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Controversial Calif. Drought Bill Heads To Floor

The House will consider a controversial bill this week to adjust water policies in California and the West. The “Gaining Responsibility on Water Act,” H.R. 23, from Rep. David Valadao and 11 other California Republicans, would reduce the cost of water delivery contracts and amend the 1992 Central Valley Project Improvement Act to give users more authority over how restoration funds are spent. Amendments to the legislation are due to the Rules Committee today, and the panel will meet on the bill tomorrow evening before sending it to the House floor for a vote.

 

 

Negotiations Toward a Salton Sea Consensus Are Progressing, Water Agency Says

The Imperial Irrigation District has been using its clout as the agency with the biggest water entitlement along the Colorado River to press for California officials to live up to their commitment that they will keep the Salton Sea from turning into an environmental disaster. During the past year, IID has warned the state that without a credible, well-funded “road map” to restore deteriorating shoreline habitats and cover up growing stretches of dust-spewing lakebed, the district won’t take part in a proposed deal to use less water from the dwindling Colorado River.

Gov. Brown and Democratic Leaders Offer Plan to Extend Cap and Trade, With Aim For Approval This Week

After weeks of back-and-forth between environmentalists and business interests, Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders introduced a proposal Monday evening to reauthorize California’s cap-and-trade program, the centerpiece of the state’s efforts to battle climate change. The plan consists of two bills: Assembly Bill 398, which would extend the life of the program until 2030 and modify how the cap-and-trade market operates, and AB 617, which aims to address concerns about air quality in communities by increasing monitoring and imposing stricter penalties on polluters.

Messer Named Acting Director of California DWR After Croyle Retires

Cindy Messer has been named acting director of the California Department of Water Resources following William R. Croyle’s retirement effective July 1. Messer formerly was chief deputy director of DWR and will serve as acting director until a new director is appointed. Previously, she was assistant chief deputy director. Before joining DWR in early 2017, Messer was deputy director of the planning, performance and technology division at the Delta Stewardship Council. She has a bachelor’s degree in environmental policy analysis and planning for the University of California, Davis and a master’s degree in conservation biology from California State University in Sacramento.

OPINION: Jerry Brown’s Tunnels Would Cement His Family Legacy

Sixty years ago, California Gov. Edmund Gerald “Pat” Brown built the biggest waterworks the world had ever seen. The State Water Project transformed California, moving billions of gallons of water from the wet north to the dry south using dozens of dams, pumping stations and a 400-mile-long man-made river. It serves 25 million people and irrigates hundreds of thousands of acres of cropland. But spectacular as it was, the project was flawed.

Weather Wreaking Avoc on Agriculture

Agriculture is always a challenge, thanks to the weather. Even when things are going well farmers and ranchers are reluctant to trust their good fortune, knowing from experience how quickly it can turn on them. Last winter’s copious precipitation in California may have ended a years-long drought, great news for fruit and vegetable growers there, but this summer’s intense heat in the state is impacting livestock operators hard. Throughout California’s Central Valley, dairy cow mortality is reaching worrisome levels. In Fresno County alone, 4,000 to 6,000 livestock were killed by the heat during June.

House Expected to Approve Water Bill This Week

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives this week is expected to approve H.R. 23, the so-called “Gaining Responsibility on Water Act” that is written by Hanford Republican Davis Valadao. Unless blocked in the Senate, the bill is expected to sail to final approval within weeks. But before then, it might run into some stormy opposition from California Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris. “California’s Central Valley helps feed the world. It deserves sensible and responsible water solutions—this measure doesn’t even come close to meeting that test,” they say in a joint statement.

VIDEO: Negotiations Toward A Salton Sea Consensus Are Progressing, Water Agency Says

The Imperial Irrigation District has been using its clout as the agency with the biggest water entitlement along the Colorado River to press for California officials to live up to their commitment that they will keep the Salton Sea from turning into an environmental disaster. During the past year, IID has warned the state that without a credible, well-funded “road map” to restore deteriorating shoreline habitats and cover up growing stretches of dust-spewing lakebed, the district won’t take part in a proposed deal to use less water from the dwindling Colorado River.

Thunderstorms, High Surf and Muggy Conditions in Store For Southern California

Southern California will enjoy a brief respite from record-breaking temperatures for the next few days, but it probably won’t feel like it. High humidity will bring muggy and sticky conditions to the Southland this week, while a band of moisture could generate thunderstorms in the deserts, according the National Weather Service. On Monday, scattered showers will move throughout Los Angeles County and could bring dangerous lightning and flash flooding in the mountains and deserts, forecasters say. Temperatures will drop by 4 to 8 degrees in Los Angeles County and Ventura County on Monday and Tuesday.

Floods, Then Fires. California Residents Again Face Evacuations Due to the Elements

Jeremiah Keller toddled around, clad only in his last diaper, the hot, smoky air surrounding him. His mother — exasperated from two days of fleeing, seeking help, wondering about the future — struggled to stop the 18-month-old from running into the parking lot. The family has done a lot of running in the past few days. As wildfires closed in on towns across California, they and thousands of others had to evacuate, leaving the fates of their homes and their neighbors a mystery as the fires blazed through dry lands.