The Barbed Wire - November 30, 2018

November 30, 2018
Butte County Supervisor Doug Teeter Provides Update on 2018 Camp Fire
Governor Issues Executive Orders to Aid Statewide Wildfire Recovery
Legislation Introduced to Extend Secure Rural Schools
U.S. Supreme Court Rules ESA Critical Habitat Must be Actual Listed Species Habitat
Farm Bill Update
Water Management
Appropriations Update
Sites Reservoir Gets Federal Funding Boost
KEEPING UP
BULLETIN BOARD

Butte County Supervisor Doug Teeter Provides Update on 2018 Camp Fire

On November 8, 2018, the deadliest wildfire in California history raged through the small northern town of Paradise in Butte County.  Ultimately, the Camp Fire claimed 85 lives, and destroyed approximately 19,000 structures.  Butte County Supervisor Doug Teeter provided RCRC staff with a tour of the devastation area on November 21, 2018, discussing both the immediate and long-term impacts of the fire upon the impacted residents of his community.  Read More…

Governor Issues Executive Orders to Aid Statewide Wildfire Recovery

Late Wednesday, Governor Edmund G. Brown issued two Executive Orders aimed at aiding wildfire recovery in communities impacted by major wildfires both this year and in 2017.  Executive Order B-58-18 waives certain activities governing educational bodies so that displaced students can return to school as quickly as possible, while Executive Order B-59-18 grants a six-month extension of price gouging prohibitions for housing in areas under emergency declarations following last year’s Northern and Southern California fires, as well as the Carr Fire, the Klamathon Fire and the Mendocino Complex Fire that occurred earlier this year. 

RCRC sent a letter to the Governor early Wednesday morning requesting a one-year extension of the price gouging prohibitions for the major 2017 and 2018 wildfires, and will follow up with the incoming Administration as the new extension expires in late May.  The Executive Orders can be viewed on the Governor’s website here.  

Legislation Introduced to Extend Secure Rural Schools

Earlier this month, U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R–Idaho) and Ron Wyden (D–Oregon) introduced legislation (S. 3654) to extend the Federal Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program for an additional year (FY 2019).  There are only a few weeks remaining to finalize the FY 2019 appropriations process.  If Congress fails to renew this long-standing federal obligation to forested county governments and forested school districts, the expiration of SRS will be difficult for many of California’s forested communities. 

Congress enacted SRS in 2000 to provide funding for rural counties and school districts to replace revenue from dwindling forest receipts due to a national decline in timber harvesting.  In March 2018, Congress enacted a comprehensive 2018 federal spending plan which reauthorized two years of SRS payments for FY 2017 and FY 2018.  The authorization of SRS expired on September 30, 2018; however, counties are expected to receive their 2018 payment in the coming weeks.

RCRC member counties are encouraged to submit letters of support to their House and Senate representatives and share them with RCRC’s Government Affairs staff.  RCRC’s letter of support for S. 3654 can be accessed here.  S. 3654 can be accessed here.

U.S. Supreme Court Rules ESA Critical Habitat Must be Actual Listed Species Habitat

In a big departure from previous interpretation of the federal Endangered Species Act, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that critical habitat designated for a threatened or endangered species must be actual habitat for that species, not simply adjacent habitat or areas that may be suitable for habitat.

Currently, critical habitat may include areas that are not occupied by a listed species, but may be designated if the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determines the areas are “essential for conservation of the species.”  The ruling not only limits the Service’s ability to designate critical habitat in the future, but also opens up challenges to past designations that have economic impacts on the regulated community.  The ruling can be viewed on the Court’s website here.

Farm Bill Update

Congress has reached an agreement on the 2018 Farm Bill and Republicans are expected to release the text of the final legislation in the coming days.  Leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees, who led the negotiations, issued a joint statement on Thursday announcing a deal had been reached.  After the final text is released, House and Senate negotiators will fight for limited time on the legislative calendar to force a floor vote on the 2018 Farm Bill before the 115th Congress concludes on December 13, 2018.  

The final text of the 2018 Farm Bill has not been released as of yet, but Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kansas) and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan) hinted the forestry title could be spun-off as a separate bill.  The forestry title of the 2018 Farm Bill was among the last pieces of the bill to be finalized, and it is unclear if a final agreement was reached.  In previous years, Congress has passed the forestry title separately from the Farm Bill when negotiations stalled over certain forestry provisions.

House Republicans are pushing forest management language that is similar to legislation that repeatedly passed the House but later failed in the Senate.  Republicans argue forest management policies that expand categorical exclusions in addition to other reforms of the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA) would improve forest resiliency to wildfires. Democrats and environmental groups paint these arguments as excuses to expand private logging on federal forest land. Senate Democrats have opposed similar Republican forestry proposals in the past including most recently the Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017 (HR 2936).

Water Management

This week, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will invest $449 million in a water storage project in the Sacramento Valley.  A USDA press release said the Department’s Community Facilities direct loan program is investing in the Maxwell Water Intertie (MWI) to increase water management flexibility and improve water supply resiliency in rural California. 

The project would connect the Tehama Colusa Canal (TC Canal) and the existing Glenn Colusa Irrigation District’s (GCID) main canal.  This new pipeline would connect water from the Funks Reservoir to the GCID system.  Once the waterway is completed, it will funnel water from the Sacramento River to the Sites Reservoir at Folsom Lake.  The site was visited this week by Secretary Perdue along with Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke and Representatives Jeff Denham (R-Stanislaus), David Valadao (R-Kings), Jim Costa (D-Madera), and John Garamendi (D-Yolo).

Appropriations Update

President Trump told lawmakers he will veto a budget that does not include $5 billion to fund a U.S.-Mexico border wall project.  A veto from the President would further delay disaster relief funds for victims of California’s wildfires.  Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Alabama) is brokering a deal with the White House that would split the $5 billion between Fiscal 2019 and Fiscal 2020, but it is unclear of President Trump will accept a compromise.  

The final appropriations package will include disaster relief funds for victims of California wildfires.  Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Pat Leahy (D-Vermont) said earlier this month that the package would include $720 million in wildfire relief, but Shelby says the Committee does not have a final number yet.

Congress has until December 7, 2018 to pass a budget or another stop gap funding measure to avoid a partial government shutdown.  The deadline is a week away and appropriators are considering a one-week extension that would allow Congress up until the last day of the 115th Congress to pass a budget for Fiscal 2017.

Sites Reservoir Gets Federal Funding Boost

Earlier this week, U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it will provide over $400 million to fund infrastructure related to the proposed Sites Reservoir – an off-stream water storage project located in Colusa and Glenn Counties that is a priority for many in the North State.  Along with state and local commitments, this federal funding will add another key piece to bringing this project to completion.  This investment represents the single largest in California and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue noted that “none of this would have happened without Director Kim Vann.”  Read More…

KEEPING UP

Announcements regarding key staffing changes of importance to California's rural counties.

Monique S. Langhorne, 43, of Vallejo, has been appointed to a judgeship in the Napa County Superior Court. Langhorne has served as a commissioner at the Napa County Superior Court since 2006. She served as a deputy district attorney at the Napa County District Attorney’s Office from 2000 to 2006 and was a family support officer at the Napa County Department of Child Support Services from 1999 to 2000. Langhorne earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley. Effective December 4, 2018, she will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Rodney G. Stone. Langhorne is a Democrat.

BULLETIN BOARD

Announcements regarding hearings, grants, and public comment notices of importance to California's rural counties.

USDA Rural Development Seeks Staff Members

USDA Rural Development is hiring several full-time positions in California.  Positions will be offered at various offices throughout the state – Alturas, Auburn, Davis, Eureka, Imperial, Indio, Oroville, Redding, Santa Maria, Santa Rosa and Yreka.

USDA Rural Development is looking for individuals with experience and/or education in finance, loan and credit analysis, commercial and/or agriculture lending, real estate development and economic development.  Positions are open to all U.S. citizens.

Several positions will be posted in the coming days and weeks on www.usajobs.gov.  Not every position is offered in every location, and positions will not all be posted at the same time, so be sure to check back often!

Inyo County Seeks Public Works Director

Click here 

Funding Available for Supportive Housing Multifamily Housing Program (SHMHP)

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No Place Like Home Competitive Training Workshop – Shasta County

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Funding Available for Community Development Block Grant Program for Non-Entitlement Jurisdictions

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