YOUR SOURCE FOR CAWG AND INDUSTRY NEWS. FOR CAWG MEMBERS ONLY. |
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$5M in Federal Funding Earmarked for Wildfire Smoke Research |
The House Appropriations Committee on June 30 approved the fiscal year 2022 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies bill by voice vote. In the bill, the committee seeks to increase funding for USDA, FDA and other related agencies by $2.851 billion, more than 10% above the previous fiscal year. The committee addressed a key spending priority for CAWG and other wine industry organizations by increasing funding for wildfire smoke research by $1.5 million for a total commitment of $5 million annually.
Appropriations bill language detailed the scope of USDA’s Agricultural Research Service on wildfire smoke:
The Committee supports research to identify the compounds responsible for smoke taint, establish a reliable database of background levels of smoke taint compounds occurring naturally in winegrapes, develop mitigation methods to reduce or eliminate smoke taint, and study compounds that can act as a barrier between the grapes and smoke compounds. In addition, the Committee supports research to establish standard methodologies for sampling and testing of smoke exposed grapes and smoke affected wines. The Committee provides an additional $1,500,000 above the fiscal year 2021 level in support of these research efforts.
The appropriations bill awaits action by the full House. The Senate is expected to pass an appropriations bill reflecting its spending priorities sometime in September.
—John Aguirre / john@cawg.org
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Property Insurance in Fire Zones |
As wildfires have become a year-round threat in the West, property insurance in high fire hazard severity zones are becoming increasingly unaffordable or unavailable. This is putting a strain on business operations and financing.
To address this, state Sen. Susan Rubio (D-Los Angeles) is authoring SB 11 which would allow the California FAIR Plan to offer insurance for structures on ag land. FAIR Plan was established so that all California property owners have access to basic fire insurance when access to coverage in the traditional market is not available through no fault of the property owner.
CAWG supports SB 11, which is moving through the California Legislature with strong bipartisan support. The bill was recently amended to add an urgency measure, which means it would take effect as soon as it is signed into law. Additionally, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced his support of SB 11 and said that he would expedite any administrative review needed to implement SB 11.
CAWG believes passage of SB 11 may mean FAIR Plan policies can be available as early as this summer or early fall.
—Michael Miiller / michael@cawg.org / (916) 204-0485
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Western Governors Participate in President Biden's Virtual Wildfire Briefing |
President Biden on June 30 hosted a virtual briefing with Western state governors, cabinet officials and others “to discuss the critical need to work together to strengthen prevention, preparedness and response efforts for this wildfire season in the West.” Gov. Newsom’s office said Newsom would discuss the state’s efforts to support wildfire suppression, improve forest health and build resilience in high-risk communities.
RELATED ARTICLE
Capital Public Radio, June 29
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California Resident Named U.S. Forest Service Chief |
Randy Moore, head of the U.S. Forest Service's Pacific Southwest Region in Vallejo, Calif., this week was named the 20th chief of the U.S. Forest Service. Moore has been serving in his current role since 2007. According to a USDA press release, he has been on the forefront of California's response to the dramatic increase in catastrophic wildfires over the last decade. He has responsibility for 18 national forests, covering one-fifth of the state on 20 million acres of land.
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Government Relations Report |
NEWSOM RECALL ELECTION SET FOR SEPT. 14
Secretary of State Shirley Weber has certified that enough signatures have been gathered to set a recall election of Gov. Gavin Newsom. "Of the 2,161,349 signatures submitted, 1,719,900 have been determined to be valid," Weber's office said in a notice. This was well in excess of the 1.5 million signatures needed.
Additionally, conservative talk show host Larry Elder, 69, today issued a brief statement saying he was seriously considering entering the race and would announce his decision early next week.
California Republican leaders have been seeking a popular candidate who could turn out Republican voters in a special election, which typically sees low voter participation. Elder, a well-known Republican in Southern California and frequent guest on Fox News, could be such a candidate.
SCOTUS CAMPAIGN FINANCE DECISION
California law requires all charities that collect money from state residents to provide the state with a copy of a federal IRS form which identifies a charity’s largest contributors. A federal appeals court had upheld California’s practice, ruling that collecting that information helps prevent charities from committing fraud. The U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) today reversed that decision, thereby throwing out the California law.
The law was targeted at nonprofit spending in political campaigns and ballot measures. Policymakers in Sacramento believed this kind of disclosure would lead to greater transparency in campaign financing. However, in a 6-3 decision SCOTUS relied on Citizens United and other precedent decisions and ruled the law violated the First Amendment right to free speech.
This is an important decision, especially in California where election reform advocates have pressured the Legislature to ban all corporate political spending. The decades-long debate on political spending has been centered around the pursuit of “clean money” laws. This means that any political spending that is not “clean” is deemed to be “dirty.” This framing of the debate then moved to “dark money,” which involves increased transparency in political spending. This dark money debate is at the core of this court decision. The SCOTUS decision puts aside that debate (which is often filled with rhetoric) and instead leans heavily on the First Amendment.
—Michael Miiller / michael@cawg.org / (916) 204-0485
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Providing the very best California crop insurance services. |
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2021 California Green Medal Award Winners Announced |
Congratulations to the recipients of the seventh annual California Green Medal: Sustainable Winegrowing Leadership Awards! The awards recognize the leadership of wineries and vineyards that are committed to sustainability.
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Leader Award: O’Neill Vintners and Distillers
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Environment Award: Shannon Ridge Family of Wines
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Community Award: Boisset Collection
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Business Award: Trinchero Family Estates
CAWG is proud to be one of the organizations presenting the awards, along with the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance, Wine Institute, Lodi Winegrape Commission, Napa Green, Napa Valley Vintners, Sonoma County Winegrowers and Vineyard Team. Thank you to the judges and to the award sponsors (Wine Business Monthly, Farm Credit Alliance, Amorim Cork America, Protected Harvest and ETS Laboratories).
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Gas Tax Increase Effective July 1 |
The gas tax in California, which has the highest gas tax in the country, has increased again. The excise tax rates for gas and diesel fuel has increased for the period of July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022. The tax rate will be 51.1 cents per gallon (up from 50.5 cents) for gas and 38.9 cents per gallon (up from 38.5 cents) for diesel fuel.
The AAA gas prices website shows California’s average gas price on July 1 is $4.28 per gallon. It also has a breakdown of average prices by metro area, county and state, including comparisons to prices a week, month and year ago.
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Free White Paper on Cal/OSHA ETS |
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With over 30 harvests, the G3 Ag Team has deep experience in winegrape hauling. Our operational expertise and agile planning combine to provide responsive service for wineries and grape growers large and small. Click on image or here to view video.
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Drought Assistance: EQIP Applications Due July 12 |
Natural Resources Conservation Service-California is offering drought assistance through a new pilot program: the Environmental Quality Incentives Program-Conservation Incentive Contracts (EQIP-CIC). The program will provide long-term support to address drought on ag and other lands. Six high-priority areas were identified for the program, including statewide cropland and San Joaquin Valley cropland.
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Drought, SGMA on the Agenda for State Board of Food and Ag Meeting |
WHEN: July 6 / 10 a.m.
TOPICS: Russian River update, CA drought (drinking water + local response), Sustainable Groundwater Management Act and groundwater sustainability plans. Speakers represent government, water agencies and agriculture.
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Republicans Raise Concerns About WOTUS Reversal |
Nearly 130 Republicans have written a letter outlining their concerns about the Biden administration’s plan to reverse the Trump administration’s Navigable Waters Protection Rule. The letter is in response to the U.S. EPA and Department of the Army June 9 announcement about initiating a new rulemaking process to revise the definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS). “Regulation of the nation’s waters must be done in a manner that responsibly protects the environment without unnecessary and costly expansion of the federal government in order to prevent unreasonable and burdensome regulations and to protect small businesses, farmers and families,” the legislators wrote.
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With excessive heat warnings, Cal/OSHA this week issued a reminder to employers to provide water, rest, shade and training to protect outdoor workers from heat illness.
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WATER
ACWA, June 30
California AgNet/American Vineyard Magazine, June 30
Capital Public Radio, June 26
OTHER
June issue
Wine Institute, July 1
USTR, June 30
The Counter, June 29
PD/GWSS Board chair Steve McIntyre interviewed.
Ag Net West, June 24
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Past Episodes of Office Hours with Dave and Anita |
This webinar series – with Drs. David Block and Anita Oberholster of the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology – has produced 17 episodes since April 2020. Those episodes, as well as numerous other videos, are available on the department's YouTube channel.
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CAWG FOUNDATION GOLF TOURNEY |
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Photos from the Tournament! |
Check out the nearly 100 photos snapped by CAWG's event organizer Jenny Devine!
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JULY
July 21 / CAWG Annual Meeting - virtual
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