WSWRA News

Worried farmers take pesticide fight to Olympia - Mid-Columbia News | Tri-City Herald : Mid-Columbia news

2011-01-12T12:12:00.000-08:00

Worried farmers take pesticide fight to Olympia - Mid-Columbia News | Tri-City Herald : Mid-Columbia news

Farm Bureau finds wealthy friend in Facebook

2011-01-11T11:43:00.001-08:00

In the 21st Century, Shakespeare might ask, “What’s in a domain name?” To the 6 million-member American Farm Bureau Federation, the answer is a lot of money. Complete Story

Supreme Court declines review of irrigators' claim

2011-01-11T11:23:00.000-08:00

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to review a legal dispute in which Washington groundwater irrigators claim the federal government is overcharging them for water. Link to Story

Ranking Member Hastings Proposes Creation of Energy and Natural Resources Committee

2010-11-18T14:15:00.001-08:00

Outlines Proposal in Letter to Republican Conference of the 112th Congress

WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov 18 - House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings (WA-04) sent the following letter to Members of the House Republican Conference of the 112^thCongress proposing the creation of an Energy and Natural Resources Committee by consolidating the energy portfolio from the Energy and Commerce Committee to the Natural Resources Committee. In asking his colleagues to consider the proposal, Hastings states that the “bold change” would “advance our Republican all-of-the-above approach to energy, level the power of Committees and create more opportunities for more Members.” Complete Story

Ag cuts would be more than 'fair share'

2010-11-18T09:58:00.000-08:00

Agriculture groups say a proposal for cutting $3 billion from federal farm programs would impact export development and necessary safety nets while reducing federal spending by only a tiny fraction. Complete Story

Odessa subarea tackles cost questions

2010-11-17T13:59:00.000-08:00

While gathering public comments on using Columbia River water to replace declining aquifers in central Washington, decision makers are also weighing funding options.

"We know water infrastructure's expensive," said Derek Sandison, director of the Washington State Department of Ecology office of the Columbia River. "We're trying to find ways to reduce the cost and do this in a phased manner that would allow the project to be spread over a time period where we can make increments of funding more affordable." Complete Story

Air pressure -- a battle to breathe

2010-11-17T13:37:00.001-08:00

YAKIMA, Wash. -- Jim and Linda Dyjak say they are prisoners in their own home east of Moxee because of emissions from a nearby dairy.

"Everything I own is covered with fly specks and dried feces," said Linda Dyjak. Complete Story

Tax Information for Washington Farmers

2010-11-16T12:28:00.000-08:00

The Department of Revenue has launched a web page for farmers and business that make sales of goods or services to farmers. Some topics include:

Field burning exemptions expiration
Farm replacement parts exemption certificate renewal
Documentation required for different farming exemptions clarified
New farm tax rule coming soon

You can find the new FARMER'S PAGE HERE

Colvilles, utilities agree on hatchery

2010-11-16T11:50:00.001-08:00

BRIDGEPORT, Wash. (AP) -- The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation have reached agreement with a federal agency and a utility to share costs for building a new fish hatchery in north-central Washington. Complete Story

Utility, counties reach deal on dam removal

2010-11-16T11:43:00.001-08:00

VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) -- A utility aiming to demolish a southwest Washington dam has reached a tentative agreement with two Columbia River Gorge counties that had waged a 10-year legal battle against the plan.

The deal means the 97-year-old Condit Dam on the White Salmon River could be demolished as soon as the fall of 2011. Complete Story

Odessa subarea tackles cost questions

2010-11-16T11:42:00.000-08:00

Organizers seek to spread cost between government, users

While gathering public comments on using Columbia River water to replace declining aquifers in central Washington, decision makers are also weighing funding options.

"We know water infrastructure's expensive," said Derek Sandison, director of the Washington State Department of Ecology office of the Columbia River. "We're trying to find ways to reduce the cost and do this in a phased manner that would allow the project to be spread over a time period where we can make increments of funding more affordable." Complete Story

New Trust Water Donation document

2010-11-08T10:52:00.001-08:00

Trust Water Donations – there is one new Trust Water Donation document posted on the Public Notice and Comment web page. You can view that document now at:

http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wr/market/trstdocs.html

The emergency Groundwater Rule in the Upper Kittitas Basin has been extended.

2010-11-08T10:51:00.001-08:00

Upper Kittitas Basin - The emergency Groundwater Rule in the Upper Kittitas Basin has been extended. The ninth emergency rule document is available now from a link on the Upper Kittitas Ground Water Rule web page. Here is the link:

http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wr/cro/kittitas_wp.html

Ecology extends emergency groundwater rule, works on final regulation

2010-11-05T15:03:00.001-07:00

OLYMPIA – An emergency groundwater management rule in Upper Kittitas County has been extended one more time. Meanwhile the Department of Ecology (Ecology) is working to complete the process for establishing a final groundwater regulation that will be in place until more is known about the aquifers there.

Ecology recently signed a contract with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to perform a study of the upper county bedrock aquifers to learn how new groundwater pumping in these areas would affect upper valley tributary streams. The proposed final rule will remain in place until the USGS study is completed. Complete Story

Ecology director seeks collaborative water solutions in Yakima basin

2010-11-05T15:02:00.000-07:00

YAKIMA – Washington Department of Ecology director Ted Sturdevant met with a variety of stakeholders on Thursday (Nov. 4, 2010) with a goal of tackling a number of emerging and ongoing water issues in the Yakima River Basin.

Meeting with state and county officials, and later with homebuilders and realtors, Sturdevant notes the stakes are high for the basin, where drought has been a concern in five of the last 10 years, surface water resources are all spoken for, and underground aquifers are now in the spotlight. Complete Story

Have you seen this yet?

2010-11-05T14:52:00.000-07:00

The time has come....

NWRA Leadership Forum registration is now available. January 5-6, 2011, at the Crowne Plaza Phoenix Airport. REGISTRATION FORM

Get your room reservations now by calling 1-888-233-9527 no later than 3pm on Monday, December 13th. Please tell the agent that you are with the National Water Resources Association group to obtain this special rate. OR you can book on-line at: Reserve your room online here

Stakes high in resolving Yakima Basin water issues

2010-11-05T12:39:00.000-07:00

YAKIMA, Wash. -- State and local officials are trying to answer the "what's next?" question in light of a groundbreaking water study that found that wells for new developments in the Yakima River Basin are taking water from those with more senior rights, including farmers and the Yakama Nation. Complete Story

Succession Planning

2010-11-05T09:21:00.000-07:00

This is the first time this workshop has been offered in Washington state!As the old saying goes, "In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes." Add one more to the list:

On January 1, 2011, we know with certainty that the federal estate tax laws will change - either as a result of Congressional action or Congressional inaction (the more likely scenario). At Washington Farm Bureau, we think that this imminent change in the estate tax law is a good opportunity for you to take a new look at an old issue. Complete Story

Weather threatens harvest

2010-11-04T11:34:00.000-07:00

Cool summer may create acclaimed wine vintage, if harvest succeeds

CHELAN, Wash. -- Dean and Heather Neff, owners of Nefarious Cellars on the south shore of Lake Chelan, were in a rush with crush to beat the weather.

A cool, overcast morning spoke of coming rain. Pickers picked Malbec and Syrah, carried them out of rows in 5-gallon buckets and dumped them into bins. Complete Story

Agricultural production declines in 2009

2010-11-04T11:32:00.000-07:00

Consultant says milk, wheat and hay return to normal prices after boom

The value of Washington's agricultural production dropped 8 percent in 2009 from the year before, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Including government payments to farmers, farms produced $7.27 billion in commodities compared with $7.92 billion in 2008 and a record $8.35 billion in 2007, NASS said. Complete Story

U-pick orchard rebounds from 2009

2010-11-04T11:29:00.001-07:00

Apple damage delays plans for a hard cider operation

GARFIELD, Wash. -- Bishops' U-pick and U-squeeze apple orchard opened for business this year despite heavy damage from abrupt, killing temperatures that abbreviated last year's harvest.

Harvest was progressing nicely in the nine-acre orchard last year when temperatures plummeted to 10 degrees Fahrenheit on the morning of Oct. 10, 2009, and to 6 degrees the next morning. Complete Story

Gypsy moths quiet in Northwest this year

2010-11-04T11:27:00.000-07:00

Experts credit cool spring with keeping pest's numbers low

Gypsy moths cause millions of dollars of damage in Midwest and East Coast forests annually but hit a record low in Oregon and a 30-year low in Washington this past summer.

Just one gypsy moth was trapped in Oregon, near Beaverton. Elsewhere in the region, 13 were trapped in Washington and one in Idaho. None were found in Idaho in 2002, 2003 and 2006. And in 1975 and 1976 none were trapped in Washington, where trapping began in 1974. Complete Story

Potato challenge educates teens

2010-11-04T11:25:00.000-07:00

Columbia Basin College and other groups are offering "The Great Potato Challenge," featuring one-day agri-business training for high school students. The event takes place Nov. 9 at the college's Gjerde Center in Pasco, Wash. More than 130 students will participate. Complete Story

Cattlemen to discuss diesel, traceability

2010-11-04T11:23:00.000-07:00

Advice on tackling regulations dominates agenda

CLE ELUM, Wash. -- Dyed diesel, animal traceability and Washington's wolf plan are on the agenda of the 85th annual Washington Cattlemen's and Cattle Women's Associations Convention and Tradeshow.

About 200 to 300 people are expected to attend the convention at Suncadia Resort in Cle Elum, Nov. 10-13.

The Internal Revenue Service penalized a Western Washington farmer for driving farm equipment with dyed diesel -- untaxed farm fuel -- on public roads to get from one field to another, which is "an enormous concern" for anyone in agriculture, said Jack Field, executive vice president of the Cattlemen's Association. Penalties are very steep, he said. Complete Story

Succession planning on tap at Farm Bureau meet

2010-11-04T11:17:00.000-07:00

Speakers, workshops announced for upcoming meeting

Succession planning for family farms is a big part of the 91st annual meeting of the Washington Farm Bureau set for the Yakima Convention Center, Nov. 15-18.

Estate planner Kevin Spafford leads a 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 15 workshop designed to ensure family farms continue as sources of pride, financial strength and opportunity for generations to come. Complete Story

Federal teamwork sought

2010-11-04T11:15:00.000-07:00

State, private groups seek to end U.S. agencies' 'turf war'

A grower group and the Washington State Department of Agriculture are pushing the two federal agencies responsible for managing endangered fish to work together.

The Washington Association of Wheat Growers and WSDA want the Environmental Protection Agency and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service, also known as NOAA Fisheries, to stop duplicating their work and to do it in the open. Complete Story

Court upholds city water law

2010-11-04T11:12:00.000-07:00

Municipal utilities required to use water supplies efficiently Washington agricultural producers aren't likely to be affected by a court decision upholding a municipal water law, a state Department of Ecology representative says.

On Oct. 28, the Washington State Supreme Court unanimously ruled the state's municipal water law is constitutional. Several Indian tribes, environmental groups and individuals sued the state in 2006, according to a department press release. Complete Story

Wash. state: Hastings likely Natural Resources chairman

2010-11-04T11:06:00.000-07:00

Republican gains in state and national elections bode well for ag, Farm Bureau says Washington state's 4th District Congressman Doc Hastings is in line to become chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, and the Washington Farm Bureau says Republican victories bode well for agriculture. Complete Story

Check out the latest issue of Northwest Fishletter

2010-11-04T11:01:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the stories in the latest issue of Northwest Fishletter:

Salmon BiOp Back On Front Burner
Sea Lion Task Force Gets Mixed Messages
Fall Run Gets Extra Boost From Ocean Harvest Cuts
Willamette Wildlife Agreement Too Rushed, Critics Say
Bull Trout Critical Habitat Expanded Nearly Five-Fold

Latest issue of Northwest Fishletter found here

Today is the day, the cutoff date for room reservations at the Davenport

2010-11-03T15:18:00.000-07:00

Today is the cutoff date for room reservations at a special rate for our Annual Conference at The Davenport Hotel. If you would like to take advantage of the special rate and still need a room, please call The Davenport Hotel directly today at 1-800-899-1482. Be sure to mention WSWRA Annual Conference for the special room rate.

After today, you can still make reservations but you will not receive the discounted rate. So call today!

If you still need to register for the Annual Conference, you can find details on our website by clicking HERE. Registration and fees are due no later than November 29.

Plans would tap Columbia for irrigation

2010-11-03T12:45:00.001-07:00

Reservoirs would replace groundwater source

Shannon Dininny
Associated Press

YAKIMA – The federal government last week released proposals for expanding one of the nation’s largest irrigation projects, including plans to draw more water from Columbia River reservoirs to replace groundwater from a declining aquifer. Complete Story

4 file for Kennewick Irrigation District posts

2010-11-03T12:06:00.000-07:00

Three people have filed to replace John Pringle for Position 1 on the Kennewick Irrigation District board.

After 27 years serving on the board, Pringle is not seeking another three-year term. Complete Story

Talking It Over: Vanishing groundwater means farms, jobs go down the drain

2010-10-29T12:23:00.001-07:00

By Wilfred Woods
Thursday, October 28, 2010

There’s a “full-court press” on to save all or part of more than 100,000 acres of irrigated farms getting groundwater from the doomed Odessa Aquifer east of the Columbia Basin Project.

This is not a theoretical threat. Hundreds and hundreds of productive farms, and productive jobs, are going to disappear, as the source of water disappears. Complete Story

State Supreme Court upholds constitutionality of Municipal Water Law

2010-10-29T12:04:00.000-07:00

OLYMPIA — The Washington state Supreme Court today upheld the constitutionality of Washington’s Municipal Water Law (MWL), removing uncertainty over water right certificates issued as far back as the 1950s.

In a 9-0 decision in Lummi Indian Nation v. State, et al , the Supreme Court found that the MWL does not violate the separation of powers clause of the U.S. or state constitutions or the right to due process. Several Indian tribes, environmental groups and citizens sued Washington state in 2006 contending that several sections of the MWL are unconstitutional. Complete Story

Wash. Supreme Court upholds change to water law

2010-10-29T10:43:00.000-07:00

By GENE JOHNSON
ASSOCIATED PRESS

SEATTLE -- The Washington State Supreme on Thursday unanimously upheld changes the Legislature made to state water law in 2003 - changes that environmentalists fear will encourage sprawl and water speculation.

The changes included characterizing some developments as municipalities - and allowing them to keep the rights to as much water as their system can handle, even if they haven't historically used that water. Complete Story

Agricultural production declines in 2009

2010-10-28T13:05:00.000-07:00

Consultant says milk, wheat and hay return to normal prices after boom

By DAN WHEAT
Capital Press

The value of Washington's agricultural production dropped 8 percent in 2009 from the year before, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Including government payments to farmers, farms produced $7.27 billion in commodities compared with $7.92 billion in 2008 and a record $8.35 billion in 2007, NASS said. Complete Story

Weather threatens harvest

2010-10-28T12:59:00.000-07:00

Cool summer may create acclaimed wine vintage, if harvest succeeds

By DAN WHEAT
Capital Press

CHELAN, Wash. -- Dean and Heather Neff, owners of Nefarious Cellars on the south shore of Lake Chelan, were in a rush with crush to beat the weather.

A cool, overcast morning spoke of coming rain. Pickers picked Malbec and Syrah, carried them out of rows in 5-gallon buckets and dumped them into bins. Complete Story

Cattlemen weigh traceability fees

2010-10-28T12:58:00.000-07:00

Funding added costs a sticking point among producers

By DAN WHEAT
Capital Press

ELLENSBURG, Wash. -- Leaders of Washington's beef and dairy industries began grappling with how to pay for an animal disease traceability program at an Oct. 20 meeting in Ellensburg.

The program will cost about $930,000 per year for two years to enter five years of back data along with current data. After that it would cost about $413,000 per year to keep up with current data, said Leonard Eldridge, state veterinarian. Complete Story

More SAFE acres allocated to Idaho, Washington

2010-10-28T12:57:00.000-07:00

USDA works to maintain CRP acreage for wildlife

By DAVE WILKINS
Capital Press

The USDA has approved an additional 40,000 acres in Idaho and 25,000 acres in Washington that private landowners may enroll in a program aimed at protecting grouse habitat.

The agency announced the allocation of the additional acres through its "State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement," program. Complete Story

Feds propose expanding Columbia Basin Project.

2010-10-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

By Shannon Dininny, The Associated Press

Thursday, October 28, 2010

YAKIMA — The federal government on Tuesday released proposals for expanding the Columbia Basin Project, one of the nation’s largest irrigation projects. The proposal includes plans to draw more water from Columbia River reservoirs to replace groundwater from a declining aquifer. Complete Story

Storage lags for new water year

2010-10-28T10:39:00.001-07:00

Reservoir levels start to fill as irrigation season closes

By DAVE WILKINS
Capital Press

The new water year has started off with storage levels in some Western reservoirs below their long-term averages, despite a cooler-than-normal early growing season.

Reservoir levels in Idaho, Oregon, Colorado and New Mexico were below average on Oct. 1 -- the beginning of the new water year, according to data on the National Water and Climate Center website. Complete Story

Agencies, farmers mull aquifer options

2010-10-28T10:38:00.001-07:00

Study looks at using Columbia water to irrigate 102,000 acres

By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press

MOSES LAKE, Wash. -- The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and Washington State Department of Ecology will decide next summer how best to expand the state's largest irrigation system to replace groundwater from the region's declining aquifers. Complete Story

WSCC Office of Farmland Preservation Newsletter

2010-10-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

The Washington State Office of Farmland Preservation recently awarded Whatcom County with a farmland preservation technical assistance grant of $25,000 for the development of farmland preservation programs. Whatcom County is one of eight grant recipients statewide. Complete Story

All-potato diet hits halfway mark

2010-10-28T09:52:00.000-07:00

Spud-promoter Voigt reports losing 13 pounds but has plenty of energy

By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press

MOSES LAKE, Wash. -- Ever since Chris Voigt started his all-potato diet nearly a month ago, strangers have shared their spud stories with him.

Some have told him how potatoes sustained them through difficult financial times or medical problems in which potatoes were the only food they could eat. Complete Story

Feds: Tiny rabbits remain endangered

2010-10-28T09:50:00.000-07:00

NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS
Associated Press

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) -- Threats to the survival of the endangered Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit have increased in the past five years, in part because the tiny animals are not breeding enough, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Wednesday. Complete Story

Proposals would water more Washington acres from Columbia River

2010-10-28T09:48:00.001-07:00

By SHANNON DININNY
Associated Press

YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) -- The federal government on Tuesday released proposals for expanding one of the nation's largest irrigation projects, including plans to draw more water from Columbia River reservoirs to replace groundwater from a declining aquifer. Complete Story

Farm Bureau Asks Senate to Oppose Federal Water Control Bill

2010-10-27T10:46:00.001-07:00

WASHINGTON, D.C., October 27, 2010 – Farmers and ranchers would face burdensome federal regulatory control if provisions of a restrictive Senate water bill make it through the “lame duck” session of Congress, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. Complete Story

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Announces Completion of 5-Year Status Review for the Endangered Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit

2010-10-27T10:44:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today it has completed a 5-Year Status Review of the endangered Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit. Careful review of threats facing the population indicate that it remains endangered and some threats have increased. The reviewers found increased risk from disease in captivity, habituation to captive conditions likely making some individuals less capable of surviving in the wild, and loss of genetic uniqueness due to interbreeding with pygmy rabbits from other populations. Complete Story

Proposals would water more Washington acres from Columbia River

2010-10-27T10:17:00.000-07:00

Deal may bring NCW new water

2010-10-27T10:09:00.001-07:00

State buys rights that could open up supplies for housing

By K.C. Mehaffey, World staff writer
Tuesday, October 26, 2010

NEWPORT — The state Department of Ecology on Friday signed a deal in the far northeast corner of the state that could mean new water rights for people and towns in North Central Washington.

If the agency has its way, the water rights — enough to build 23,500 new homes — will stay in six of the poorest counties in northeastern Washington, including Okanogan and Douglas counties. Complete Story

Proposals to expand Columba Basin to be released

2010-10-26T13:26:00.001-07:00

By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS
Associated Press

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) -- Proposals to take water from behind Grand Coulee Dam to expand one of the nation's largest federal irrigation projects will be released this week by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

The agency's draft environmental impact statement addresses how to get more Columbia River water to many more farmers. One option calls for drawing 10 times more water from the river, enough to irrigate more than 100,000 acres. Complete Story

Sullivan Lake to enhance water supplies in Northeast Washington

2010-10-22T13:57:00.001-07:00

SPOKANE — Water from Sullivan Lake will help solve critical water shortages in Northeast Washington, thanks to an agreement signed on Friday, Oct. 22 in Newport, Wash.

Pend Oreille County’s Public Utility District No. 1 (PUD) and the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) signed a Memorandum of Agreement in a special ceremony at the district office in Newport.

Under the agreement, the Pend Oreille PUD will release 14,000 acre-feet of water from Sullivan Lake each summer, when the water is needed most. In the past, water releases have occurred only during winter. Complete Story

New deal provides water for 23,000 homes

2010-10-22T10:47:00.001-07:00

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) -- A new deal will remove water from Sullivan Lake in summer months to help spur economic development in six counties in depressed northeastern Washington.

The agreement between the state Department of Ecology and the Pend Oreille County Public Utility District will be signed Friday. It calls for the release of 14,000 acre-feet of water from Sullivan Lake each summer. Complete Story

A renewed effort to improve Yakima River Canyon

2010-10-22T10:41:00.001-07:00

YAKIMA, Wash. -- Richard Nixon was on his way to the presidency when the Yakima River Canyon highway became the state's first scenic byway.

Along with the 1968 designation came a plan to protect natural resources, enhance public awareness and recreation facilities while providing a safe highway for the public to enjoy the scenery during leisurely drives through the canyon. Complete Story

A bold statement, made one potato at a time

2010-10-22T10:40:00.000-07:00

It must have seemed like a good idea at the time.

But now – 21 days and 420 potatoes later – Chris Voigt must wonder. Voigt, head of the Washington Potato Commission, has gone on a much-publicized all-potato stunt diet for 60 days – a “message to the USDA” that potatoes are nutritionally sound.

Baked, mashed, fried, roasted. Baked, mashed, fried, roasted. Baked, mashed, fried, roasted.Complete Story

Dreaded pest later than expected

2010-10-21T12:32:00.000-07:00

Spotted-wing drosophila numbers up after harvest

By DAN WHEAT
Capital Press

WENATCHEE, Wash. -- Spotted-wing drosophila, a dreaded pest that just this summer invaded eastern Washington, was thought to be active mainly in midsummer.

But the tiny fly is puzzling scientists by apparently increasing in number in early October, well after the fruit it prefers has been harvested. Complete Story

Officials mull aquifer decline, Canada treaty

2010-10-21T12:30:00.000-07:00

Conference to focus on several issues that will affect water supplies for eastside

By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation representatives will discuss the five-year study of the Odessa aquifer during the Columbia Basin Development League's Oct. 26 meeting.

The number of impacted farms is not certain, but league executive secretary Alice Parker said the bureau is looking at bringing Columbia River water to 106,000 acres currently irrigated by deep wells. Complete Story

Farmers test canola in N. Washington

2010-10-21T12:28:00.001-07:00

Rotation crop kills feral rye and other weeds in wheat fields

By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press

Researchers in northern Washington state are examining the potential for growing canola.

USDA Agricultural Research Service research agronomist Frank Young is working with members of the Colville Confederated Tribe to develop oilseed crushing and processing plants, and area growers are interested in providing canola seed for the plant. Complete Story

B.C. refuses to end spud tariffs

2010-10-21T12:26:00.001-07:00

Washington State Potato Commission protests Canadian trade barrier

By DAVE WILKINS
Capital Press

Canada will continue to impose anti-dumping duties on a large share of U.S. fresh-packed potatoes that enter British Columbia.

The Canadian International Trade Tribunal ruled on Sept. 10 that anti-dumping duties should remain in effect on smaller-sized packs of russet and white potatoes.

The ruling was another victory for the British Columbia Vegetable Marketing Commission and another blow to the Washington State Potato Commission, which has been trying for more than 25 years to get the British Columbia anti-dumping duties removed. Complete Story

Farmers look to stretch season with CSA

2010-10-21T12:24:00.000-07:00

Consumers show interest in root crops, stew vegetables

By STEVE BROWN
Capital Press

CURTIS, Wash. -- Western Washington has a fairly long, mild growing season. Mike and Heidi Peroni want to make it longer.

"Season extension is somewhat new to us," Heidi Peroni said. "We're doing it to keep employees and customers longer."

The Peronis' Boistfort Valley Farm, which Mike Peroni bought in 1992, has built its success on a community-supported agriculture program that started with 60 members. The 50-acre organic farm now serves about 600, along with a substantial wholesale market and three farmers' markets. Complete Story

Local push on water woes

2010-10-21T12:21:00.000-07:00

McMorris Rodgers wants local plans for future water issues

By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press

U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers wants to work toward locally driven water decisions and reforming the way the federal government sets its budget priorities.

Water will continue to be critical for agriculture in the coming years, McMorris Rodgers said. As a member of the House Natural Resources Committee and water subcommittee, she has learned about the water challenges in California, and believes Washington state could be headed down a similar path. Complete Story

Drought resistance priority rises

2010-10-21T12:12:00.001-07:00

America's 'biggest choice' will be water for power or crops

By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press

In the next 10 years, the big scientific push will be to produce more crops with less water, a researcher says.
Mick Qualls, owner of Qualls Agricultural Laboratory in Ephrata, Wash., considers drought tolerance in crops to be the biggest race in agriculture. Complete Story

Foreign retailers sweet on Northwest fruit

2010-10-21T12:09:00.000-07:00

Buyers take tour to consider direct purchases, learn about storage

By DAN WHEAT

Capital Press

WENATCHEE, Wash. -- Nataliya Antokhina, purchasing manager for a chain of 600 grocery stores headquartered in Moscow, Russia, had never been to the Pacific Northwest.

On her fourth day of a Pear Bureau Northwest tour, she said she was impressed by the dedication and motivation of those she met in the pear industry. Complete Story

Demand for pears grows overseas

2010-10-21T12:08:00.000-07:00

Russia and India are growth markets for Pacific Northwest pears.

At more than 500,000, 44-pound boxes of pears, Russia was the Northwest's fourth-largest export market in 2009, said Jeff Correa, international marketing director for the Pear Bureau Northwest.

About 60 percent is imported at St. Petersburg and 40 percent at Vladivostok, he said. There's room to push into the interior and reach 650,000 boxes in the next three to five years, he said. Complete Story

Early apples light; sellers need more

2010-10-21T12:06:00.001-07:00

By DAN WHEAT

Capital Press

WENATCHEE, Wash. -- The first harvest count of early Washington apple varieties is down from Aug. 1 estimates as expected, and movement and prices are good.

Gala was at 20.1 million, 40-pound boxes on Oct. 1, down slightly from the Aug. 1 estimate of 20.7 million boxes but up from the 2009 actual of 19.4 million boxes, said Dan Kelly, assistant manager of the Washington Growers Clearing House Association in Wenatchee. Complete Story

Big investors bet on the farm

2010-10-21T11:58:00.000-07:00

Institutional fund managers look for diverse investments, higher returns

By DAVE WILKINS
Capital Press

Burned by the stock market, the housing bubble and historically low interest rates, investors are finding financial comfort on the farm.

Agricultural real estate agents say they're seeing an increased interest in Western farmland, particularly among institutional investors such as insurance companies and pension funds. Complete Story

Manager sees forest and the trees

2010-10-21T11:56:00.000-07:00

With education and experience, Stinson aims to build local market for wood
By STEVE BROWN
Capital Press

Managing a crop on an 80-year rotation demands vision and a passion for hard work. Steve Stinson, whose family owns 1,185 acres of forestland in Western Washington, has plenty of both. Complete Story

Help for wells may be on way

2010-10-21T11:14:00.000-07:00

YAKIMA -- Filtration systems for Lower Valley homeowners with wells polluted by nitrates should start being installed in January under a plan outlined Wednesday by Yakima County. Complete Story

Vietnam opens ports to Washington potatoes

2010-10-20T11:05:00.000-07:00

Fresh Washington potatoes are headed for Vietnamese dinner tables, where they’ll join another state crop that’s gaining in popularity. Complete Story

Walmart calling on local farmers

2010-10-20T11:03:00.000-07:00

SEATTLE - Each week, Jay Babbitt drives over 200 miles from Orondo to Seattle to sell apples and pears at Pike Place Market. "The relationship with the customer is what we're about."

He's been forging relationships for 25 years as part of Martin's Family Orchard. What would he do if Walmart came knocking at his door? Complete Story

Export demand boosts northwest onion market

2010-10-20T11:01:00.000-07:00

Weather hurts Asian, European storage crop; shortages elsewhere
By DAVE WILKINS
Capital Press
Northwest onion growers are wrapping up harvest this month with an upbeat market outlook.

Weather problems in parts of Asia and Europe have resulted in a sub-par global onion crop, spurring demand for U.S. storage onions, according to grower-shippers. Complete Story

Ag Tour highlights stockwater issues

2010-10-20T11:00:00.000-07:00

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce Ag Tour explored stockwater use by visiting Avila Dairy and Four Cross Ranch, a cow/calf operation.

The amount of water being used by cattle operations was in the spotlight this year with a lawsuit involving Easterday Ranches in Franklin County. Complete Story

Zillah to increase irrigation fee

2010-10-20T10:39:00.001-07:00

ZILLAH, Wash. — Come January, irrigation bills will increase $2 an acre.

On Monday night, the City Council unanimously approved the pass-through increase from $89 an acre to $91 an acre. Irrigation in town is part of the Sunnyside Valley Irrigation District, which increased the fee. Complete Story

Fight over rural water use faces critical decision

2010-10-20T10:03:00.000-07:00

by David Lester
Yakima Herald-Republic

OLYMPIA -- A long-standing dispute over Kittitas County's rural development policies went before the state Supreme Court on Tuesday in a case carrying statewide implications for rural development and access to water. Complete Story

Washington cranberry growers harvest cool crop

2010-10-20T09:58:00.001-07:00

By ERIK OLSON
The Daily News via Associated Press
LONG BEACH, Wash. (AP) -- For cranberry grower Malcolm McPhail, the warm weather this week is making harvest time at his bogs on the peninsula rather pleasant. Unfortunately, he laments, the sunny skies are about six months too late. Complete Story

Feds consider limiting potatoes offered to kids

2010-10-20T09:56:00.000-07:00

By SHANNON DININNY
Associated Press

GLEED, Wash. (AP) -- Potato growers are fighting back against efforts to ban or limit potatoes in federal child nutrition programs, arguing the tuber is loaded with potassium and vitamin C and shouldn't be considered junk food. Complete Story

Farmers along Columbia Gorge now reaping the wind

2010-10-19T13:52:00.000-07:00

1,000 turbines could soon spin along Columbia Gorge
By Kathie Durbin, The Columbian

BICKLETON — At the Bluebird Inn, social center for this unincorporated town of about 90 residents, old-timers still spin stories of eastern Klickitat County's glory days as a Wild West outpost. Washington's oldest continuously operating saloon, built in 1882, survived a series of fires that ravaged the downtown area. It still has its original plank floors and vintage pool table. Complete Story

20 Potatoes a Day Diet makes news before it starts

2010-10-19T11:44:00.000-07:00

October 1 marked the launch of Chris Voigt’s 20 Potatoes a Day Diet, but it was already making news all over the country—and on Facebook. “It certainly has people intrigued,”...
20 Potatoes A Day Blog

Reclamation Awards $12 million Contract for Grand Coulee Dam Powerplants

2010-10-19T11:10:00.000-07:00

The Bureau of Reclamation awarded a $12 million construction contract for power transformers in the Left and Right Powerplants at Grand Coulee Dam located on the Columbia River about 90 miles west of Spokane, Washington.

Gardner Zemke Company of Albuquerque, New Mexico was awarded the contract on October 13, 2010. Complete Story

New apple varieties hit the market

2010-10-19T10:48:00.000-07:00

By David Lester
Yakima Herald-Republic

YAKIMA -- The names can be quirky, sublime or romantic.

SweeTango, Piñata, Jazz, Aurora, Honeycrisp, Opal, Sweetie, Pacific Rose and Ambrosia.

They're among the most recent apple varieties vying for the attention of consumers and retailers with the hope of bringing growers more money. Complete Story

Mid-Columbia irrigation begins to shut off Friday

2010-10-19T10:35:00.000-07:00

By John Trumbo, Herald staff writer

Irrigation water throughout the Tri-Cities and the Mid-Columbia begins to be shut down for the winter starting this week. Complete Story

Yakima picture dim in light of overuse, state says

2010-10-19T10:33:00.000-07:00

Excessive allocation, pumping reduce river's flow

By STEVE BROWN
Capital Press

OLYMPIA -- Water users in the Yakima River region face problems on par with those in the Klamath Basin, a Washington state water official says.

Derek Sandison of the state Department of Ecology told legislators Sept. 21 the Yakima River has 1 million acre-feet of capacity, which is about three-quarters of a million acre-feet short of total demand. Complete Story

Feds expand habitat protection for threatened bull trout

2010-10-19T10:18:00.000-07:00

Yakima-Herald-Republic

Federal officials on Tuesday greatly expanded protections to Yakima River Basin areas that are considered critical to restoring the threatened bull trout. Complete Story

Triennial Review Process for the Surface Water Quality Standards

2010-10-19T10:17:00.000-07:00

Federal regulations require that states hold public hearings at least once every three years to review applicable surface water quality standards and, as appropriate, adopt new or modified standards. This process is called a triennial review. Complete Story

Ice Age ground water vanishing

2010-10-19T10:15:00.000-07:00

Wells could start running dry in parts of Columbia River Basin in next decade

By MATTHEW WEAVER - Capital Press

A hydrologic study of part of Washington state's Columbia Basin predicts most ground water in that area could run out in the next decade.

The Columbia Basin Ground Water Management Area group recently began the hydrologic study to understand the recharge and discharge of groundwater in the 8,160 square miles of Adams, Lincoln, Grant and Franklin counties in Eastern Washington. Complete Story

Reecer Creek restoration begins

2010-10-19T10:11:00.000-07:00

By BARB OWENS staff writer
10-7-10

ELLENSBURG—Construction crews recently broke ground on a project 14 years in the making. When it's all said and done, the $1,085,273 Reecer Creek floodplain restoration will have lessened the impact of normal, seasonal flooding and occasional, more severe flooding in west Ellensburg. The project will provide salmon rearing and spawning habitat. Complete Story

Renewable Energy Projects Cause Conflicts

2009-09-30T11:10:00.000-07:00

WATER: Renewable energy projects cause conflict (09/30/2009)

Increasing reliance on renewable energy, from solar farms to biofuel refineries to cleaner coal plants, could consume billions of gallons of water every year.
"When push comes to shove, water could become the real throttle on renewable energy," said Michael E. Webber, an assistant professor at the University of Texas in Austin who studies the relationship between energy and water.

Southwestern states are confronting this issue head on as dozens of multibillion-dollar solar power plants are planned for thousands of acres of desert.

Meanwhile, California lawmakers are debating a bill that would allow renewable energy power plants to use drinking water for cooling under certain conditions.

"By allowing projects to use fresh water, the bill would remove any incentives that developers have to use technologies that minimize water use," said Terry O'Brien, a California Energy Commission deputy director (Todd Woody, New York Times, Sept. 30). -- JK

Senate EPW Committee Once Worked Together

2009-09-29T09:29:00.000-07:00

CLIMATE: Once upon a time, Democrats and Republicans worked together on the Senate EPW panel Darren Samuelsohn, E&E senior reporter

California Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer presides over an Environment and Public Works Committee considered about as partisan as a panel can get.

Ideological differences among the committee's Democrats and Republicans are evident every time the panel meets, creating a political dynamic that raises big questions about the fate of climate change legislation that Boxer and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) plan to unveil tomorrow.

Historically, the EPW Committee is known for its bipartisan accomplishments, including the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act. But experts agree that the committee's upcoming and far-reaching effort on global warming will take place in a much different political atmosphere.

In a speech Thursday on the Senate floor, Boxer underscored that partisan divide when she attacked a Republican-led effort aimed at halting U.S. EPA climate regulations for a year.

"The interesting thing is most of these environmental laws started with a Republican president named Richard Nixon," Boxer said. "What happened to the days when environmental laws were supported on both sides? Those days appear to be gone."
Disputes in the EPW Committee start at the top. Ranking member James Inhofe (R-Okla.), himself a former chairman, regularly questions his Democratic counterpart's agenda with outspoken skepticism of climate change science and claims that a bill restricting greenhouse gas emissions would be a disaster for the U.S. economy.

The Senate EPW Committee, a timeline
Year Action
1838 Senate creates Committee on Public Buildings.
1947 Renamed Committee on Public Works.
1970 Passes Clean Air Act.
1972 Passes Clean Water Act.
1977 Name changed to Environment and Public Works Committee.
1990 Passes Clean Air Act amendments.
2000 Passes Everglades restoration legislation.
2007 Leads first congressional override of a President George W. Bush veto -- on Water Resources Development Act.

At a recent hearing, Inhofe and Boxer had an exchange emblematic of their unusual relationship, which the two senators themselves often describe as "friendly" when policy and politics are not involved.

Inhofe first declared that the Democrats' 12-7 advantage over Republicans meant Boxer should have little trouble moving a bill through committee, but the Oklahoma senator then promised to still lead the charge in killing the bill once it gets to the Senate floor.

Furthermore, Inhofe ticked off a list of reasons for why he thinks a Senate climate bill would not reduce domestic dependence on foreign oil and won't cut global temperatures -- two key reasons why Boxer and her allies want to pass the legislation.

"And when it's all said and done, the American people will reject it and we will defeat it," Inhofe said. "Thank you, Madame Chairman. On that happy note ..."
"You really started my day off with such excitement," Boxer said, cutting him off. That drew Inhofe's quick reply: "That's not the first time."

'A strong and cherished tradition of bipartisanship'

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hasn't always been this way.
History books detail how Democrats, Republicans and members from other early American political parties made a habit on the committee of working together on legislation overseeing the nation's government buildings and day-to-day operations.
First known as the Committee on Public Buildings, the panel authorized overtime pay for White House staff following the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, helped get electricity installed in the Senate and later signed off on the construction of the Old Executive Office Building next to the White House.
Environmental issues first appeared on the committee's radar in the 1960s, well before it had the words formally inscribed in its title in 1977.

There were often disagreements. But former staffers, senators and lobbyists say that committee leaders like Sens. Jennings Randolph (D-W.Va.), George Mitchell (D-Maine), Patrick Moynihan (D-N.Y.), Ed Muskie (D-Maine), John Chafee (R-R.I.) and Robert Stafford (R-Vt.) still worked together to produce the country's modern environmental laws, from the the 1972 Federal Water Pollution Control Act to the Clean Air Act of 1970 and 1990.

Sen. Ed Muskie (D-Maine) never chaired the Environment and Public Works Committee. But he served as one of its most senior members during a Senate career that lasted from 1959 until his 1980 appointment as secretary of State.

"Those are all huge accomplishments," said Dan Weiss, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress who, in 1990, served as the Sierra Club's lead air pollution lobbyist. "They basically invented the basic architecture of our environmental safeguards."

Former staffers recall their bosses pushed them to find agreements across the aisle.
"There was a culture that developed on the committee, between Democrats and Republicans and among staff, people interested in trying to do the right thing," said Bob Hurley, a top Republican committee staffer from 1980 to 1990. "That's not to say there were no differences in approaches. But there was always that extra effort."

For business lobbyists, the tight relationship among EPW Committee members made it difficult to deploy a "divide and conquer" strategy that could get the majority and minority staffs arguing. "It was very hard to separate people," Hurley said.
"We didn't just have a staff draft bill, show it to the committee, have them vote it up or down and put it on the floor," added Leon Billings, a longtime Muskie aide who served as the Democratic staff director of EPW's Environmental Pollution Subcommittee from 1966 to 1978. "We'd have 30 to 40 subcommittee and full committee markups."

In a 1988 history of the EPW Committee, Chairman Quentin Burdick (D-N.D.) and Stafford, then the ranking member, wrote, "The nature of the work and the dedication of its membership have enabled the Committee on Environment and Public Works to develop a strong and cherished tradition of bipartisanship. Through this approach we are able to address issues on their merits and resolve questions on the basis of what is best for the Nation."

The fall of GOP moderates
So what happened?

Many longtime EPW Committee observers can trace the end of bipartisanship and dealmaking to a series of events in the early to mid-1990s, when conservative GOP leaders put the screws on their own crop of moderates.

Chafee lost his re-election bid as chairman of the Senate Republican conference in 1990 to the more conservative Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi. And many of the Republicans who had worked on those capstone environmental laws -- including Sens. David Durenberger of Minnesota, Al Simpson of Wyoming and Stafford -- were no longer serving in the Senate by the mid-1990s.

Consider the EPW Committee's Republican roster after the party won control of the Senate in the November 1994 elections. Chafee became the chairman, but behind him were several new committee members with a much more conservative mindset, including Sens. Inhofe, Craig Thomas of Wyoming, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Bob Bennett of Utah.

"I disagreed with Chafee more than I agreed with him," Inhofe recalled.
For Chafee and the dwindling number of moderate Republicans, it was a rough ride as the party's leadership tried to undermine the Clinton administration and their legitimate bipartisan efforts to pass legislation. For example, a bid to overhaul the Endangered Species Act, which had support from then-Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt and both Democratic and GOP Western senators, did not get beyond the EPW Committee.

"It was a very tough time to be there, trying to be a leader on these issues and you turn around and no one is following you," said Steve Shimberg, a Republican EPW Committee staffer from 1981-1997, the last seven years of which he served as Chafee's committee staff director. "In fact, they're building an army against you."

Sen. John Chafee (R-R.I.) served as the EPW Committee's ranking member from 1989-1994. He chaired the committee from 1995 until his death in 1999.
"He basically got a fist in the dike and kept it there," Billings added.
Former Sen. Bob Smith (R-N.H.) took over as chairman of the EPW Committee in late 1999 following Chafee's death. For Smith, the promotion meant a platform to shepherd Everglades restoration legislation into law with the help of the Clinton administration, an effort that is considered by many to be the last big environmental bill to make it all the way to a president's desk.

Smith said in an interview that he was able to win over GOP leaders and rank-and-file lawmakers in a way Chafee could not. "When I said something about the Everglades or some other environmental issue, they couldn't just throw it aside," Smith said.

The George W. Bush era

Smith briefly kept hold of the EPW Committee's gavel during President George W. Bush's first term in 2001. But six months in, Sen. Jim Jeffords of Vermont accused Bush of backtracking on key education and environmental campaign pledges. Jeffords left the Republican Party to become an independent, a move that flipped Senate control into the Democrats' hands and further inflamed partisan tensions.

Democrats rewarded Jeffords by giving him the chairmanship of the EPW Committee, and the party repeatedly used the panel to challenge the Bush administration on environmental issues. Then, in 2002, Jeffords narrowly passed out of committee a bill that would have limited both conventional air pollutants and carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.

Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), who faced his own tough re-election bid that year, was the lone Democrat to vote against the bill. He joined a united Republican Party against the climate legislation and Democratic leaders never brought it up on the Senate floor. "There clearly was some effort to stand hard because of Jeffords trying to push that through," Smith recalled.

Both parties stayed in their respective corners on environmental issues under Inhofe, who took over when the Republicans regained the Senate in 2003. Environmentalists despised the Oklahoman for his declaration that man-made global warming was "the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people."
And Inhofe antagonized them more with hearings critical of the media's coverage of the issue, as well as by extending an invitation to Michael Crichton, the late science fiction writer who had written a novel depicting global warming as something concocted by environmentalists.

Looking back on Inhofe's tenure, former aides see a time when much was accomplished whenever the committee returned to its traditional jurisdictional issues, including transportation and water resources. "He really enjoyed getting into the nitty gritty of the highway formula," said Andrew Wheeler, a former EPW Committee staff director.
Boxer's rise to the chairmanship in 2006 -- the first for a Californian since Republican Sen. Leland Stanford in the late 19th century -- pushed the committee even further down the partisan road. While sources on both sides of the aisle are quick to note that she did team up with Inhofe in 2007 to override Bush's veto of the Water Resources Development Act -- a first for Congress during that administration, that was largely a blip on the radar.

The EPW Committee under Boxer has held dozens of hearings on global warming, but none yet have been dedicated to the nuances of the cap-and-trade program that the panel is considering passing this fall.

One former Senate GOP aide said Boxer had already established her reputation as a partisan flame thrower while serving as a back-bench Democrat on the committee. The staffer recalled Boxer often arriving on the Senate floor for speeches just as the West Coast evening newscasts were getting ready to air.

"It was like clockwork," the former aide said. "She seemed more interested in promoting herself than getting the work done. Those kinds of reputations linger. It's very hard to overcome them, even as you age and mellow. That impression is the one that sticks."

Smith, who lost his own re-election bid in the 2002 New Hampshire Republican primary, said Boxer made it more difficult for herself this year when she chastised Army Corps of Engineers Brig. Gen. Michael Walsh during a hearing for calling her "ma'am" instead of senator.

"That hurt her badly among a lot of people," said Smith, who is now flirting with an independent bid for the Florida seat now held by Sen. George LeMieux (R). "You have a responsibility there, sometimes larger than your own view."

Asked to size up the Senate EPW Committee in 2009, Inhofe acknowledged, "I'd say it's been pretty dysfunctional this year."

24/7 news, environmental politics

There are other explanations too beyond the personalities.
As a whole, the Senate Republican caucus has seen its moderate ranks diminish ever since the early 1990s. Former Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.) replaced his father upon his death in 1999 but lost a re-election bid in 2006 to Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse. Former Sen. John Warner (R-Va.), a longtime EPW Committee member, did not show much interest in environmental issues until the end of his career, when he co-authored a climate bill with Boxer and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.).

"John Warner was the last of his breed," said Weiss with the Center for American Progress. These days, Republicans count only a handful of moderates within their ranks, starting with the two Mainers. "If Olympia Snowe or Susan Collins wanted to get on that committee, they wouldn't be able to," Weiss added.

Elsewhere, many say environmental politics weigh heavily on the committee's dynamics, especially as national green groups take a more prominent role fundraising and campaigning on behalf of their chosen candidates. By doing that, Wheeler said, "You're obviously going to politicize the business of the committee."
Current and former senators and their aides also see the chamber in a different light than the fruitful period of the 1960s and 1970s when the bulk of the nation's environmental laws were written.

"When you're only here Tuesday through Thursday and all of your time here during the day is down the hall dialing for dollars, that says to me it's pretty hard building relationships," said Shimberg, who now works as an attorney at DLA Piper.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) served on the EPW Committee from 1983 until his first retirement in 2001. He came back to the Senate -- and the committee -- in 2003. These days, Lautenberg said the 24/7 news cycle and growth in the American population have something to do with the strained politics of Capitol Hill.
"We live in a world that's gotten at a much faster pace," Lautenberg said. "When you're moving at these speeds, things happen. There is a degree of rudeness that comes in in getting things done."

The current EPW Committee roster only adds to the partisanship as some of the party's most strident voices push for seats on the committee. And there is also the Democrats' 12-7 majority, the largest ever for one party over another on the modern day EPW Committee. That is a big enough lead that the committee leaders do not need to worry about the votes from Republicans, or even moderate Democrats like Baucus and Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, if they want to pass a bill.
"It's tough," Smith said. "You have to recognize if you're one of the seven Republicans, there's nothing you can do to stop anything. ... What else can you do? You become basically an obstructionist."

A current Senate Republican staffer said another part of the partisan problem is Boxer's plan to move such a sweeping piece of legislation.

"If you do things on a smaller, case-by-case basis, do the work in the weeds, you get more compromises," the aide said. "If you do sweeping, mind-blowing, thousand-page bills, of course it's going to cause major strife between the members. It's going to become political. It's going to become more of a theater, circus-like atmosphere."

And then there is also the fact that the committee's two leaders -- Boxer and Inhofe -- represent extremes from within their own party. And they in turn set the tone for other members of the committee, a mood that makes it difficult for moderate Democrats and Republicans to capture 60 votes and pass the climate bill.

"It'd be fair to say that the Boxer-Inhofe relationship is defined or defines the general GOP-Democratic relationship in the Senate and in the countryside," Billings said. "I think that Inhofe very definitely reflects the base of the Republican Party. And I think [Boxer] reflects the base of the Democratic Party. I don't think either one of them gives a damn about the middle of either party because they don't have to."

Reclamation Launches Basin Studies

2009-09-25T10:45:00.000-07:00

WATER: Reclamation launches basin study program to plan for future challenges
April Reese, E&E reporter

With climate change, population growth and the needs of endangered species stressing water supplies in the West like never before, the Bureau of Reclamation has launched a new program aimed at studying some of the West's hardest-hit basins to help prepare them for the unprecedented challenges that lie ahead.

Last week, Reclamation Commissioner Mike Connor announced the first three basins to receive federal funding under the agency's new Basin Study Program: the Colorado River Basin, the Yakima River Basin in Washington, and the Milk and St. Mary river systems in Montana. Reclamation will provide $1 million for the Colorado River Basin study, which will quantify supply and demand; $1.3 million for the Yakima project, which will focus on infrastructure restoration; and $350,000 for the Milk and St. Mary study, which will explore how to meet future needs. All three grants will be augmented by matching funds from states, local governments and tribes.

All of the studies will measure existing supplies and determine whether water supply infrastructure is sufficient to meet future demands. The studies will also include recommendations on how to optimize operations to supply adequate water and power while accounting for environmental values, according to Reclamation.

The two-year studies will "help lead us down the road to adaptation strategies," Connor said during an address to the Colorado River Symposium, held in Santa Fe, N.M., last week. Given the shrunken snowpacks, earlier runoff and more severe storms and droughts that are expected to beleaguer the West as a result of climate change, it is important to understand how much water is available now and how to manage those supplies to meet future demands, he said.

The new Basin Study Program is part of a larger effort within Reclamation and the Interior Department to meet water needs for both people and wildlife in the face of climate change and population growth, Connor noted. He added that it is also a key part of Reclamation's implementation of the SECURE Water Act, which was passed as part of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009.

"It's unclear whether our usage and management is sustainable," he said. "That's what I see Reclamation's role is moving forward: [providing] certainty and sustainability."

Connor's Sept. 17 announcement came on the heels of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's signing of an order earlier in the week outlining the department's strategy for addressing the current and future impacts of climate change on the country's natural resources, including water.

Connor said he hopes the basin studies will provide a model for how to assess available supplies and how to respond to the inevitable changes that will place new demands on river basins. Reclamation has asked for another $4 million in Interior's 2010 budget request to fund more basin studies next year, Connor said. "There are a lot of river basins out there" that need such studies, he said.

The three basins awarded funds were chosen from more than two-dozen letters of interest amounting to about $10 million in requested funding.
Praise for the basin-level approach
Tony Willardson, executive director of the Western States Water Council, a project of the Western Governors' Association that focuses on water issues, commended Reclamation for taking a basin-level approach to addressing the unprecedented demands on water supplies.

"Instead of the federal government addressing a problem here and a problem there, they're looking at the whole basin and trying to get ahead of the game," Willardson said.

Reclamation chose the Colorado, Yakima and Milk and St. Mary basins because they face some of the most pressing water challenges and all need to be better studied. For instance, the Colorado River Basin provides water across seven states for 27 million people -- up from 25 million just a few years ago -- but there are significant data gaps in how the basin's water is used and how its supplies can be stretched to meet future needs. It is also one of the regions that will be hit hardest by climate change.

And in the Yakima River Basin, one of the most intensively irrigated basins in the United States, aging infrastructure has managers worried about the reliability of the system, as well as whether existing supplies there will be adequate down the road.

The potential failure of that system, built in the early 1900s, "has implications for the farmers there but also environmental and social impacts," Willardson said. Two fish species in the basin are listed under the Endangered Species Act: bull trout and mid-Columbia steelhead.

In the Milk and St. Mary river systems, which extend into Canada, managers face a tangle of issues relating to changing natural flows, leaking diversion facilities, international commitments and requirements for bull trout.
With all three basins already grappling with huge challenges, the basin studies will be crucial in determining how they will continue to provide water for people and wildlife in a climate-altered future, Willardson said.

"We really don't have a good idea how much more water we'll be using," he said. "So we need to look at water policies in the West and look at growth, climate change and demand now."

Kittitas Well Situation Awaits AG Opinion

2009-09-17T08:41:00.000-07:00

State AG ruling awaited to settle regulation of Kittitas wellsby David Lester
Yakima Herald-Republic

YAKIMA, Wash. -- Kittitas County commissioners and the state Department of Ecology have resigned themselves to waiting for an attorney general's opinion on the authority of the state and the county to regulate exempt wells in the upper county.

While the wait may not be long -- the opinion could come out any day -- any chance for a rapid end to a two-month moratorium on new wells collapsed last week after a flurry of back-and-forth proposals between Commissioner Paul Jewell and Ecology Director Jay Manning.

"I really thought we were moving in a positive direction to get an agreement," Jewell said. "Once again, when it came to making a decision, Ecology was unwilling to move forward."

At issue are the unpermitted wells builders and property owners have been using over the last several decades to tap into groundwater to build new homes in north Kittitas County. State officials worry that there's not enough water to accommodate the newcomers and senior water rights users, but Kittitas County commissioners aren't convinced there's a problem.

Exempt wells, which don't require a state permit, have been allowed since the state groundwater code was adopted in 1945. Such wells include those for homes, a half-acre lawn and garden, industrial use and watering livestock.

Among its latest proposals, Kittitas County commissioners offered to adopt a new ordinance that would prohibit new lawns and gardens unless an irrigation district supplied the water. An owner could also irrigate lawns and gardens by purchasing a senior water right as mitigation.

But disagreement on how soon owners would be required to obtain an existing water right to make up for the new use doomed a possible agreement on that issue.

Tom Tebb, the agency's regional director in Yakima, said the agency was concerned the county wouldn't be able to adopt the ordinance on lawns and gardens for more than a month. Coupling the adoption delay with the county's request to lift the moratorium within two weeks would leave a gap in protection for groundwater.

The county also wanted to delay the mitigation requirement until the water exchange program is fully operational.

Tebb said the county's proposals would not have protected senior water rights and stream flows from being affected by the drilling of new exempt wells.

Jewell said the talks appear to be at a standstill. And now, both sides are waiting to hear from Attorney General Rob McKenna. An opinion was expected this week.

Kittitas County and the Department of Ecology have submitted questions to the attorney general about the state's legal authority to restrict exempt wells and whether county officials can adopt land-use regulations that set limits on water use, as Ecology is requesting.

One of the proposals from the state is to combine two of the exemptions -- for homes and outdoor use -- into one category, and that the water use for that exemption would be limited to less than 5,000 gallons per day.

Ecology imposed an emergency rule in July that prohibited new wells in the north end of the county west and north of Indian John Hill because of a belief that a water management agreement with Kittitas County could not be reached.

The ban has been criticized for damaging an already weak economy by halting construction of new homes.

The Department of Ecology has sought to soften the blow by launching a water exchange program under which property owners can purchase a senior water right to offset, or mitigate, their new use of water. The source for the mitigation water are rights purchased by Suncadia, the massive mountain resort near Cle Elum.

Suncadia purchased nearly 500 acre-feet of water to be left in streams under a requirement imposed by Ecology.

The water exchange Web site began operation Aug. 31.

* David Lester can be reached at 509-577-7674 or dlester@yakimaherald.com.

FFA Challenges Delta Smelt Order

2009-07-13T09:14:00.000-07:00

Family Farm Alliance News Release
Family Farm Alliance Calls for Withdrawal
Of Biased, Unscientific Order for Delta Smelt Contact: Dan Keppen @ 541-892-6244
Brenda Davis @ 916-341-7404

Fifteen Years of Failure to Protect the Delta Is Enough;
Group Calls on Government to Restore Scientific Integrity

(Klamath Falls, Oregon - July 13, 2009). Declaring that fifteen years of failure is enough, the Family Farm Alliance (Alliance) has filed suit to force the withdrawal of the federal government's latest order cutting back California's water supplies on behalf of the delta smelt. The order issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife (USFWS) does not meet the Endangered Species Act's standards for quality of data and scientific integrity according to the suit filed on Friday with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California.
"Fortunately the Endangered Species Act (ESA) sets strict standards to protect the public and the environment from biased and unscientific abuses of its provisions," said Dan Keppen, Alliance Executive Director. "We are taking this action to protect the integrity of ESA and to ensure that those standards are applied to correct the federal government's unmitigated record of failure in the Delta."

For the past 15 years, federal regulators have ordered more and more stringent restrictions on the water supplies pumped through the Delta to serve California's farms and cities, on the presumption that the pumps were harming delta smelt. Those restrictions have cost California billions of dollars in economic losses and tens of thousands of jobs. But instead of showing any benefit from these measures, the population of delta smelt has continued to decline.

Among the many defects in USFWS's December order, which reduced by one third the state's water supplies to more than 25 million people, the Alliance pointed out that:

Instead of conducting the independent peer review that the law requires, USFWS brought in the authors of the papers on which the agency's order was based. In effect, they were being asked to review the adequacy of their own work. None would qualify under the standards set by ESA, the Information Quality Act or the federal Office of Management and Budget guidelines.

Although ESA requires USFWS to use the best available scientific and commercial data, the agency instead based its findings in part on an analysis which had not been published or peer reviewed and, supposedly, data, which USFWS refused even to disclose. Moreover, it turns out the agency did not actually possess some of the data that it claimed it used to order the cutbacks in water supplies.

Rather than relying on scientific evidence to form its conclusions as the law requires, USFWS only cited the bits and pieces of information that supported its own assumptions and ignored the rest.

The Alliance is not alone in questioning the integrity of USFWS's smelt order. The California Department of Water Resources has formally asked that it be withdrawn for reconsultation and revision. DWR says there is new information on better ways to protect the smelt that was not considered in the existing order.

And the federal court recently granted a temporary injunction against USFWS' order on a complaint that the order violated the National Environmental Policy Act because the federal government failed to prepare an environmental impact statement. Instead the order was drafted in secret and put into effect without any public hearings or review.

At a recent town hall meeting in Fresno, where area congressmen, business leaders, landowners and farmworkers criticized the order's scientific inadequacy, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar declined to defend USFWS' action, pointing out that these cutbacks in water supplies had been the work of the previous administration.

"President Obama and the leadership in Congress have declared their commitment to upholding the standards and bringing the best science to bear on governmental decision making," said Keppen. "We applaud their commitment and call on them to live up to that promise by withdrawing this flawed and fallacious order now, before it does any more harm."

Numerous scientific studies have identified multiple causes for the delta smelt's decline, including ammonia discharges from Sacramento and other industrial pollution, temperature changes, and invasive non-native species that are devouring the smelt's food as well as the smelt themselves.

"USFWS has refused to analyze these other factors and their importance, sticking instead to their assumption that pumping must be the problem," Keppen said. "But if anything, their failure to produce any benefits for the smelt over the last fifteen years should demonstrate that the pumps are not the problem."

According to analyses prepared by the University of California, federal restrictions on pumping water through the Delta, combined with the ongoing effects of drought, cost California's Central Valley economy more than $300 million in 2008 and nearly $1 billion this year. The economic impacts statewide are much greater.

"These are critical issues for the members of our alliance," Keppen pointed out. "More than 300,000 acres of productive farmlands have been fallowed because of these cutbacks. Rationing is being imposed in many California cities. Our membership includes farmers but we also represent irrigation districts, commodity associations, private water companies, and suppliers of a wide range of farm-related services and equipment. We are all being hurt by these federal cutbacks in water deliveries."

The Alliance brought its concerns with the adequacy of the data used for this order to the attention of USFWS as soon as the order was released in December, 2008. But USFWS has so far refused to address these problems or correct the order. The Alliance has now exhausted all of the opportunities for administrative relief.

"This is the first time that the Alliance has engaged in litigation, and it's not a step we take lightly," said Alliance President Patrick O'Toole. "But in this case, we had no other choice. "Preserving the scientific basis for these decisions and ensuring the fairness and transparency of all the proceedings under ESA is a vitally important issue for all of our members throughout the western states."

The Family Farm Alliance is a grassroots organization of family farmers, ranchers, irrigation districts and allied industries in 17 Western states. The Alliance is focused on one mission: To ensure the availability of reliable, affordable irrigation water supplies to Western farmers and ranchers. For more information on the Alliance, go to www.familyfarmalliance.org

LA Times Weighs in on Columbia River Salmon Issues

2009-07-06T13:31:00.000-07:00

Saving the Columbia and Snake river salmon
L.A. Times-7/6/09
By Paul VanDevelder
Opinion

If ever there were a story that foreshadowed the political and legal Waterloos that loom in seeking solutions to climate change, surely that cautionary tale is the one about the Columbia and Snake rivers' salmon and their imminent extinction. And like most stories about endangered species or environmental threats, this one is not only about fish and rivers -- it's about us.

The policy deadlock that has resulted from the debate among stakeholders along the Columbia and the Snake -- aluminum smelters, the Bonneville Power Administration, politicians, Indian tribes, states, conservation groups, fishermen, barge operators, agribusiness and wheat farmers -- has flushed billions of taxpayer dollars out to sea over the last 15 years while doing very little to prevent 13 endangered salmon stocks from going extinct.

In March, the federal judge responsible for herding all these cats toward a scientifically based solution that meets the requirements of the Endangered Species Act announced that he had heard enough bickering. District Judge James Redden summoned all the stakeholders to his courtroom in Portland, Ore., with the edict to take "aggressive action" and that "now is the time to make that happen."

In addition to being the judge in this case, Redden acts as the government's "special master" for the Columbia River basin, a network of rivers and streams that fans out over an area the size of France. In that role, he has the final say on any proposed changes to fish habitat and the uses of the rivers' payload: water.

At the March meeting in his courtroom, Redden wore both hats and congratulated all sides for getting "very close" to a final rescue plan for the fish. After losing precious years to political infighting and foot-dragging by the Clinton and Bush administrations, Redden noted that much progress had been made in recent years in formulating a workable plan -- "a biological opinion" -- to keep the salmon from becoming extinct.

However, he warned, there were still problems with the plan. For one thing, government scientists had relied too heavily on statistical sleight of hand to support their argument that endangered fish were trending toward recovery. For another, the removal of four dams on the lower Snake River must be included in the recovery plan in case all other remedies fail.

There it was. Out in the open and on the table. Dam removal -- a remedy that the Bush administration had rejected out of hand -- was back in play. Fax machines across the region came to life when Redden's letter reached the stakeholders.

"Federal law doesn't allow dam removal, and no Democrat-politician-turned-activist-judge can rewrite the law," wrote Rep. Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) The Northwest River Partners expressed dismay, and the Portland Oregonian's editorial board described Redden's letter as "puzzling."

"The letter is strongly critical of the key strategy in the plan to focus on habitat improvements to offset the harm that federal power-generating dams inflict on fish," the Oregonian wrote, expressing surprise at such a reaction while conveniently ignoring the fact that billions of dollars spent on habitat improvement, fish ladders and barging young fish around dams have done very little to increase salmon populations.

If anything, these measures have lengthened the odds against the salmon's survival by shifting the focus away from more politically explosive solutions, such as dam removal. Redden first issued his warning about the dams in 2004, when he threw out the first Bush rescue plan.

Politicians and stakeholders have steadfastly resisted the painful solution of dam removal while hoping for a miracle. That hope turned out to be a one-way road on a dead-end street, and in many respects they're now blaming the court for their current predicament. With few exceptions, the region's politicians, past and current, have been challenging the recommendations of scientists (including dam removal and increasing the spills over the dams) for more than a decade. Former Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) famously vowed to chain himself to a dam rather than surrender, a prospect relished by many conservation groups.

Throughout this stalemate, fish counts have continued to fall, and the underlying science is clear: In river after river where dams have been removed, native fish populations have rebounded and thrived. As the government's former chief aquatic biologist, Don Chapman, concluded, dam removal is the most effective strategy for saving endangered native fish stocks from extinction.

This was the conclusion reached by the Idaho Statesman newspaper back in 1997 after it conducted a yearlong study of the Snake River dams. The paper reported that the economic benefits of a healthy fishery -- and the resultant tens of thousands of jobs -- would swamp the benefits of leaving the dams in place.

Dozens of reports by natural resources economists have agreed. Among other things, they describe the dams as economic sinkholes, which produce less than 3% of the region's power, do nothing for flood control, irrigate only a handful of big farms and subsidize transportation costs (at the expense of taxpayers and salmon) for wheat farmers in Idaho and eastern Washington.

The Columbia-Snake corridor is the salmon's only option for survival, and Redden is probably their last hope. He is the one person in this entire drama who is legally obligated to use science and the law to protect the fish from extinction and from the whims of politicians. If the law and science are unable to trump politics to save this fishery -- a fishery that was the most productive in the world just two generations ago -- how will we ever meet the towering challenges posed by global climate change?

For the sake of the fish and the 500 other species that depend on this wild and "vital resource" for their survival, many of us hope the judge has the resolve to stay the course and to see the job through.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-vandevelder6-2009jul06,0,1077571.story?track=rss

SCBID Seeks Accountant

2009-06-25T12:25:00.000-07:00

Accountant Position Available

The South Columbia Basin Irrigation District is accepting applications for the position of Accountant. Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and 1-3 years of governmental accounting experience preferred. Suitable accounting experience may satisfy degree requirement. Wage: $18.39 - $22.92 per hour DOQ. Benefit package includes medical, dental, retirement, paid vacation, holidays and sick leave. Interested parties should submit a resume and letter of interest to HR Manager, P.O. Box 1006, Pasco, WA 99301 by 7/24/09.

Commisioner Conner has his Plate Full

2009-06-19T13:22:00.000-07:00

WATER: Seasoned government lawyer takes on West's intractable problems (Thursday, June 18, 2009)Eryn Gable, special to E&E

From the fields of California's San Joaquin Valley to the city of Las Vegas, the Bureau of Reclamation has transformed the landscape of the West by damming rivers that helped agriculture boom and cities blossom. The 600 dams the Bureau of Reclamation has built across 17 Western states stand as lasting monuments to the agency's engineering accomplishments, but as the agency looks ahead, it faces numerous challenges.

Much of that infrastructure is in need of repair, and the dams have forever altered Western ecosystems, sometimes creating conflicts between the needs of people and those of fish and wildlife species. Additionally, the uncertainties of climate change and future population growth in the West are expected to place new burdens on the region's water supplies.

The man set to take on these challenges is Michael Connor, the newly appointed commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation. Connor takes the helm of an agency that delivers water to more than 31 million people, provides one in five farmers with irrigation and is the second-largest producer of hydroelectric power in the West.
"I think we need to seize opportunities to solve big problems," Connor told an audience earlier this month at a conference on Western water issues at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

In a subsequent interview with E&E, Connor suggested that the federal government can play a role in helping to solve conflicts over water in areas such as the Klamath Basin, California's Bay Delta and the Colorado River.
"What I want to see is that we're at the table, that we're part of the dialogue, that we're helping to mold the strategy that people put together to solve these issues for the long term," he said.

Outsized challenges

Among the major challenges Connor identified that are facing the bureau are drought, increasing population growth in the West that is driving increasing municipal needs for water, food supply security, degraded ecosystems, achieving energy independence and climate change.

Equally daunting is the fact that all of those issues must be handled in a time of tight purse strings. "I think the budget issues are going to be the most significant challenge to having the successes and making the progress that this administration hopes to make," Connor said.

The bureau is set to receive $1 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, including $450 million for future water supply needs, $165 million to improve infrastructure reliability and safety, $236 million for ecosystem restoration and $80 million for drought relief. But even with the stimulus funding, the agency faces a $620 million backlog for water recycling and reuse projects, a $1.5 billion backlog for rural water projects, at least a $1 billion backlog for authorized American Indian water rights settlements, and at least a $1.2 billion backlog for ecosystem restoration projects.

In light of these challenges, Connor said his priorities would be to aggressively implement water efficiency and conservation projects, assess and address the effects of climate change and help develop the new energy economy.

Although hydroelectric power is a renewable energy source, Connor does not see the bureau engaging in any major dam-building projects as part of its role in developing the new energy economy. Rather, he says, water conservation and efficiency, using more renewables like wind and solar in its operations, and generating more hydropower at its existing facilities will be vital in helping to reduce the United States' reliance on carbon-based fuels.

"I don't want to go down the path of saying we need to create more dams so that we have more hydro," Connor said. "Those proposals just take so long and are so controversial. I think we need to look for something that's more viable."
Looking ahead, Connor also said the bureau needs to continue to operate its facilities in a way that serves a lot more values than its traditional role of providing water for agriculture and cities.

The bureau needs to be "operating dams in a way that makes sense given the climate challenge and ecosystem challenges while still trying to find a way of making sure that we can deliver water and generate power," he said. "It's the operation of those facilities that I think will be a key signature item as we move forward."

Deep, diverse background

Connor brings a mixed background to his job as the bureau's commissioner, from his work as an engineer to his roles as a water lawyer and a congressional aide. He has more than 15 years of experience in the public sector, most recently serving as counsel to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee since 2001. At the committee, Connor managed legislation for the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Geological Survey, developed water resources legislation and handled American Indian issues within the committee's jurisdiction.

Prior to that, Connor worked in the Interior Department, first in the Interior Solicitor's Office and eventually as director of the Indian Water Rights Office from 1998 to 2001. In that role, he represented the Interior Department in negotiations with Indian tribes, state representatives and private water users to secure water rights settlements.

Connor has a law degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder's School of Law and a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from New Mexico State University. He has also worked for General Electric Co.

Because of his background, Connor brings an understanding of the limitations of Western water law to his job, as well as an understanding of the pitfalls of Congress. Additionally, his work on Indian water rights settlements, in particular, has demonstrated his ability to bring people with disparate interests together to work toward a common solution.

John D'Antonio, New Mexico's state engineer, described Connor as a tough but fair negotiator, noting Connor's ability to bring resolution to three American Indian water rights settlements in New Mexico and another in Arizona.

"In all those cases, nobody got everything they wanted, but everybody got enough that they would sign the settlement agreement," D'Antonio said.
Reaching those settlements was not an easy task, and it often required a good bit of determination -- and sometimes even well-timed threats -- on Connor's part.
"He could be very tough when he needed to be. Sometimes you need to knock heads together to get things done," said Jennifer Gimbel, who worked at the Bureau of Reclamation under the Bush administration and chaired Interior's Indian Water Rights Working Group from 2005 to 2007.

Results-oriented leader

Mark Limbaugh, who served as assistant Interior secretary for water and science under the Bush administration, said he found Connor to be someone who could make good policy decisions based on fairness, rather than emotions. "Even when we didn't agree, I understood his position," he said.

Despite Connor's long service in Washington, D.C., Interior Deputy Secretary David Hayes described him as someone who remains untouched by the large egos so prevalent on Capitol Hill.

"He's not looking for the limelight, he's looking for results," said Hayes, who has known Connor since the Clinton administration. "He cares about results more than publicity or self-aggrandizement."

"He is a wonderful, kind and modest individual whose intellect doesn't get in the way of his humanity," added David Getches, the dean of the University of Colorado School of Law. "I think he'll be a great commissioner."

Tanya Trujillo, who has taken over Connor's job as counsel for the Energy Committee and previously worked as general counsel for the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission, added that Connor has good problem-solving skills. "He'll be good at thinking creatively and proactively in accomplishing what I'm sure are very ambitious goals he has set for himself and the agency," she said.

Getches noted that Connor's interest in water goes back to his days as a law student, and his depth of knowledge on Western water issues will serve him well in his new role. "Choosing him was not done as a political payback. It was a true exercise in meritocracy," he said.

Connor's experience on Capitol Hill and at Interior is also expected to give him a leg up as commissioner. "He's going to be able to go in and not miss a beat," said Kellie Donnelly, the GOP's deputy chief counsel on the Energy Committee. "He's going to get in and hit the ground running."

Larry MacDonnell, who was a professor at the University of Colorado while Connor was a student, noted that Connor faces a number of challenges as the head of the Bureau of Reclamation, including the growing populations of the West and the uncertainties associated with climate change. But MacDonnell expressed confidence that Connor will rise to meet those challenges.

"He's got his plate full, but I don't think he'd have it any other way," MacDonnell said.

11th Circuit Court adopt Unitary Waters Theory

2009-06-05T09:50:00.000-07:00

Clean Water Act Regulates One Pot of Soup: The Unitary Waters Theory Adopted

The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, in an order filed today, was the first court to interpret a recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation, the Water Transfers Rule (40 C.F.R. § 122.3(i)), which affects the Clean Water Act National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES).

The case before the Court involved litigation brought by environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians claiming the South Florida Water Management District was violating the Clean Water Act by pumping waters polluted by a “loathsome concoction of chemical contaminants” into Lake Okeechobee. The EPA joined the case on the side of the Water District arguing that a NPEDS permit was not necessary. The trial court concluded the District violated the Clean Water Act and ordered the executive director of the Water District to apply for a NPDES permit.

The big issue in the case and on appeal was the meaning of the word “addition.” The Clean Water Act bans the discharge of any pollutant without a permit, and “discharge” is defined as “any addition of any pollutant to navigable waters from any point source. Unfortunately for the courts and many litigants, the Clean Water Act did not define “addition.”

The EPA argued that no permit was necessary for the water district in this case, because the water was already polluted when it passed through the pumps (the point sources) into the lake, and that “navigable waters” means all of the United States navigable waters as a whole. Thus, according to the EPA no pollutants were added to the navigable waters as they passed through district managed pumps to the lake. The metaphor used by the U.S. Supreme Court describing this “unitary waters theory” is a soup pot. When you scoop soup into a ladle and then pour it back into the pot you have not “added” any soup to the pot. Under the unitary waters theory, all of the United States navigable waters are one pot of soup.

Previous courts rejected the unitary waters theory. The difference here is that the 11th Circuit could include consideration of the Water Transfers Rule recently adopted by the EPA to support a unitary waters theory. In order to apply the Water Transfers Rule, the Court had to determine whether the language of the Clean Water Act was “ambiguous.” Both sides of the controversy argued reasonable but conflicting interpretations of the “navigable waters” language – does it mean one collective group of water, or does it mean any distinct body of water? The Court determines that since it could mean either, the language was ambiguous.

Because of the ambiguity, the Court was required to defer to EPA’s Water Transfers Rule enacted by the EPA, because it matched one of the reasonable interpretations of the statute. Thus, unless and until the EPA rescinds their rule or Congress overrides it, all bodies of navigable water in the United States are to be considered one body of water for the purpose of NPDES permits.

Since South Florida Water District was not adding the pollutants to the water initially, and was merely transferring polluted water from one place to another, the District was not required to obtain a permit – something the environmental groups in the case find contrary to the purpose of the Clean Water Act.

Eleventh Circuit Case: Friends of the Everglades, Florida Wildlife Federation et al. v. South Florida Water Management District, et. al. D.C. Docket No. 02-80309-CV-CMA, Order filed June 4, 2009.

KID Announces $58M Conservation Plan

2009-05-27T09:52:00.000-07:00

KID touts 10-year, $58M water saving plan
BY JOHN TRUMBO, TRI-CITY HERALD STAFF WRITER
Published: 05/23/09

Kennewick Irrigation District officials have a $58 million water conservation plan they believe not only will save water and help fish, but also improve service.
An added bonus to the 10-year plan, which would tap the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for most of the money, is it could help the 55,000-acre district make the transition from being an agency that historically served mostly farmers to one that increasingly strains to satisfy thousands of urban water customers.
Urbanization has become KID's biggest obstacle to customer satisfaction, as evidenced by years of rising rates with no measurable improvement in service.
But Scott Revell, interim district manager, said a big investment in consolidating pumping stations, piping open canals and building reservoirs would make KID's distribution system more efficient and capable of handling changing water demands.
If the improvements bring the district's 21,000 customers water delivered on time, with fewer outages and at an affordable price, more of them would be happy, he said.
The plan, laid out in a 165-page report approved by the KID board in December, would seek $38 million from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, with KID and Washington State Department of Ecology each paying about $10 million.
The next step is to do a feasibility study over the next 8 to 12 months. KID is searching for a consultant to do the study, which could cost about $300,000. The bureau would cover about $218,000, with KID paying $55,000 and the Department of Ecology paying the remaining $37,000, Revell said.
The study will make KID eligible for millions in bureau money through the Yakima River Water Enhancement Program, and would determine priorities for conservation projects.
Seven projects are proposed for the next five years. Each involves adding storage capacity within KID's far-flung canal system or a combination of new piping and pressurization to make water deliveries more consistent. The projects are:
* Adding an in-flow reservoir in the Division IV canal southwest of 45th Avenue and Olympia Street and building a centralized pumping station for $4.2 million. Planned for 2009, if possible.
* Extending the South Edison Street pipeline north of 8th Avenue to eliminate about 3,000 feet of open canal. This would eliminate seepage and evaporation and give more efficient flow. Cost would be $950,000. Planned for 2010.
* A new central pumping station near the Creekstone subdivision south of 10th Avenue would eliminate need for numerous pumps in pressurized service areas in central Kennewick. The Highland Feeder Canal through Creekstone would be widened, deepened and lined to form a 2,600-foot in-flow reservoir. Five miles of a lateral canal would be piped to prevent water losses and improve flow. Cost would be $9 million. Planned for 2010.
* Consolidation of pumps for east Kennewick would involve a new larger pump station near Zintel Canyon that would draw from a 3-acre-foot reservoir. It would eliminate three miles of canal and cost $9.6 million. Planned for 2011.
* Pressurizing piping in the Amon wasteway area on the west side of Kennewick would provide for future development and eliminate water losses. Cost would be $9 million. Planned for 2011.
* Consolidating pumps for the Badger East system would cost $21.9 million. A new pump station near the Amon reservoir west of Meadow Springs subdivision would tie in with an Amon in-flow reservoir and eliminate numerous smaller pumping stations. About 12 miles of piping would replace a portion of the Badger East canal to conserve water. Planned for 2012.
* Building an in-flow reservoir for the Amon system would cost $3.9 million. It would allow the district to regulate flow based on demand and prevent some water loss. Planned for 2013.
The consultants estimated water savings from all of the projects at about 28,000 acre-feet, which is about 27 percent of the 102,000 acre-feet allotted by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to KID. An acre-foot is enough water to cover one acre 12 inches deep.
Water saved would remain in the Yakima River to benefit fish. The consultants' report said the improvements also would mean less chance of contaminants accumulating in the KID system and ending up in the Columbia River as operational spill.
The consultants said replacing dozens of smaller pump stations with just five larger and more efficient pump stations also would produce $307,000 in annual energy savings.
Other projects to eliminate water losses and operational spill are planned in the second five-year period. Most would replace open ditches with piping.

Humans to be Considered in ESA decisions

2009-05-26T12:40:00.000-07:00

Ruling: Humans, not just fish, to factor in divvying delta water
The Fresno Bee – 5/22/09
By John Ellis

A federal judge stunned and delighted west-side farmers on Friday, ruling that the federal government must consider the effect on humans -- not just fish -- when allocating delta water.

U.S. District Judge Oliver W. Wanger did not tell officials how to operate the Central Valley Project, and he said it was up to them to manage the massive water pumps in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

But Wanger said officials must focus not just on protecting the endangered delta smelt when discussing these issues. They also must take into account "the harm being visited upon humans, the community and the environment." He also said officials must explain and justify how they reached their water-allocation decisions.

A few months ago, the federal government in effect reduced the volume of water pumped out of the delta by issuing new rules to protect the smelt. That means west-side growers are receiving less water for crops.

Wanger's ruling Friday raised growers' hopes of getting some of that water back, although the case is far from over.

As Wanger prepared to rule Friday, west-side farmers and members of the Westlands Water District and the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority sat in the courtroom with long faces, expecting the worst. But after a series of losses to environmentalists, they instead found themselves on the winning side.

"The long and short of it for us today is this is a good thing, for the simple fact that it recognizes the impact that is being felt" by farmers and residents of the San Joaquin Valley's west side, said Westlands Water District spokeswoman Sarah Woolf.

Wanger's ruling followed a four-hour hearing on a lawsuit by Westlands and the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority to stop the federal government from enforcing a new management plan for the delta smelt.

The lawsuit was filed in March, more than two months after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a new set of federal rules to protect the smelt. The updated rules -- known as a biological opinion -- were drafted after Wanger had invalidated earlier regulations because they did not comply with the federal Endangered Species Act.

A central piece of the lawsuit sought to nullify the updated smelt-management plan. Wanger made no ruling on that part of the lawsuit. But he found that a second claim -- that the new smelt plan lacked an assessment on the environmental effect on humans -- was valid.

The updated smelt-management plan resulted in a sharp reduction in water deliveries for agricultural and urban users, not only in the San Joaquin Valley, but also in the Bay Area and Southern California. It's not known if Wanger's order will prompt the federal government to increase water deliveries from the delta.

But Wanger made it clear that if the water exports stay at current levels -- which west-side officials say are too low and give no consideration to human needs -- federal officials must explain why.

Wanger said the delta smelt remains endangered and at risk of extinction, but he also said Valley residents are facing adverse environmental effects driven by a persistent drought and a cut in water deliveries.

He said the adverse environmental effects include dust rising from fallowed fields that could lead to a decline in air quality.

High unemployment rates in west-side Valley towns also are an effect of the water decisions, Wanger said.

Wanger's order is in effect through June 30, or when the water temperature in two delta channels -- Old River and Middle River -- reaches 77 degrees Fahrenheit for three days. Higher temperatures can adversely affect the smelt.

The order's temporary nature almost certainly sets up more legal battles between the two sides. James Maysonett, who represented the federal government, asked Wanger on Friday to hold off on his order while it is appealed.

Wanger denied the motion.

Kate Poole, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, said she didn't like Wanger's ruling, but she said no decision had been made on seeking an appeal.

Friday's hearing set up a strange twist: Daniel O'Hanlon, who represented Westlands and the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority, found himself pitted against federal attorneys who for years were his allies against environmental groups. This time, federal and environmental attorneys were allied against Westlands and San Luis. #

http://www.fresnobee.com/local/crime/story/1422966.html

Senate Confirms Nominees including Conner for Reclamation Commissioner

2009-05-13T10:58:00.000-07:00

NOMINATIONS: Interior, DOE picks clear Senate panel (05/13/2009)
Katherine Ling, E&E reporter

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today agreed to send two Energy Department and two Interior Department nominees to the Senate floor for confirmations.

The panel voted en bloc for Daniel Poneman to be DOE deputy secretary; David Sandalow to be assistant secretary of DOE for international affairs and domestic policy; Rhea Suh to be assistant secretary of Interior for policy, management and budget; and Michael Connor to be commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation.

Only the secretaries of DOE and Interior and Tom Strickland as Interior assistant secretary for fish and wildlife and parks have been confirmed by the Senate so far. The delay in confirmations has left key political posts open as Congress considers major energy and climate bills and Interior examines several controversial oil and gas leasing and Endangered Species Act issues.

The four nominees seem likely to escape the fate of their colleagues, as it appears they will not face any holds from the committee members.

Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah) has holds on the nominations of David Hayes to be Interior deputy secretary and Hilary Tompkins to be Interior solicitor, in part over concerns about Utah oil and gas leases that the Obama administration canceled in February. A procedural vote to bypass the hold failed today by three votes.
Bennett said he does not plan to put a hold on Suh's nomination but is watching closely.

Suh is currently a program officer at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and has served as a consultant for the National Park Service, where she wrote educational strategy and developed educational programs for underserved constituencies, and as senior legislative assistant to former Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo.). She also has been a high school science teacher in New York City.
Connor has been the general counsel to the committee since 2001. In that position, he has worked extensively on legislation related to water reclamation, American Indian lands and energy. He previously was director of Interior's Indian Water Rights Office.

Both DOE nominees held positions in President Clinton's administration. Poneman was a special assistant to Clinton and senior director for nonproliferation and export controls at the National Security Council, which he first joined under President George H.W. Bush. Poneman is currently a principal at the Scowcroft Group.
Sandalow served as assistant secretary of State for oceans, environment and science under Clinton, and as senior director for environmental affairs on the National Security Council. He is currently an energy and climate expert at the Brookings Institution and has served as an executive with the World Wildlife Fund and as chairman of the energy and climate working group of the Clinton Global Initiative.

SVID Engineering Position Opening

2009-05-13T09:30:00.000-07:00

Engineering Technician
Sunnyside Valley Irrigation District

Sunnyside Valley Irrigation District has an opening for one full time Engineering Technician in the Sunnyside office. An A.A. Engineering Technician degree with emphasis in irrigation, drainage, hydraulics and surveying is preferred. Relevant work experience may be substituted for education. To be considered for this position, please request an application (509 837-6980). The completed application together with a resume must be submitted by June 1, 2009 to: Sunnyside Valley Irrigation District, PO Box 239, Sunnyside, WA 98944 Attn: Assistant Manager-Engineering or e-mail schrammd@svid.org.

Publish:
May 17, 2009
May 24, 2009

SVID Reorganizes Management

2009-05-11T09:16:00.000-07:00

News Release
May 8, 2009District Manager Jim Trull announced today that the Sunnyside Valley Irrigation District (SVID) administrative staff has been reorganized to better address the increased workload associated with the impact of receiving stimulus funds from the federal government. These funds will be used to accelerate the implementation of its conservation program.
Effective May 11th Don Schramm will turn over his responsibilities as Assistant Manager of Operations to become Assistant Manager - Engineering so that he can devote his time to managing both Phase I and Phase II of the Sunnyside Division’s conservation program. He will also oversee operation and maintenance engineering as well. The water quality department will continue to report to him.
Ken Ott, District Watermaster will replace Don Schramm as Assistant Manager -Operations while retaining his watermaster duties. He will oversee operation and maintenance activities of irrigation, drainage and the shop. He will also be responsible for health and safety issues.
Lori Brady will continue to as Assistant Manager of Administration. She will relinquish her responsibilities of supervising the engineering staff to devote more time to administration, finances, information technology, and financial reporting of Phase II of the conservation project.
Contact: Jim Trull
SVID
trullj@svid.org or (509) 837-6980