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DAILY DIGEST: Why the environment is a big winner in California’s groundwater law; San Francisco fighting plan to save salmon; EPA drafting rule to curb its veto power; and more …

Maven
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In California water news today, Why the environment is a big winner in California’s groundwater law; San Francisco fighting plan to save salmon; Clean Water Act: EPA drafting rule to curb its veto power – sources; Judge reinstates WOTUS rule in 26 states, Farm Bureau says it will appeal; No clear way for Arizona to withdraw years worth of ‘banked’ CAP water; and more …

In the news today …

Also on Maven’s Notebook today …

Why the environment is a big winner in California’s groundwater law:  “When California passed its landmark groundwater law in 2014, there was a collective “it’s about time” across the West. But even though California may have been late in issuing a robust groundwater management law, it does set a high bar in at least one key area.  “In regards to the environment, it is actually quite progressive in that it actually explicitly mentions that groundwater-dependent ecosystems need to be identified and there can’t be impacts to them,” said Melissa Rohde, a groundwater scientist at The Nature Conservancy.  If you’re not quite sure what a groundwater-dependent ecosystem (GDE) is, you’re not alone. Many newly formed groundwater sustainability agencies that have resulted from California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) are also just figuring that out. … ”  Read more from Water Deeply here:  Why the environment is a big winner in California’s groundwater law

San Francisco is fighting California’s plan to save salmon.  Wait.  What?  “California water officials are poised to approve a revolutionary plan that could redefine the way water is allocated.  At stake are the state’s oldest water rights, known as “senior rights,” which have long been seen as untouchable, and that includes San Francisco’s.  For a century, San Francisco has enjoyed a pristine source of water, dodging the shortages others have faced during California’s chronic water wars. Now, as key rivers continue a downward ecological spiral, the city is being pulled into the fray.  The state plan has sparked a fierce debate. Environmental groups say it doesn’t go far enough to save imperiled salmon. San Francisco doesn’t agree and it’s allied itself with some unexpected bedfellows: conservative agricultural districts in the Central Valley. ... ”  Read more from KQED here:  San Francisco is fighting California’s plan to save salmon.  Wait.  What?

Board to rethink flows plan as opposition mounts:  “Amid a building bipartisan consensus against the plan, the State Water Resources Control Board will hold off on deciding whether to impose higher flows in three key rivers in the San Joaquin Valley to help fish.  Board chairwoman Felicia Marcus told state Natural Resources Secretary John Laird in a letter last week that the panel will not vote on the proposal to set minimum flows in the Merced, Tuolumne and Stanislaus rivers at the end of a two-day public hearing Aug. 21-22 in Sacramento. ... ”  Read more from the Western Farm Press here:  Board to rethink flows plan as opposition mounts

Clean Water Act: EPA drafting rule to curb its veto power – sources:  “EPA is working on a regulation to limit the agency’s ability to nix water pollution permits.  Agency sources told E&E News the regulation will follow limits outlined in a June memo from former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt.  Under the Clean Water Act, the Army Corps of Engineers is the permitting agency for dredging and filling in waterways and wetlands, but Section 404(c) of the law grants EPA the ability to restrict or veto permits.  Until Pruitt, EPA policy did not explicitly prevent the agency from moving forward with vetoes before, during or after the permitting process. … ”  Read more from E&E News here:  Clean Water Act: EPA drafting rule to curb its veto power – sources

Three federal agency proposals revive commitment to quantifying costs and benefits:  “As part of the White House’s strategy to reform the administrative state, several federal agencies have proposed measures to improve the efficiency and transparency of the regulatory process. In recent months, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) have requested comments on cost-benefit analysis standards, while the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have proposed an economically significant rule that would require cost-benefit analysis. ... ”  Read more from Forbes here: Three federal agency proposals revive commitment to quantifying costs and benefits

Judge reinstates WOTUS rule in 26 states, Farm Bureau says it will appeal:  “The American Farm Bureau Federation and a broad coalition of business organizations have notified the federal district court in South Carolina they will appeal that court’s Aug. 16 ruling that revived the 2015 Waters of the United States Rule and made it the law of the land in 26 states. In a separate filing, the same coalition also notified a federal district court in Texas of the ruling by the court in South Carolina, urging the Texas-based court to issue a nationwide injunction against the illegal 2015 WOTUS Rule.  The U.S. District Court in South Carolina ruled against the Trump administration Thursday (Aug. 16) for delaying the Obama-era Waters of the United States rule, the Washington Examiner reported. The decision means the rule is operative again in 26 states where district courts haven’t halted the regulation. ... ”  Read more from the Western Farm Press here:  Judge reinstates WOTUS rule in 26 states, Farm Bureau says it will appeal

In commentary today …

Stop the state from wreaking even more havoc on the Delta’s economy, says Supervisor Bob Elliott:  He writes, “Over the past decade, San Joaquin County and Delta stakeholders have spent thousands of hours fighting the Governor’s Twin Tunnels project, officially called WaterFix. This water transfer plan would have a disastrous effect on the agricultural industry in the region, and estimated costs have ballooned to $20+ billion. Unfortunately, the State is now pursuing yet another devastating water grab that is quietly making its way through the regulatory process. … ”  Read more from the Tracy Press here:  Stop the state from wreaking even more havoc on the Delta’s economy

Here’s how California can lead the climate change fight:  Rhea Suh writes, “California has long been a national and world clean energy leader. The state passed one of the first renewable energy portfolio standards in the nation in 2002 and has shattered the original goal of increasing the state’s renewable energy mix to 20 percent by 2017. The state achieved more than 30 percent.  As President Donald Trump surrenders American leadership in the global fight to combat climate change, California can ensure that the United States continues to lead the way toward a carbon-free future.  What California does matters. The state’s massive economy and tremendous intellectual and creative resources provide the opportunity to help lead the nation. … ”  Read more from Cal Matters here:  Here’s how California can lead the climate change fight

More news and commentary in the weekend edition …

In regional news and commentary today …

Restoration project key to new J Levee construction:  “Southeast of Hamilton City, what looks like a new orchard is going in, with thousands of young plants planted along drip irrigation lines.  But it looks pretty scraggy for an orchard, with plants of different sizes and shapes poking up from sleeves made of misprinted Costco milk cartons. That’s because there are a couple of dozen different kinds plants in the rows, all Sacramento Valley natives ranging from valley oaks and sycamores, to mugwort and poison oak.  It’s phase one of the floodplain restoration project associated with replacement of the J Levee that protects Hamilton City. … ”  Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here:  Restoration project key to new J Levee construction

Fight against Lake Tahoe invasive species goes to the mat:  “Blindly feeling along a section of fabric mat underneath the water’s surface at Lakeside Marina, a diver grabs a U-shaped piece of rebar and begins hammering away.  At only a handful of feet below the water’s surface visibility drops to zero, making work difficult, but it’s an essential job and a possible vital piece in the puzzle to solve Lake Tahoe’s aquatic invasive species problem. … ”  Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune here:  Fight against Lake Tahoe invasive species goes to the mat

Column: Why a woman from Santa Clarita wants the world to know about a water disaster – the St. Francis Dam collapse of 1928:  “There are only two public displays honoring the first chief engineer and general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water, William Mulholland.  A scenic ribbon of concrete splitting the Westside from the San Fernando Valley and a happy fountain, looking like a child’s bathroom toy, spraying water hurly-girly in the midst of a busy intersection in Los Feliz as weary L.A. motorists inch ahead without noticing.  Words like “hero,” “savior,” “leader” were once thrown at “the chief” who masterminded the movement of water along a gravity-fed 233-mile long aqueduct from the Owens River into the City of Angels. … ”  Read more from the San Gabriel Valley Tribune here:  Column: Why a woman from Santa Clarita wants the world to know about a water disaster – the St. Francis Dam collapse of 1928

FEMA agrees to shrink Newport Beach coastal flood zone by more than half, saving property owners millions in insurance costs:  “Newport Beach has persuaded the Federal Emergency Management Agency to exclude about 2,700 properties in the coastal part of the city from updated flood maps.  That means owners in parts of the Balboa Peninsula, Balboa Island and West Newport won’t need pricey flood insurance, saving up to about $3,700 each, or $10 million combined, each year in premiums, the city estimates. … ”  Read more from the San Diego Union Tribune here:  FEMA agrees to shrink Newport Beach coastal flood zone by more than half, saving property owners millions in insurance costs

Along the Colorado River …

No clear way for Arizona to withdraw years worth of ‘banked’ CAP water:  “By most accounts, the Arizona Water Bank is a monument to foresight and a national model for how to save water for the future. Since the late 1990s, when the Southwest’s 19-year drought first kicked in, authorities here have quietly poured huge amounts of Colorado River water into dozens of large sand and gravel-filled basins until the state is ready to use it.  The total stored is nearly 3.6 million acre-feet of water in 28 sites across Pima, Pinal and Maricopa counties. That’s well over two years worth of CAP deliveries. They’ve stored another 600,000 acre-feet for Nevada. … But all that work has left a key detail unsettled: how to withdraw the bank’s water when needed. ... ”  Read more from the Arizona Star here:  No clear way for Arizona to withdraw years worth of ‘banked’ CAP water

Also on Maven’s Notebook today …

 

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About the Daily Digest: The Daily Digest is a collection of selected news articles, commentaries and editorials appearing in the mainstream press. Items are generally selected to follow the focus of the Notebook blog. The Daily Digest is published every weekday with a weekend edition posting on Sundays.

 

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