Our Issue: Central Coast State Water Quality Control Board Timber Harvest Waivers

Update

Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board
As mentioned in a recent newsletter, we actually made some progress with the water quality board. Staff conceded that our normal erosion mitigations work and that much of the data we’ve been required to report is not useful. They have modified reporting requirements for those with GENERAL WAIVERS, and those requirements are retroactive. Those with INDIVIDUAL WAIVERS are still subject to the full reporting requirements. See this link for the revised requirements: http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/centralcoast/board_decisions/adopted_orders/2005/2005_0066_mrp_gen_waiver_timber_harvest_7_10_2009.pdf

WLPZ rules
pending guidance from foresters.

Useful new site for monitoring legislation affecting farms:
Our Board member Doug White found this site run by the California Farm Bureau Federation (http://capwiz.com/cfbf/issues/?style=D). The Farm Team lists legislation, mostly national, working its way through Congress that will have an affect on farming. We may not always agree with the Farm Bureau’s position, but it is a very convenient location for finding and tracking these bills. A bill of particular interest to our members is: Bill #H.R. 3524 - the Family Farm Preservation Estate Tax Act, which addresses the problem of family farms being put out of business when the owner dies because his heirs must sell the infrastructure to pay the estate tax. Since most of our members have their money in the land and not the bank account, we should support this. See: http://capwiz.com/cfbf/issues/bills/?bill=13982726

Another bill, this one frightening, is the Clean Water Restoration Act, S. 787 ( http://capwiz.com/cfbf/issues/bills/?bill=13336966 ). This bill hugely expands the ability of the government to regulate every puddle on your land.

Explore this site, sign up for their alerts, put in your two-cents’ worth.

back to the top