Water:
*Peripheral canal urged to save the delta -- After decades of thirsty cities and farms sucking water through the fragile Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta - the main valve for California's aging water system - only a man-made pipeline around the estuary can both restore wildlife habitats and provide a safe water supply, according to a new study by an influential research group. SF Chronicle 7/18/08
Delta peripheral canal should be built, report concludes -- A team of experts says the best way to fix California's troubled water system is to build a peripheral canal that would deliver water around the Delta rather than through it. The report concludes that a canal would be the cheapest economic alternative and the best choice for the environment short of cutting off Delta water shipments to the Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley and Southern California. The report was conducted by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California and written by several leading Delta experts, mostly at UC Davis. CC Times 7/18/08
Delta Future: Expert Sources on New California Delta Report -- This week's unprecedented, science-based report recommending a peripheral canal as the best solution to the California Delta's ecological and economical problems was written by a multidisciplinary team from UC Davis and the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC). The authors were Jay Lund, William Fleenor, William Bennett, Richard Howitt, Jeffrey Mount and Peter Moyle of UC Davis and Ellen Hanak, PPIC associate director and senior fellow. Delta report of July 17, 2008: http://www.ppic.org UC Davis Press Release 7/18/08
*Sierra snowpack could shrink faster than previously thought -- The same phenomenon that is causing Arctic sea ice to melt at an accelerating rate also poses a bigger threat to California's snowpack than previously thought, a new study suggests. Spring snowmelt could begin up to two months earlier in parts of the western United States by the end of the century, the study predicts. That could further dry the West and increase the number of forest fires. Inside Bay Area 7/18/08
Cosco Busan's impact still not entirely clear -- Nine months after an oil slick spread across the Bay from the Cosco Busan, the ship's tarnished name has been scrubbed off its hull, but exhaustive cleanup efforts have failed to remove all of the spilled toxic fuel from area shorelines. Evidence of the oily mess surfaced as recently as last month, with tar balls showing up on beaches north of Marin and in Alameda. Examiner 7/18/08
Environmentalists sue EPA for cleaner water rules -- Five environmental groups sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday, claiming the federal government is violating the Clean Water Act by failing to set standards for farm and urban runoff that is polluting Florida's waterways. SJ Mercury 7/18/08
*City, University Prepare to Dramatically Reduce Water Usage -- In the face of impending water restrictions and drought rates, both the city and UC Berkeley are bracing for water reductions of up to 30 percent. EBMUD will require that the city's park system cut its water usage by 30 percent on each of its 300 meters. In the past month, park maintenance has started watering areas only every three days, adjusting sprinkler coverage to reduce waste, replacing leaking or high-flow sprinkler heads and simply letting some areas suffer. Berkely Daily Planet 7/18/08
Comprehensive guide published on Sustainable Management of Winery Water and Associated Energy -- Wine Institute and the American Vineyard Foundation, in partnership with the National Grape & Wine Initiative, recently published a new Comprehensive Guide to Sustainable Management of Winery Water and Associated Energy. The document gives wineries of all sizes the tools for self-assessment to make improvements in environmental performance and to lower overall production costs for water and energy use. Workshops on how to use the guide will be provided by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance and PG&E. For details on post-harvest winery water workshops and other sustainability educational events, visit www.sustainablewinegrowing.org to view the workshop calendar. Western Farm Press 7/18/08
Health:
*2 Health Insurers to Pay $13M to Calif. Regulators -- Two of California's biggest health insurers have agreed to collectively pay $13 million and reinstate more than 2,000 insurance policies to settle claims with the state that they illegally dropped policyholders from coverage. Anthem Blue Cross will pay $10 million and reinstate coverage for 1,770 enrollees while Blue Shield of California will pay $3 million and reinstate coverage for 450 enrollees. Both insurers will also reimburse policyholders for any outstanding medical debts that resulted from loss of insurance. AP 7/18/08
*U.S. exclusion of visitors with HIV could end soon -- A two-decade ban on people with HIV visiting or immigrating to the United States may end soon through a Senate bill aimed at fighting AIDS and other diseases in Africa and other poor areas of the world. The U.S. is one of a dozen countries — including Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Libya and Russia — that ban travel and immigration for HIV-positive people. CC Times 7/16/08
Parks and forests:
*Forest Service explains its 'let it burn' policy -- Federal land managers in California are retooling their firefighting strategies to capture more of the public safety, economic and environmental benefits of letting wildfires run their natural course without overwhelming the public with smoke and destroying homes. That's a tough balancing act in the nation's most populous state, which already endures the smoggiest and grittiest air in the country. But in a select few remote national forests, parks and wilderness areas, ecologists say, the federal government has been weaning itself off Smokey Bear's admonitions with measurable success. Sacramento Bee 7/18/08
President Bush tours California wildfires -- President George W. Bush took an aerial tour of the California wildfires at Redding and Shasta-Trinity National Forest. After the tour, Bush and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger gave brief remarks. Mark Rey, the Undersecretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment, told reporters on Air Force One that there were more than 2,010 fires this year, up from 270 last year. San Francisco Business Times 7/17/08
Agriculture:
Planes spray a second night for W. Nile virus -- The Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District began its second consecutive day of spraying Thursday night in portions of south Sacramento and Elk Grove to kill mosquitoes and control the spread of West Nile virus. Planes, which took off from Stockton airport, began spraying at 8:32 p.m. and ended at 11:06 p.m., according to the district's Web site. Sacramento Bee 7/18/08
*Cotton vs. olives -- The conventional wisdom is that California's crops drink up about 80 percent of the usable water supply (that is, the amount captured by the water system and not devoted to environmental purposes). Urban dwellers use the rest. With water harder to come by, it makes sense more experts are wondering whether California farmers should be growing lots of thirsty crops. Cotton is one. And it seems those farmers are wondering the same thing. The number of acres planted in cotton has plunged by almost half in the last decade: 1 million acres in 1997 to 560,000 acres in 2006. Other crops get a bad rap for water use, too -- alfalfa and rice -- but they haven't declined, or not by much. SF Chronicle 7/18/08
*Tiny bug threatens California citrus industry -- Border agents have stepped up searches and hundreds of traps have been placed on the California-Mexico line in an aggressive campaign to stop a tiny bug from bringing in a disease farmers say could wipe out the $1.3 billion citrus industry here. Already, Asian citrus psyllid has hurt citrus production in parts of China and infested millions of dead and dying trees in Florida and Brazil. Growers say the bug has the potential to be more damaging than the Mediterranean fruit fly because entire groves — not just fruit — are at risk. AP 7/18/08
Experts call for new program of long-term ag research -- Long-term agricultural research is key to meeting U.S. demands for the three "Fs" -- food, fuel and fiber -- according to a USDA-led investigation that includes a UC Davis faculty member. The study calls for the creation of a national Long-Term Agricultural Research (LTAR) program that includes growers, conservationists and other interested parties. Titled "Long-term Agricultural Research: A Research, Education, and Extension Imperative," it is published in the current edition of the peer-reviewed journal BioScience. Western Farm Press 7/18/08
*Sen. Feinstein seeks crucial support for Emergency Agriculture Relief Act -- As American agriculture continues to face a serious and worsening labor crisis, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) urged the presidents of the nation's state Farm Bureaus on July 15 to support her efforts to pass the Emergency Agriculture Relief Act. Feinstein told the American Farm Bureau Federation's (AFBF) Council of Presidents that she will continue to work to pass the measure, which was stripped from the emergency supplemental spending bill in May. Western Farm Press 7/17/08
Tomato warning is lifted -- Americans can put tomatoes back on their grocery lists, following the Food and Drug Administration's announcement Thursday that the fruit is once again safe to eat. However, officials cautioned that the source of a recent salmonella outbreak - which had been initially linked to tomatoes - remains unknown. SJ Mercury 7/18/08
Cherry exporters see Japan's door open wider -- U.S. fresh cherry exporters look forward to Japan relaxing its phytosanitary protocols for importing the product in about two years. Currently, exporters must pay for all the costs of Japanese inspectors traveling to the U.S. to inspect the produce. That's despite the cherries being inspected again once they reach Japanese port, said the Japan representative of the Northwest Cherry Growers. Capital Press 7/18/08
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