March 15, 2012 Delta Water and News Links

Delta Water News
Delta Stewardship Council
Webcast Link
http://dsc.videossc.com/

Aquafornia.com
Sacbee.com
Matt Weiser: Farmers Gain Ground in California Water Wars As Bill Passes House
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/15/4338964/farmers-gain-ground-in-california.html#mi_rss=Capitol%20and%20California
(I stand half corrected.  WWD gets their water via CVP...Kern County Water Bank apparently gets theirs from the SWP.  So either way, if they get what they're after, coming or going, we're pretty much screwed.

Guess we should ask, which water delivery system ensures more water? State? or Fed?  And a little more in-depth research into the Monterey Agreements and Monterey Plus Agreements or reminders as to their web-spinning from the mid-'90's.

Comments are interesting.)

Aquafornia.com
The Reporter
Melissa Murphy: Solano County Water Official Says Utilizing Lake Berryessa Is 'Wise'
http://www.thereporter.com/news/ci_20178841/solano-county-water-official-says-utilizing-lake-berryessa

Aquafornia.com
Sacbee.com
Brad Branan: Sacramento Regional Sewer Rates Expected to Triple In Eight Years
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/14/4337405/sacramento-county-sewer-rates.html

Aquafornia.com
Colusa Sun-Herald
Rains Won't Save Grower Water Cuts
http://www.colusa-sun-herald.com/news/late-8206-winter-praying.html

Aquafornia.com
Weather Update
http://aquafornia.com/archives/63835
(Quite a few additional links here.)

California Water News
Aquafornia.com
MontereyCountyWeekly.com
Kera Abraham: The Value of Sewage
http://www.montereycountyweekly.com/news/2012/mar/15/value-sewage/

Aquafornia.com
San Jose Mercury News
Donna Jones: Ag Water Quality Rules Debated: Central Coast Officials Hear Hours of Testimony From
Foes and Backers
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_20172875/crowd-weigh-ag-water-quality-rules

Aquafornia.com
MontereyHerald.com
Bill Lee: Regional Desal Plan and Financial Reality
http://www.montereyherald.com/opinion/ci_20176793/bill-lee-regional-desal-plan-and-financial-reality

Aquafornia.com
MontereyHerald.com
Jim Johnson: At water Forum, Cal Am Says Desal Obstacles Can Be Overcome
http://www.montereyherald.com/news/ci_20177946/at-water-forum-cal-am-says-desal-obstacles

Aquafornia.com
UTSanDiego.com
Monumental SD Bay Clean-Up Plan Approved
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/mar/14/historic-sd-bay-cleanup-plan-approved/

Aquafornia.com
North County Times
Bradley J. Fikes: Water Authority Should Call On the Army of Davids
http://www.nctimes.com/blogsnew/business/morning/water-authority-should-call-on-the-army-of-davids/article_011f0f70-6e14-11e1-b0c6-001871e3ce6c.html

Aquafornia.com
UTSanDiego.com
Michael Gardner: Supreme Court Supports San Diego Water Transfer
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/mar/14/supreme-court-supports-san-diego-water-transfer/

Aquafornia.com
Miller-McCune: California Farms Get Testy Over Water Quality
http://www.miller-mccune.com/environment/california-farms-get-testy-over-water-quality-40379/

Central Valley Business Times
UC Davis Nitrate Report Prompts Call For Action
http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=20619

Aquafornia.com
UC Davis Green Blog
Brenda Dawson: Nitrogen and Water: What's Being Done Now
http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7029

Aquafornia.com
Sacbee.com
Editorial: U.S. Shouldn't Skimp On Tsunami Warnings
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/15/4338317/us-shouldnt-skimp-on-tsunami-warnings.html#mi_rss=Opinion

Aquafornia.com
Sacbee.com
Viewpoints: Hetch Hetchy Provides a Clean Source of Energy
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/15/4338324/hetch-hetchy-provides-a-clean.html

Aquafornia.com
San Jose Mercury News
John Hogan: Why Not Tear Down Crystal Springs Dam As Well?
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/15/4338324/hetch-hetchy-provides-a-clean.html

Instain Blog
John Fleck: Atmospheric Rivers, In Real Time
http://www.inkstain.net/fleck/2012/03/atmospheric-rivers-in-real-time/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+JfleckAtInkstain+%28jfleck+at+inkstain%29

On The Water Front
Sprech Rosekranz: Waiting for a (March) Miracle
http://blogs.edf.org/waterfront/2012/03/14/waiting-for-a-march-miracle-2/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+OnTheWaterFront+%28On+the+Water+Front%29

California Farm Water Coalition
Farm Water News
http://farmwaternews.blogspot.com/2012/03/news-articles-and-links-from-march-14.html

Water News
Aquafornia.com
National Geographic
Brian Richter, The Nature Conservancy: Are We Running Out of Water?
http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/03/14/are-we-running-out-of-water/

Agriculture News
Co.Exist.com
Ariel Schwartz: Essential Wants to Feed the World Without Farmland
http://www.fastcoexist.com/1679389/essentient-wants-to-feed-the-world-without-farmland

CapitalPress.com
Tracie Cone: Solar Debate Heats Up As california Farmland Is Targeted
http://www.capitalpress.com/content/AP-CA-Solar-farming-031412

CapitalPress.com
County Timber Payments Pass U.S. Senate
http://www.capitalpress.com/content/brief-ml-timber-payments-031612

Environmental News
EPAAbuse.com
Second of Three-Part Series of Excerpts From 'Energy Freedom' by Marite Noon
http://epaabuse.com/5774/editorials/second-of-a-three-part-series-of-excerpts-from-energy-freedom-by-marita-noon/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=second-of-a-three-part-series-of-excerpts-from-energy-freedom-by-marita-noon

The environmental movement has been hijacked and the rank-and-file tree hugger is being used. Today the Birkenstock, love-bead wearers have grown up. They wear suits when needed, and they lobby Washington. Working with big budgets and contributions from wealthy foundations, they have almost unlimited tax-free dollars to push their agenda. They have cadres of attorneys with the sole goal of stopping things—attacking private property rights and free enterprise—in the name of saving nature. Their efforts are connected—if not coordinated. 

The Sierra Club—probably the oldest of the environmental groups—was founded in 1892. Their long history provides a good example of the environmental movement’s evolution from true naturalists to today’s environmental extremists; how a well-intentioned hiking group can evolve into a group of radical extremists—without the average members knowing the change ever took place. 

 Political News
PatriotPost.com
Opinion, Michael Reagan: Saving California
http://patriotpost.us/opinion/michael-reagan/2012/03/15/saving-california/
(Very well written article supporting a part time Legislature.)

California Progress Report
David Dayen: Progressives Force Compromise on Jerry Brown-Led Tax Initiative
http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/site/progressives-force-compromise-jerry-brown-led-tax-initiative
(Oh so many disturbing phrases in this article...

Fail to pass the ballot measure and the cuts would come down. In the world of California, where it takes a 2/3 vote to raise taxes, this was seen as a last resort in the face of resistance from Republicans. 

Progressives in the state, led by the California Federation of Teachers and the Courage Campaign, came up with a more popular alternative – a millionaire’s tax, 

which would only raise money through millionaires, and which would route the money directly to local services rather than through Sacramento.

So Brown had the funding, but Courage/CFT had the popularity; Brown’s measure was fading, with just 52% support according to the last statewide poll. So an accommodation had to be reached. 

 While the tax bears more heavily on the wealthier Californians, it still dips as low as those making $250,000 a year. Incidentally, well-off Californians making under $1 million have had it very good for a long time.

So while I’d like to see an initiative that has a better chance of winning, and this compromise still has some elements that could be problematic, it’s a major victory for progressive power in Sacramento. 

What I'd like to have answered are these questions:
1. Would this confiscated monies stay within that soon-to-be a lot-less-o-naire resides?
2. How will these conscripted bond servants be forced to ensure they can or will produce said millions of $$'s?
3. Will there be 'No Move Out of State' clauses to California tax returns that will forbid these same people from seeking a better place to run their businesses?  and mostly
4.  Who died and left the Progressives as the Judge Jury and Diktate of what you and I should have, how 'good' we might have it and for how long the 'good times' are allowed to continue??


The Foundry.com
Rob Bluey: Harry Reid Reverses Course on Judges; Political Stunt Backfires
http://blog.heritage.org/2012/03/14/harry-reid-reverses-course-on-judges-political-stunt-backfires/

Science News
EPAAbuse.com
The Antarctic Nematode Will Benefit From Global Warming!
http://epaabuse.com/5780/news/the-antarctic-nematode-will-benefit-from-global-warming/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-antarctic-nematode-will-benefit-from-global-warming
(Maybe there are a gazillion organisms just waiting for their turn to evolve on this ever-evolving planet we happen to reside upon!  Who are we to even attempt to play God?  Nature has a plan and a course and if we want to stop 'global warming'...quit spraying chemicals into our upper atmospheres and stratosphere for geo-engineering.

Or how about, stop stealing water from natural watersheds prior to that water completing what the watershed was created for...scouring out the bay estuary and push salt water back out of the rivers...and I thought I wouldn't make comments this morning...coffee kicking in, I suppose.)

Aguanomics.com
David Zetland: Men are More Brilliant (and Stupid) Than Women
http://www.aguanomics.com/2012/03/men-are-more-brilliant-and-stupid-than.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+aguanomics+%28Aguanomics%29
(Of course, it has always been women who clean up the messes, and weave the fabric of their families and communities!)

EnvironmentalResearchWeb.com
US Pacific Coasts Most Vulnerable to Extreme High Waters
http://environmentalresearchweb.org/cws/article/news/48935
(Duh!!)

Agenda 21/Sustainable Development
EPAAbuse.com
New Study: EPA Truck Regs Have Backfired
http://epaabuse.com/5786/news/new-study-epa-truck-regs-have-backfired/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new-study-epa-truck-regs-have-backfired

Litigation News

Events
ACWA.com
Lisa Lein-Mager: Oversight Hearing Set for March 20, on Water Reuse
http://www.acwa.com/news/regulatory-affairs/oversight-hearing-set-march-20-water-reuse-future-opportunities

http://awpw.assembly.ca.gov/sites/awpw.assembly.ca.gov/files/3_13%20Updated%20Agenda%20on%20Ltrhd.pdf

ACWA.com
Sarah Langford: USGS Offers Water Management Webinar March 21
http://www.acwa.com/news/groundwater/usgs-offers-water-management-webinar-march-21

Southern California Water Committee
Quarterly Meeting April 27, Senator Michael Rubio Keynote Speaker
http://marketing.proofinteractive.com/hostedemail/email.htm?CID=18203000257&ch=B12B9F20041CDE62DD6E79C221D7AA17&h=1a7d33e9ea398413a3d9e7b1b8722363&ei=7hUKHdpNJ
(A component of an overall well-oiled machine...BTW, did any one actually watch Judge Wanger's parting shot from his turn to keynote?)

Just For Fun