In the second year of unprecedented drought, the debate over whether the two pillars of the economy, oil and AG, are using more than the fair share of the state’s expensive water supply has revived.
A letter from the Coalition for Environmental Protection on Tuesday called for action to be taken to “balance water use and access in the state” by undermining Gavin Gavin Newcom’s so-called “significant benefits”.
Representatives of the oil and gas industry objected to the coalition’s decision, arguing that in some cases it was against its estimates of net consumption and could not take into account the benefits of its products.
Richard Wycott, chief executive of the Almonds Board of California, California, says: “Of course, the drought is the most natural in California.”
The basic claims made by each party have been around for years. How the new California tight water supply system is being developed is a matter of urgency as the state makes tough decisions.
Concerned neo-hippies and their global warming, i’ll tell ya.
Last week, some dozens of groups, including the Biological Diversity Center for Food and Water and Fossil Free California, signed a letter urging the governor to use his power to ban new oil and gas projects and plantations.
He asked the coalition to announce the development of almond and alfalfa to use groundwater. He called for the cessation of all new crops, “as it helps small growers move into more sustainable and less thirsty crops.”
The group called for greater transparency in water procurement and mandatory water conservation measures at the regional level.
“Taking these steps now will help protect the environment and water for everyone in our region, and will help to avoid drastic measures as this drought continues,” the letter said. “Now is the time for courageous leadership.”
According to Food and Water, irrigation of almonds and alfalfa uses 3 trillion gallons of water annually. It estimates that large dairy products consume more than 142 million gallons a day, and that oil and gas operators have consumed 3 billion gallons of clean water by 2018.
Speakers of the oil and gas industries had a different view of water use.
Rock Zieerman, chief executive of the California Independent Petroleum Association, said in an email that the state’s oil industry produced more than 25 billion gallons of oil at the time of Food & Water Watch. He wrote that all the water was consumed in California.
Another industrial group, the Western State Petroleum Association, is a supplier of refined water to California oil and gas producers. He said billions of gallons of water a year would be used for agriculture.
“If improved oil recovery and hydraulic fractures stop today, the state will be worse off by the drought,” the WSPA said in an August statement.
Kern County and State Agriculture Offices did not respond to requests for comment. But people who know some of the goods said it was to protect the industry.
Alcohol board member Wycot has reduced the use of ag water to “a matter of providing food to the people if they want to.”
He argues that more than 90 percent of almonds are grown locally on less than 1,000 hectares of family farms.
In addition, most consumers see the bill as only one-third of the almonds produced, says Wecot. Shells and shells have other benefits, including animal feed that produces milk and cheese.
He said that almonds absorb carbon dioxide and compensate for urban carbon dioxide emissions. He added that about 90 percent of the water used by almonds is transported through the leaves.
A.D. Between 2000 and 2020, California almond producers reduced their water consumption by a third, and the industry’s target is projected to decrease by an additional 20 percent by 2025.
“The past is an ongoing effort by agriculture” to reduce water consumption and make it more environmentally friendly, Weikot said.
Criticism of the use of alfalfa growing water by Daniel H. Putn, an agronomist and grazing expert at UC Davis’ Department of Plant Sciences, addresses a number of issues related to recovery and food production.
He said in a joint statement earlier this year that the study of water use in crops such as almonds and alfalfa should be balanced with productivity, economic recovery and food production.
Alfalfa, despite its relatively high water consumption, offers high flexibility during flexible water supply. Alfalfa roots are determined to use the remaining moisture, allow for more harvest each year and can grow again during the dry season when watered again.
It is also highly salty and can be flooded to fill reservoirs during the winter months, he said.
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