Environmental groups meet with state ag board

Issue Date: May 6, 2009

By Christine Souza
Assistant Editor

In an attempt to solve problems such as lack of water to agriculture and joblessness created by what many are calling a regulatory drought, the California State Board of Food and Agriculture met with environmental organizations last week in Sacramento.

CDFA board President Al Montna expressed that due to the significant social and economic impacts to communities in the Central Valley, now is the time for the agricultural and environmental sectors to come together and recommend viable solutions to this situation.

"We've heard from the communities of Mendota and Firebaugh, food banks and the Employment Development Department, as well as farmers, ranchers and farmworkers as we've researched this issue. The current regulatory drought is impacting California's Central Valley communities," Montna said.

Participating organizations, including Audubon California, the Bay Institute, Ducks Unlimited, Environmental Defense Fund, Natural Heritage Institute and the Yosemite Association, weighed in about the importance of preserving wildlife and agriculture and having a healthy water system for California.

"We do believe that it is possible to provide sufficient freshwater flows to these critical species and sufficient water for thriving urban and agricultural economies, but some changes in water use and water policy are required for that to occur," said Laura Harnish, Environmental Defense Fund regional director. "We are excruciatingly aware of the economic hardships being experienced now in the Central Valley due to greatly reduced water allocations and other economic stressors and we're very interested in exploring how we can avoid this type of hardship in the future."

The regulatory drought comes as a result of legal decisions and regulatory restrictions limiting the operation of state and federal pumping facilities in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to protect endangered species. With a lack of water for farmers south of the delta such as those on the Westside in communities like Mendota and Firebaugh, an estimated 80,000 people in the Central Valley have lost their jobs. CDFA counsel John Hewitt reported to the board that so far this year an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 acres have been fallowed and economic impacts to agriculture range from $400 million to $1 billion.

CDFA board member Marvin Meyers of Firebaugh provided several examples of how the regulatory drought is impacting Westside farmers, such as the cost of water and how farmers are simply unable to pass on those costs.

"It used to cost $1,500 an acre to grow a crop of almonds in any given year and now our costs are $3,300 an acre and half of it is for water," Meyers said. "Are we in a new era that water is going to cost that kind of money forever? If we are, then I don't see how ag can recover in the Central Valley. The consumer won't pay the kind of money it costs to grow a crop. You'll be paying $3 for a head of lettuce. Obviously row crop guys are thinking, 'we are history in the Central Valley.'"

One solution to agriculture's water problems could come in the form of water transfers; however, CDFA board members such as Don Bransford mentioned that the bureaucracy among state and federal agencies as well as environmental regulations leaves only a small window of opportunity for farmers to be able to transfer water.

"Districts attempt to do transfers almost on an annual basis. We argue about the same issues every year and it is not until the last minute, if then, that there's something," Bransford said. "There has been nothing done to alleviate these issues to help these people. We just have a smothering of any ability to transfer in the regulatory arena. We are getting zero help from the regulatory people that should be trying to help move this water."

Water transfers, Harnish said, are one area that the Environmental Defense Fund is seriously looking at for water management.

"Changes we seek are to create incentives for efficient water use in urban areas and in agricultural areas and to make water markets and water transfers more viable by removing existing obstacles from willing sellers of water to willing buyers and of course regulatory obstacles and conveyance obstacles as well," she said.

Environmental group representatives who appeared before the board were asked to comment on their organizations' rationale and strategies in protecting endangered species as well as their response to climate change.

Rudy Rosen, director of the Western Region Office for Ducks Unlimited, said the Ducks Unlimited strategy for protecting endangered species is to build wetlands. With regard to climate change, Rosen described their approach as "aggressive."

"Another big concern we have is over how altered patterns of rainfall, snowfall and melt affect snow and icepack in the Sierras and the timing and quantity of runoff. This affects wetlands management but also affects water availability for everything else in the valley," Rosen said. "In the face of this kind of water uncertainty, we are working harder than ever on ways to ensure water for refuge purposes, for wetlands and for other waterfowl habitat. The importance, particularly for small grain agriculture, comes into play."

Gregory Thomas, president of the Natural Heritage Institute, which operates under the mission to restore natural functions and to develop river systems, mentioned the importance of the Endangered Species Act and the sad shape of California's freshwater ecosystems.

"It is not an overstatement to say that in a world in which all ecosystem types are under great and growing stress, the freshwater ecosystems are the most endangered," Thomas said. "We are on the brink of extinction for freshwater species."

Thomas pointed to flow depletion, flow alteration, fragmentation, elimination of the natural interplay between the water and land elements and flood plains as reasons why the "engineered" river systems have been a major cause of the distress of freshwater species.

Christina Swanson, executive director of The Bay Institute, a non-profit environmental research education, conservation and advocacy organization dedicated to the protection and restoration of the San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, also mentioned the significant problems being experienced by the freshwater ecosystem.

"This ecosystem is in very, severe crisis at virtually all levels. The most obvious indicators of that is the collapse of multiple fish species both in the delta and among the andranomous fish species that use rivers and the bay as well," Swanson said.

Environmental groups were questioned whether a peripheral canal or new surface storage would solve the water issues felt by agriculture and wildlife. Thomas supported the idea of a peripheral canal, saying operating the delta as a dual-purpose system with the current conveyance would not work.

"We need more flexibility and that means peripheral canal," Thomas said.

Other groups felt it did not go far enough.

"Re-arranging the plumbing isn't going to solve our problems. What we do know is the peripheral canal will only be part of a solution and in fact that solution package is going to need to incorporate all sorts of other things: habitat restoration, flood management and conveyance and how we are going to live with our water supply in the future as we feel and continue to feel the affects of climate change," Swanson said. "At this point it is being talked about too much as a single entity."

Although board member Dan Dooley commented on some of the posturing between the two sides during the meeting, he stressed the importance of working together.

"If we are going to break out of the logjam, the reality is the impasses that have existed because of the sort of trump cards that each side has to play here have resulted in nothing being done," Dooley said.

Similar thoughts were expressed by Danny Merkley, California Farm Bureau Federation director of water resources.

"As a farmer, I am an eternal optimist and thus believe this hearing at the state board is a valiant effort to open dialogue, to listen and to understand one another. But the gray hairs that have developed over the years in my mustache have taught me unless we all follow up on the beginnings of today's conversations, we will only go back to our old habits and square off in the halls and hearing rooms of the Capitol over legislation that will neither help the environment nor local production of safe, healthful food and farm products," Merkley said.

David Guy, CEO of The Yosemite Association, also discussed the benefits of setting aside differences and working to achieve a common goal.

"The agricultural and the environmental communities have been together in a lot of areas and we tend to, by nature, focus on areas that are dividing, but let's not lose sight of all of those areas where there have been alliances," Guy said. "It is important to build on that culture of stewardship, but the key of course is the economic viability. Without that, stewardship will get lost."

The board will consider comments presented by the various environmental organizations for possible recommendations to CDFA Secretary A.G. Kawamura, according to CDFA spokesman Steve Lyle.

(Christine Souza is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at csouza@cfbf.com.)

Permission for use is granted, however, credit must be made to the California Farm Bureau Federation when reprinting this item. Top