A group had proposed moving funds from the High Speed Rail project to fund water infrastructure. The ballot initiative is currently undergoing signature gathering in order to qualify for the November ballot. Opponents of the initiative, many of whom are in favor of the High Speed Rail Project, believe that …
Read More »FEMA: More homeowners, businesses purchasing flood insurance
In preparation for El Nino, a record number of Californians have purchased flood insurance policies, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said. Since August, the agency has seen a 25 percent increase in policies or about 55,500 new policies. FEMA attributes the rise in flood insurance policies to El Nino. …
Read More »Legislators, special interests meet over drought legislation
In Washington, Republican Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) met with the California Farm Bureau Federation’s (CFBF) Board of Directors to discuss the severity of the California drought. McCarthy discussed prospective federal drought legislation with the CFBF. The meeting comes after Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) introduced her drought legislation in the …
Read More »Central Valley to receive grant for conservation efforts
Sonoma County is receiving an $8 million grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a means of protecting agricultural lands and ecosystems for drought and climate resiliency. The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Regional Conservation Partnership Program funds the grant. The funding will be used to …
Read More »How the drought impacted agriculture in 2015
The California Department of Food and Agriculture released their annual report regarding agricultural statistics for the year. The numbers reflect changes in the agricultural industry in 2015 due to the severe drought. Overall, the value of California’s field crop production dropped to $3.7 billion, a 14.9% decrease from 2013. Crops …
Read More »Slight progress shown in weekly drought update
The U.S. Drought Monitor’s weekly update shows California is making slight progress. Although El Nino has brought an onslaught of rain throughout the state, experts say it will take time for the impact to become apparent. Current reservoir conditions are as follows: Shasta Reservoir: 55% compared to its historical average …
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