Many factors go into making political deals – ideology, self-interest, expediency and emotion to mention just a few. Logic rarely enters the equation, and if it does, it usually dwells at the bottom in importance. Two cases in point are to be found in the final deal on a $213 billion state budget that was […]
It’s late May in Wyoming. It snowed last night, and more snow is predicted. That’s why it’s good that Big Piney Rancher Chad Espenscheid is behind the wheel of the truck. The roads are sloppy and Middle Piney Creek is running high. “Speaking of water,” he says, laughing. “Yeah, seems like it’s starting to flood,” […]
Water is so commonplace that we often take it for granted. But too much—or too little of it—makes headlines. Catastrophic flooding in the U.S. Midwest this spring has caused billions of dollars in damage and wreaked havoc with crops, after rain tipped off a mass melting of snow. Seven years of California drought so debilitating […]
Hundreds of people filled the Santa Maria Veterans Memorial Building on June 5 to voice their opinion on a proposed aquifer exemption that would expand the area in Cat Canyon where oil companies can build injection wells. Some environmental activists and students pushed back on the proposal during the hearing, while some local ranchers and […]
When delegates to the second International Irrigation Congress convened in Los Angeles in October 1893, pessimism about their mission was not supposed to be on the agenda. The gathering, after all, was meant to encourage reclamation of arid lands throughout the American West, using irrigation to transform an immense wasteland into an agriculturally productive cornucopia. […]
Someone recently asked me about the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) and how it will affect our community. I didn’t have an immediate answer for that, since I am still learning about it. But it seemed like a good opportunity to dive into the world of groundwater management and review the history that has led […]
OPINION: Budget Expediency Overwhelms Logic
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /CALmatters (Sacramento)by Dan WaltersMany factors go into making political deals – ideology, self-interest, expediency and emotion to mention just a few. Logic rarely enters the equation, and if it does, it usually dwells at the bottom in importance. Two cases in point are to be found in the final deal on a $213 billion state budget that was […]
Dams Could Protect Ranchers From Climate Change’s Drought…But Could They Also Contribute To It?
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /KUNC (Greeley, Colo.)by Melodie EdwardsIt’s late May in Wyoming. It snowed last night, and more snow is predicted. That’s why it’s good that Big Piney Rancher Chad Espenscheid is behind the wheel of the truck. The roads are sloppy and Middle Piney Creek is running high. “Speaking of water,” he says, laughing. “Yeah, seems like it’s starting to flood,” […]
NASA Explores Our Changing Freshwater World
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /PHYS.org (Los Angeles)by Ellen GrayWater is so commonplace that we often take it for granted. But too much—or too little of it—makes headlines. Catastrophic flooding in the U.S. Midwest this spring has caused billions of dollars in damage and wreaked havoc with crops, after rain tipped off a mass melting of snow. Seven years of California drought so debilitating […]
Public Opinion Split On Cat Canyon Aquifer Exemption
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Santa Maria Sunby Zac EzzoneHundreds of people filled the Santa Maria Veterans Memorial Building on June 5 to voice their opinion on a proposed aquifer exemption that would expand the area in Cat Canyon where oil companies can build injection wells. Some environmental activists and students pushed back on the proposal during the hearing, while some local ranchers and […]
California And Water: Half Environmental Nightmare, Half Remarkable Success Story
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /The New York Timesby Gary KristWhen delegates to the second International Irrigation Congress convened in Los Angeles in October 1893, pessimism about their mission was not supposed to be on the agenda. The gathering, after all, was meant to encourage reclamation of arid lands throughout the American West, using irrigation to transform an immense wasteland into an agriculturally productive cornucopia. […]
OPINION: What Is Sustainable Groundwater Management?
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Coastal View (Carpinteria, Calif.)by Erin MakerSomeone recently asked me about the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) and how it will affect our community. I didn’t have an immediate answer for that, since I am still learning about it. But it seemed like a good opportunity to dive into the world of groundwater management and review the history that has led […]