In America’s fruit and nut basket, water is now the most precious crop of all. It explains why, amid a historic drought parching much of the American West, a grower of premium sushi rice has concluded that it makes better business sense to sell the water he would have used to grow rice than to […]
Former bond trader Alan Boyce is just the type of California farmer expected to dive into the world’s first water futures contract. Boyce is comfortable navigating financial tools, and he grows irrigated pistachios, tomatoes, alfalfa and other crops in California’s drought-prone Central Valley. But he says the water contract is still too illiquid to benefit […]
It seemed like Colorado River basin states were ahead of the curve in 2007 when we enacted a 20-year set of guidelines that spelled out what would happen if Lake Mead were to ever fall into a shortage. But a decade later, as water levels at the lake plummeted, it was clear that we hadn’t […]
Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative Democrats had the opportunity to alleviate the state’s twin crises of drought and wildfire by including resources for ongoing funding, prescribed burning and water storage in this year’s budget. These solutions are not new, but they require political will. In light of the haunting memories of past catastrophic wildfires, this […]
The record-breaking heat wave baking the West Coast is another painful sign that climate change is here, and we have to adapt. The Pacific Northwest has been sizzling, with conditions forecasters have described as unprecedented and life-threatening. Portland, Ore., hit 113 degrees Monday, breaking the previous all-time high of 112 degrees, set Sunday. About 100 miles to the […]
California lawmakers voted tonight to approve a record-busting state budget that reflects new agreements with Gov. Gavin Newsom to expand health care for undocumented immigrants, spend billions to alleviate homelessness and help Californians still struggling through the pandemic. The $262.6 billion spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1 was fueled by a […]
It’s Some of America’s Richest Farmland. But What Is It Without Water?
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /The New York Timesby Somini SenguptaIn America’s fruit and nut basket, water is now the most precious crop of all. It explains why, amid a historic drought parching much of the American West, a grower of premium sushi rice has concluded that it makes better business sense to sell the water he would have used to grow rice than to […]
Water Futures Market Fails to Make a Splash with California Farmers
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /Reutersby Karl PlumeFormer bond trader Alan Boyce is just the type of California farmer expected to dive into the world’s first water futures contract. Boyce is comfortable navigating financial tools, and he grows irrigated pistachios, tomatoes, alfalfa and other crops in California’s drought-prone Central Valley. But he says the water contract is still too illiquid to benefit […]
Opinion: Is it Time to Start Thinking About the Worst-Case Scenario on Lake Mead?
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Arizona Republicby Joanna AllhandsIt seemed like Colorado River basin states were ahead of the curve in 2007 when we enacted a 20-year set of guidelines that spelled out what would happen if Lake Mead were to ever fall into a shortage. But a decade later, as water levels at the lake plummeted, it was clear that we hadn’t […]
Opinion: Proposed Budget Doesn’t Do Justice to Water Storage
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /CalMattersby Vince FongGov. Gavin Newsom and legislative Democrats had the opportunity to alleviate the state’s twin crises of drought and wildfire by including resources for ongoing funding, prescribed burning and water storage in this year’s budget. These solutions are not new, but they require political will. In light of the haunting memories of past catastrophic wildfires, this […]
Opinion: Record-Setting Heat Wave Shows That Climate Change is Creating Hell on Earth
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles Times by The Times Editorial BoardThe record-breaking heat wave baking the West Coast is another painful sign that climate change is here, and we have to adapt. The Pacific Northwest has been sizzling, with conditions forecasters have described as unprecedented and life-threatening. Portland, Ore., hit 113 degrees Monday, breaking the previous all-time high of 112 degrees, set Sunday. About 100 miles to the […]
Five Things to Know About Newsom’s budget Deal with Legislature
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /CalMattersby Laurel Rosenhall, Sameea Kamal and Manuela TobiasCalifornia lawmakers voted tonight to approve a record-busting state budget that reflects new agreements with Gov. Gavin Newsom to expand health care for undocumented immigrants, spend billions to alleviate homelessness and help Californians still struggling through the pandemic. The $262.6 billion spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1 was fueled by a […]