Agriculture Daily News July 21

Fish and water:

 

*Salmon threatened with extinction, judge says -- A federal judge has concluded that California's water operations are driving some salmon runs toward extinction — but he declined to intervene. The order, issued late Friday by U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger in Fresno, contained both good news and bad news for environmentalists and commercial salmon fishing advocates, representatives of those groups said. Although they did not win immediate measures to protect the fish, the judge's conclusions mean regulators will be forced to impose more protective conditions when they issue a new permit in March, lawyers said. SJ Mercury 7/18/08

 

Delta diversion threat to salmon, judge rules -- A federal judge in Fresno affirmed Friday that water diversions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta have jeopardized the existence of California's beleaguered salmon. It was the latest in a string of rulings ordering state and federal regulators to fix a water system that supplies millions of Californians with water but is all but dysfunctional when it comes to protecting fisheries and the environment. SF Chronicle 7/19/08

 

*Pelosi vows to block offshore drilling vote -- Despite growing public support for ending the ban on offshore drilling, even in California, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she won't allow a vote.It's an example of the vast power placed in the office of the speaker, who sets the agenda for the 435-member House. Members can force a vote if enough of them sign a petition, but that's a rarity because it requires rank-and-file Democrats to line up against their boss. McClatchy's 7/18/08

 

Daniel Weintraub: Get used to hearing a lot more talk about the Delta -- the Delta is defined by more than 1,000 miles of man-made levees protecting dozens of islands, many of which are used for farming. The levees also keep saltwater out of the Delta, making it easier to send fresh water south for drinking and irrigation. But this man-made landscape is not sustainable. The islands are sinking, falling victim to decades of farming and the oxidation of the soil. Building a canal to shuttle water from the lower Sacramento River around the Delta and then to the south would be cheaper, less disruptive to the water supply and might ultimately be better for the Delta itself. Sacramento Bee 7/20/08

 

Bio-fuel:

 

Pacifica closer to building biodiesel production plant -- This sleepy seaside city is one big step closer to building the Bay Area's first biodiesel production plant coupled with a wastewater treatment plant thanks the California Coastal Commission, but not everyone is rejoicing. In a unanimous vote last Friday, the Coastal Commission gave its blessing to a plan to build a biodiesel refinery at the current site of Pacifica's Calera Creek Water Recycling Plant. Inside Bay Area 7/16/08

 

Immigration and labor:

 

*California bill would extend jobless benefits in drought areas -- California lawmakers are considering legislation to expand unemployment benefits for workers who have lost their jobs due to the state's drought. Assembly Bill 1107 would let those workers earn up to $200 per week before their benefits are cut. Unemployment recipients in the drought areas now face a far lower earnings cap – $25 per week – before their benefits drop. Sacramento Bee 7/21/08

 

Valley unemployment keeps rising -- Northern San Joaquin Valley unemployment continued to climb in June, according to a report released Friday. Statewide, job seekers are facing the toughest time finding work in five years. Modesto Bee 7/19/08

 

Parks and forests:

 

Warming West is ground zero for wildfires -- California has been hit by 2,000 fires this year, and climate scientists are predicting that the situation will worsen as temperatures rise. The American West has been warming dramatically during the past 60 years at a rate surpassed only by Alaska. This year has been particularly dry for California, with less snowfall, earlier snowmelt and lower summer river flows. SF Chronicle 7/20/08

 

Private firms help in fighting state fires -- Contractors are often overlooked outside the fire zones, but they are considered valuable allies as strained state and federal forces battle blazes such as the ones in recent weeks that have scorched more than 900,000 acres from Big Sur to Mount Shasta. These re-enforcements do not come cheap. The federal government has spent $75 million on private contractors in the state since Oct. 1, which includes the wildland fires that devastated Southern California last fall. San Diego Union Tribune 7/20/08

 

Agriculture:

 

Salmonella scare hit state growers hard -- By the time the Food and Drug Administration cleared tomatoes Thursday in its investigation of a salmonella outbreak, California's tomato sales had plummeted more than 40 percent. Tomato growers accuse the FDA of failing to do control studies interviewing people who ate tomatoes but did not get sick. Those are now under way. SF Chronicle 7/19/08