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Elected officials and other groups representing those living below the troubled Oroville Dam have asked the Trump administration to hold off on renewing its 50-year license, saying the federal government should at least know why the spillway broke in half last winter before signing off. On Wednesday, the dam’s owner, the California Department of Water Resources, sent a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission saying it was past time to renew the dam’s license, an effort that has been on hold for the past 11 years.

Is California back in drought? The unusually warm, dry start to this winter – along with intense wildfires in southern California – has many Californians experiencing “drought deja vu.” Despite this uneasy feeling, we are not in drought. The state’s reservoirs – the traditional measure of vulnerability during drought – are in good shape thanks to last year’s near-record precipitation. And for a change, more water was stored in the state’s underground water basins this past year than was taken out.

After a series of powerful atmospheric rivers brought the wettest rainy season on record to Northern California, brimming reservoirs became a symbol of the state’s plentiful water reserves and the end of a five-year drought. Now that this year’s season has started with below average precipitation and the northern part of the state has seen  very little rain in December (only .02 inches in S.F. and .18 in Shasta County), you might be wondering how the reservoir water levels are looking.

The California Public Utilities Commission has amended its long-standing mission statement, leaving out the idea of ensuring “reasonable rates” for the water and power used by the public. The change comes as state utility regulators have been under criminal investigation for potentially improper backchannel dealings with the utility companies they oversee and facing multiple lawsuits alleging they failed to protect the people they serve.

Is drought stricken California ready for the cannabis industry? The State Water Resources Control Board laid out their plan to potential marijuana growers on how they can get access to water. “People that do not have storage will need to get a small irrigation use registration which is also a new program we’re rolling out for cannabis,” said Daniel Schultz, Environmental Program Manager. A new wave of marijuana growers, also means an increase in water consumption.