ag water rights
Water districts sue over California cutbacks
Five water districts sued California's State Water Resources Board over its decision to ban senior water rights holders from drawing water out of rivers and streams in the Sacramento and San Joaquin watersheds, said the Sacramento Bee.
In Central Valley, farmers help farmers survive drought
For farmer Cannon Michael, life "is almost exclusively focused on finding ways to overcome the drought, and in California, when it comes to saving water, there's no time to waste," writes Sena Christian in the online magazine Ensia.
A deluge of comments falls on clean-water rule
The House passed a bill last week to stop EPA from finalizing the rule but the Democrat-run Senate is unlikely to consider such legislation this fall. Proponents say the regulation clarifies federal jurisdiction after two Supreme Court decisions. Farm groups call it a power grab.
House ignores veto threat, votes to stop clean water rule
The Republican-run House passed a bill to prevent the EPA from finalizing its "Waters of the United States" regulation, sending the bill to an uncertain future in the Senate during the brief pre-election session. "I doubt if (Majority Leader Harry) Reid is going to let something like that come up," said Sen Chuck Grassley, Iowa Republican. The White House, in a statement, threatened a veto if the bill reaches the president.
Report: Nut farmers expanded as drought deepened in California
As California declared multiple drought emergencies and imposed mandatory water restrictions on residents in recent years, the state’s almond farmers expanded their orchards by a remarkable 78 percent, according to new research by Food & Water Watch.