Articles

Tune in to The Blaze for a drought discussion

March 24, 2014 | By DAMIEN SCHIFF

This afternoon I’ll appear on The Blaze Network (TV & radio) to discuss how federal and state regulation are exacerbating the negative impacts of the drought, particularly on farmers, farm laborers, and others in California’s San Joaquin Valley.  The segment will begin around 3:35 pm Pacific Time. … ...

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Tide turns for victims of regulatory drought : government errors continue to mount; PLF appeals delta smelt regulations to 9th Circuit

May 27, 2010 | By PACIFIC LEGAL FOUNDATION

Author: Brandon Middleton The last couple of weeks has seen good news for Californians who have lost water and jobs as a result of the Endangered Species Act. But leave it to environmental groups to express dismay over Judge Wanger's decision to give humans a voice in the regulatory process: "The last time around, he … ...

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More water for humans?

May 26, 2010 | By PACIFIC LEGAL FOUNDATION

Author: Brandon Middleton It looks that way due to a federal court ruling yesterday. But as the decision concerns only the federal government's salmonid biological opinion, it's not yet clear what the precise result will be–the government's delta smelt biological opinion, which has been overshadowed by the salmon biop in recent mo ...

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Wasted water?

May 05, 2010 | By PACIFIC LEGAL FOUNDATION

Author:  Damien M. Schiff Today's Sacramento Bee has this article detailing the significant snow pack in the state's mountains that will allow a fairly large allocation of water to beleaguered farmers in the San Joaquin Delta (40% as opposed to 10%). The end of the article discusses the impact of the bigger snowpack, and the … ...

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Salazar wakes up to reality

March 17, 2010 | By PACIFIC LEGAL FOUNDATION

Author:  Damien M. Schiff The Department of the Interior announced today that the Bureau of Reclamation will increase the water allocation for those who receive Central Valley Project water south of the Sacramento Delta, from 5% of contractual allotment to 25%.  That's definitely good news for farmers, farm workers, and all the peop ...

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The Endangered Species Act and water uncertainty aren't going away anytime soon

March 03, 2010 | By PACIFIC LEGAL FOUNDATION

Author: Brandon Middleton Much has been made about the Bureau of Reclamation's announcement last week that farmers in the western San Joaquin Valley will receive 30% of their contractual water allotments if 2010 is an average water year.  As I mentioned earlier this week, that's a very big "if."  The San Francisco Chro ...

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When the stakes are high, the L.A. Times ignores the problem

February 23, 2010 | By PACIFIC LEGAL FOUNDATION

Author: Brandon Middleton According to the Los Angeles Times, the regulatory drought isn't a crisis worth solving: Though the west valley's farms are important to the state's economy, they are located in a naturally arid landscape that's unsuited to agriculture . . . .  If cuts in water deliveries make it expensive to farm in ...

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It is "frighteningly clear that despite all good intentions, the Endangered Species Act is making a bad situation worse."

February 18, 2010 | By PACIFIC LEGAL FOUNDATION

Author: Brandon Middleton Looks like more and more people are waking up to the uncompromising nature of the Endangered Species Act.  Here is the Merced Sun-Star's Steve Cameron: I have been a lifetime environmentalist, nearly always supporting regulations to save existing wildlife and protecting the ecosystems that keep our fragile planet ...

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Don’t be fooled : "fish vs. people" is real

February 17, 2010 | By PACIFIC LEGAL FOUNDATION

Author: Brandon Middleton With Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s proposal to increase water deliveries to the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California, there’s been a renewed discussion of the “fish vs. people” theme that accompanies the debate on California’s water policy.  For example, the Fresno Bee’s Jim Boren sugg ...