Agriculture Daily News 12/11

A coalition of local water districts scored a victory last week, when a Superior Court judge ruled that a Sacramento-area sanitation district did not properly review the impact of increased wastewater discharge into the Sacramento River Delta, a drinking water source for 25 million Californians. The final judgment will void the certification of the sanitation district's environmental review and approval of its 2020 Master Plan. According to CCWD and Zone 7, the Sacramento sanitation district's 2020 master plan would have raised pollutant levels in the Delta by more than 40 percent. Tri-Valley Herald 12/11/07

 

With scattered water rationing looming statewide, California has secured a virtual lock on its Colorado River supply and will be allowed more storage at Lake Mead, effectively creating a new reservoir without pouring an ounce of concrete. The twin prizes were negotiated as part of a broad seven-state accord that will, for the first time, spell out how reductions would be imposed should a historic drought continue to plague the Colorado River basin. San Diego Union Tribune 12/11/07

 

On Monday, San Francisco-based law firms announced the settlement of a claim by which up to 70 Bay Area Dungeness crab fishers will begin receiving $5,000 to $10,000 each as initial compensation for their losses in the Cosco Busan oil spill in the coming weeks. One attorney estimated that fishers could ultimately be entitled to receive from $20,000 to $130,000 -- just for the first two weeks of the season. CC Times 12/11/07

 

The first federal permit to conduct testing for a wave energy farm off the coast of the United States was awarded in February to a company that wants to study the ocean area near Reedsport, Ore. But fishers and others are worried that putting expensive buoys in the water to create energy might get in the way of fishing, views, or the environment. Oregon, Washington and Northern California have the potential to generate four times as much energy from waves as states on the East Coast because of tides that come across the Pacific. NY Times 12/8/07

 

Senate leaders agreed Friday to move forward on a giant $288 billion farm bill, forcing California's two senators to make tough decisions next week on legislation that will help shape the American diet and will affect environmental stewardship of millions of acres across the country for the next five years. California's huge fresh produce industry, which dwarfs farm output in other states, could play a decisive role in whether Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, both Democrats, support the overall bill or any of the 40 proposed amendments. SF Chronicle 12/8/07