“Officials from the Obama administration are taking their case
against proposed deep budget cuts advancing in Congress to the
public, warning that they would hurt the economy and inhibit
the government’s ability to enforce popular laws.
“U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell on Monday
described some of the proposed cuts to conservation programs as
irrational.”
“The PVC pipes and drip lines have arrived, and prune farmer
Raghbir Atwal is looking forward to having 40 more acres of his
Yuba City orchards converted to a micro-irrigation system.”
“Half of the water consumed in homes here is used to irrigate
lawns, but there is a certain curiosity about the way water is
used in Phoenix, which gets barely eight inches of rain a year
but is not necessarily parched. The per capita consumption
here, 108 gallons a day, is less than in Los Angeles, where
residents average 123 gallons a day.”
“Local organizations like the nonprofit Central Coast Vineyard
Team and the statewide California Sustainable Winegrowing
Alliance reach out to vineyard owners, educating them about a
variety of conservation methods.”
“A growing demand for milk and cheese in China has the potential
to bring California’s beleaguered dairy industry back to life –
and with it, renewed concern about its damaging effects on the
environment.”
“The showers, toilets, washing machines, garden hoses and other
thirsty devices can spray your water bill with charges. The
environment suffers, too, when we use more water than we have to.
Consider these interventions if you’d like to see your water bill
evaporate, rather than your paycheck.”
From the Association of California Water Agencies:
“With record-low water deliveries projected from the Los
Angeles Aqueduct, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
(LADWP) is reminding its customers to conserve water indoors
and outdoors this summer.
The dry winter, below average rainfall and snowpack, and
reduced supply from the State Water project has created a
“perfect storm” for L.A. residents, said James B.
Banning single-use plastic bags is not going to save
the environment. But it would help keep city streets, beaches
and the ocean cleaner.
The state Senate, which stymied proposed bans in 2010 and 2012,
has before it a balanced bill with broad support. When it comes
up for a floor vote, probably today, senators should pass it.
Nearly 20,000 acres of remote forest once targeted for vineyard
development in remote northwest Sonoma County will be set aside
as timberland and wildlife habitat under a landmark conservation
deal that closed Friday.
The property commonly called Preservation Ranch near the
town of Annapolis is now owned by The Conservation Fund, a
national group that specializes in forest protection.
The economic downturn has had an unusual consequence for inland
Southern California: water consumption has dropped, allowing the
region to meet a statewide requirement to use 20 percent less by
2020.
