal water management because it prioritizes the endangered fish. The drought has created a volatile situation this year, he says, but he hopes for some kind of sustainable solution.
Opinion: How California’s leaders can end the salmon slaughter [Bay Area News Group]
… Our leaders must take bold action to adapt to our new reality and create a system that can support healthy rivers and wildlife, communities with access to safe drinking water and a thriving agricultural economy. Unfortunately, that’s not what we’re seeing today. The state’s water regulators are draining our reservoirs and depleting our rivers to deliver vast volumes of water to a small number of powerful agricultural interests during a historically dry year. … None of these problems are inevitable consequences of drought. They are the result of the state’s choice to prioritize an antiquated water management regime over compliance with laws protecting our rivers and wildlife.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/06/30/8172803-drought-california-salmon-water/
Here’s how farmers are helping with climate change – they’re putting carbon back in the soil [San Francisco Chronicle]
… If done at a wide enough scale, regenerative farming could more than just offset the greenhouse gas emissions from farming — it could fight climate change overall. … President Biden has supported creating a carbon credit program that would give farmers incentives to follow regenerative farming practices, and the Senate approved a bill last week to create a certification process for such a program. … Carbon farming is becoming more widespread in California with increased funding.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/climate/article/Here-s-how-farmers-are-helping-with-climate-16282969.php
Opinion: Key Supreme Court ruling protects Californians’ private property rights [Southern California News Group]
… University of Tennessee law professor and Instapundit blogger Glenn Reynolds says that while “the press coverage as usual puts” the ruling “in a left-right context, it is probably small businesses and farmers who will benefit most from this trend.” … The ruling also carries an unmistakable message, one that tells “state regulators that it’s simply wrong to give outsiders access to farms, where families live and work hard to safeguard their animals and harvests,” says American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall. … The hope here is that policymakers and regulators have been sufficiently chastised by the court. We’ll see if it shows up in their work product.
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