Budget Process Underway in the Legislature
The Legislature is holding Budget Committee hearings, as it does each spring, to consider Governor Jerry Brown’s 2018-2019 budget proposal. Ag Council is engaged in the budget process to advocate for the best policy outcomes on behalf of our members. Though the Legislature is not in session this week, activity will resume in April. Please read on for details highlighting some of our priorities in the state budget.
Advocating for the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund in the Budget
During Budget Committee hearings in the Assembly and Senate on March 14 and 15, Ag Council spoke in favor of Governor Jerry Brown’s inclusion of nearly $5 million in his 2018-2019 budget plan to take the initial steps to provide safe drinking water for all Californians. The governor’s support is critical and appreciated. Ag Council and other supporters continue to work to educate legislators and urge them to support this budget item in order to create a Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund.
As background, many Californians are exposed to unsafe drinking water and some communities are unable to afford the cost of water treatment. Meanwhile, the State Water Resources Control Board is using existing law to threaten farmers with enforcement actions due to the use or management of nitrates leading to the contamination of groundwater in certain areas. Ag Council worked with environmental justice groups, other ag organizations, and the governor’s administration to create a solution. The result is an agreement to establish a drinking water fund—through a modest and capped fee structure—to assist communities desperately in need of safe drinking water along with a path for farmers to achieve regulatory compliance with the Board, while in the short term protecting farmers from certain nitrate-related enforcement actions.
The Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund in the governor’s budget remains open for discussion and consideration in the Assembly and Senate Budget Committees. If the item is approved in committee, it must obtain a two-thirds vote from each house.
Supporting the Cap and Trade Expenditure Plan for Agriculture
Ag Council expressed support during an Assembly Budget Committee hearing on March 21 for Governor Jerry Brown’s Cap and Trade Expenditure Plan for 2018-2019. The funds include: $102 million for ag diesel engine replacement and upgrades, $99 million to lower manure methane emissions, $34 million for energy efficiency improvements at food processing facilities, $5 million for the Healthy Soils program and $4 million for ag renewable energy projects.
Ag Council remains engaged in supporting this budget item and will keep our members apprised of its progress during the budget process.
Working to Protect Carl Moyer Program Funds
Ag Council spoke out during the Budget Committee process in March to oppose a proposal to redirect $26 million away from the Tire Recycling Management Fund (tire fees), which are utilized for the Carl Moyer Program, and instead provide those funds to the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) Fish and Game Preservation Fund in order to close a deficit in DFW’s budget. The redirection of funds takes money away from the successful and cost-effective Carl Moyer Program, which is used by farmers to help obtain cleaner on-road trucks and agricultural equipment.
Under current law, a portion of the tire fees in California go toward the Carl Moyer Program to provide needed grants for cleaner than required engines and equipment to lower emissions and benefit air quality. The budget proposal would require the Carl Moyer Program to alternatively obtain funding annually from cap and trade revenues in order to backfill the gap created in this plan.
This budget item is being held open for a decision later in the spring, and Ag Council will continue to oppose the redirection of funds.
Senator Atkins Assumes Senate Leadership Post
Sen. Toni Atkins (D-San Diego). Photo Credit: Associated Press
On March 21, Senator Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) took the helm as the new Senate President pro Tem after being unanimously elected by her colleagues. She succeeds Senator Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) as the Senate leader. Senator Atkins is the first woman to lead the California Senate and the first member of the LGBTQ community to hold the leadership position.
Ag Council appreciates Senator Atkins’ prior outreach to the ag community. She has toured farms and facilities with our members and also hosted our members in her office when she was Speaker of the Assembly. Ag Council congratulates Senator Atkins and looks forward to working with her as Senate leader.
To read her remarks after being sworn in, please click HERE.
Applications Open for Alternative Manure Management Funds
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is accepting applications for the 2018 Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP) to fund non-digester manure management projects that reduce methane emissions on dairy or livestock operations. AMMP uses cap and trade dollars to assist projects and practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, particularly in disadvantaged communities. Projects are awarded through a competitive grant process.
CDFA is hosting application assistance workshops and webinars in April. For further information about AMMP, details about the workshops and webinars, and to access the online application, please click HERE. The deadline to apply for AMMP is May 22, 2018 at 5:00 p.m.
Impact Report
From L-R: 2018 California Cultivator Award Recipient Ben Curti and Ag Council Board Chair Carl Hoff
In case you missed it, Ag Council released its 2017 Impact Report detailing public policy advocacy efforts in the regulatory and legislative arenas on behalf of our members.
Please click HERE to access the 2017 Impact Report online.
99th Annual Meeting a Success
We thank all of our annual meeting attendees for helping to make the event a success in Napa in early March.
For an overview of the meeting and events, and to view photos, please click HERE.