Spotlight on green news & views: COP 20 climate talks in Lima, fracking heading toward the wall?

A 600,000-gallon oil spill from a breach in the Trans-Israel Pipeline made this mess.
But its toxic effects aren't just fouling the desert.

A 600,000-gallon oil spill from a breach in the Trans-Israel Pipeline made this mess.
But its toxic effects aren't just fouling the desert.

Many environmentally related posts appearing at Daily Kos each week don't attract the attention they deserve. To help get more eyeballs, Spotlight on Green News & Views (previously known as the Green Diary Rescue) normally appears twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The most recent Wednesday Spotlight can be seen here. More than 20,210 environmentally oriented diaries have been rescued for inclusion in this weekly collection since 2006. Inclusion of a diary in the Spotlight does not necessarily indicate my agreement with or endorsement of it.

Daily Tck: Day 4 of the UN climate talks in Lima—by Joshua Wiese: "“COP’s the most terrible time of the year.” That was the headline of a blog by our Philippines Tracker, who arrived in Lima just weeks after joining a 1000km ‘Climate Walk’ across her country, commemorating Super Typhoon Haiyan’s one-year anniversary. Another super typhoon is due to make landfall in the Philippines on Friday—the third such devastating storm to strike the country during the annual end of year round of UN climate talks—once again offering up a too-real illustration of the high-stakes of the climate challenge. Yesterday’s procedural wranglings over how to negotiate the scope and content of countries’ national contributions to the 2015 agreement bled into this morning, as developing countries sought ways to better advance issues like finance and adaptation. Once they found a way forward, the on-going issue of the length of commitment periods resurfaced. Five year commitment periods could capture the fast evolving dynamics of domestic political and energy situations and the bloc of Latin American countries AILAC led the chorus of governments pushing to that end. The EU, on the other hand, earned the ire of many of our partners (and a Fossil of the Day award) for pushing a 10 year commitment period; more likely to lock low levels of ambition in to any future climate deal."

Media Bias is 25 Sports Writers and Zero Environment Reporters—by Willinois: "Any news outlet that distributes information unflattering to Republicans or views out of step with conservative ideology will be hounded with cries of 'liberal media bias.' The badgering will continue until all news outlets are as "fair and balanced" as Fox News. But the most consequential expression of bias in the press is in what stories are covered and what's ignored. I checked reporting staff listed on four of downstate Illinois' largest newspapers: The Peoria Journal-Star, Belleville News-Democrat, State Journal-Register, and Southern Illinoisan. They list 25 sports writers and editors between them. They name zero editors or reporters primarily dedicated to energy, climate change, and the environment. That's your media bias. The same problem exists in national news outlets but the impacts hit harder in local news. The most important stories are sometimes covered by reporters who have limited subject background. Fewer environmental stories are covered at all."

Cap & Trade Working in California—by Joliem: "What's happened in California in the last year now that it's "struggling" under the burden of cap-and-trade? So far, it actually seems to be working extraordinarily well. Forbes published an article laying out Four Reasons California Cap And Trade Had An Extraordinary First Year. According to the article, the program has been well run and successful in conducting it's auction. It's had a marginal (if any) impact on California's economy, which continues to recover. I was a little worried about this from my uneducated viewpoint. I mean if you listened to the pundits (John & Ken, Rush Limbaugh, etc.), we were all going to be unemployed and homeless if cap-and-trade went into effect in California. I wish I was exaggerating. But that's exactly how strong conservatives sounded when they spoke about cap-and-trade."

Shale Oil Industry about to hit the wall—by gjohnsit: "Oil prices have hit sub-$50 levels at the wellhead in North Dakota. That’s down 47 percent from this year’s peak in June, and 29 percent less than the $70.15 paid for Brent, the global benchmark. In Oklahoma City gas has fallen below $2. This has led to a lot of misconceptions that I'm going to try and clear up. First of all, the United States is the second-largest consumer of oil in the world (behind China), so there is a strong element of positive economic effect from the crash in oil prices. However, the United States has become the second-largest producer of oil in the world (only slightly behind Saudi Arabia), thus there is nearly as large of negative effect on the economy. Make no mistake, the shale oil boom has produced a lot of jobs in the midwest. The Perryman Group estimates that the industry as a whole generates an economic stimulus of almost $1.2 trillion in gross product each year, as well as more than 9.3 million permanent jobs across the nation. There have been a number of people telling us that there is nothing to worry about because the shale oil producers are hedged, and to an extent that is true. However, a) their hedges vary a great deal and have a limited lifespan, and b) that isn't the only factor involved here."

You will feel the effect of today's CO2 emission in about ten years.—by don mikulecky: "This is really an important study: CO2 warming effects felt just a decade after being emitted. This is according to researchers at the Carnegie Institute for Science who have dispelled a common misconception that the main warming effects from a CO2 emission will not be felt for several decades. It is interesting to speculate how many people are aware of this. The whole system of change is speeding up the more we learn about it."

You can find more rescued green diaries below the orange garden layout.

Climate Chaos

Daily Tck: Day 3 of the UN climate talks in Lima—by Joshua Wiese: "(This dispatch is compiled by the GCCA team at the UN climate change conference in Lima, Peru, Runs December 1-12.) Wednesday’s talks opened with a serious dose of climate reality. Lima’s famous fog gave way to oppressive heat, just in time for the World Meteorological Organization’s press conference with UN climate chief Christiana Figueres, warning that 2014 is on track to be the warmest year on record. Civil society also turned up the heat with an action in response to yesterday’s media reports exposing Japan’sassertion that US $1 billion in international loans for coal-fired power plant loans should count as part of their climate finance contribution. Governments dug deeper into negotiations on the new global climate agreement, focusing on the text that will shape the contents of countries’ individual contributions - called Intended Nationally Determined Commitments (INDCs); and a text elaborating on elements that will make up the 2015 deal, such as adaptation, finance, mitigation, and technology. On the latter, negotiators won’t need to reach a final agreement in Lima. They will need to get countries’ views on the table and reflected in the text in a fair way, and they’ve only just started."

Awaiting Typhoon Hagupit. Daily Tck: Day 5 of the UN climate talks in Lima—by Joshua Wiese: "Brace yourself - the following paragraphs are heavy. Super Typhoon Hagupit, locally called Ruby, closed in on the Philippines - forcing theevacuation of over half a million people- and is expected to make landfall Saturday afternoon (Lima time). Many of those evacuated were still living in tents after the devastation caused last year by Super Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013, which left more than 7,300 people dead and missing. Bigger and more destructive extreme weather events like Typhoon Hagupit are expected to become the new normal if climate change is not addressed quickly. While science relating to a global trend of increased typhoons remains incomplete, there is clear evidence that climate change is contributing to a trend of fewer but much more destructive typhoons near the Philippines. In addition to warmer ocean temperatures fueling storm intensity, sea levels have risen eight inches globally as a result of warming, which in turn makes storm surges more destructive. Hagupit is expected to have up to 16 ft of storm surge, a foot more than was predicted for Haiyan. Despite predictions of 15 ft, Haiyan experienced as much as 46 ft of storm surge."

Barbara Streisand: Singer, Songwriter, Climate Hoax Perpetrator—by ClimateDenierRoundup: "In Mother Jones, David Corn recalls an interview he once had with Senator Inhofe—the man slated to become the head of the Senate's Environment and Public Works committee. When Corn pressed Inhofe about who was responsible for the grand hoax of climate change, Inhofe blamed none other than singer Barbara Streisand. The Hill reports that Streisand, after reading the story, took to twitter to say, 'This wld be hilarious if it weren’t so frightening. I thank Sen Inhofe for singling me out as a voice against the perils of climate change,' and, 'God help us! This man is going to head the Committee on the Environment in the U.S. Senate. Like giving a fox the keys to the chicken coop.' Marc Morano, ever loyal to his former boss and closest Congressional ally, quickly put up a post on Climate Depot explaining that, actually, Inhofe is 'correct and backed by evidence.' The 'evidence' is the fact that 25 years ago, Streisand donated $250,000 to the Environmental Defense Fund."

Climate Change Weather Warning: Risks Rising Around Globe - Keeping Up With The News—by xaxnar: "The British Royal Society is warning that Climate Change will increase the risks from extreme weather. It's not just from the weather alone; more people from rising world population will be living in areas at risk, an aging population will be less able to tolerate weather extremes, and food production will be threatened. Climate Change is a moving target. News stories are coming out all the time, as are efforts to suppress and confuse the issue. How to keep up? [...] The other thing that needs to be noted is that not only are risks increasing, the incidence of extreme weather is increasing. Via the Guardian UK: Climate scientists in Germany noticed that since 2000 there have been an 'exceptional number of summer weather extremes, some causing massive damage to society.' So they examined the huge meanders in the high-level jet stream winds that dominate the weather at mid-latitudes, by analysing 35 years of wind data amassed from satellites, ships, weather stations and meteorological balloons. They found that blocking patterns, which occur when these meanders slow down, have happened far more frequently."

Extreme Weather & Natural Phenomena

New Super Typhoon forms on a track for the Philippines—by Lefty Coaster: "A new Super Typhoon has formed in the Western Pacific is is on a track heading towards the Philippines. Latest indications are its losing some of it intensity. The military was on high alert and thousands of families were evacuated Friday morning as Super Typhoon Hagupit and its 180-mph winds remained on course for landfall in areas of the Philippines devastated by Super Typhoon Haiyan last year One year ago today I was doing disaster relief volunteer work in the central Philippine island of Bohol. I saw what a Super Typhoon could do first hand. This is frightening news no matter where this new monster makes landfall. The present projected track would take it over the Metro Manila area. Extreme weather events are becoming the destructive new norm."

Major Typhoon to Hit Philippines—by brooklynliberal: "Here we go again. Typhoon Hagupit (Tagalog for 'lash') is headed DIRECTLY for the very areas hit by Yolanda a year ago. Eastern Samar Island, a rural area which borders Leyte Island and was severely devastated last year, will bear the brunt of first landfall. It's a Category 4, not as extreme as Yolanda, but still expected to affect 30 million people. Please keep the Philippines in your thoughts and prayers."

Energy & Conservation

Upside-Down Morals Down-Under—by ClimateDenierRoundup: "Although various incarnations of the energy poverty argument have existed for a while, its recent surge in popularity seems to have kicked off last year, when Marc Morano went to congratulate Australians for stepping back from climate action. Since then, Tony Abbott has said that, 'coal is good for humanity'; the Aussie treasurer Joe Hockey claimed that, 'we export coal to lift nations out of poverty'; and the Finance Minister simply stated 'coal is good.' Now 'good' can have plenty of meanings, but we're not sure it fits with coal's track record. In the EU alone, the biggest 300 coal power plants cause an estimated 22,300 premature deaths annually. In India, one report estimates that coal-fired power plants caused around 100,000 deaths from 2011-2012. In China, one study found that air pollution (which is mainly caused by coal) was responsible for 1.2 million deaths in 2010, while another study found that air pollution will cause the loss of an aggregate 2.5 billion life-years for 500 million people.

Renewables

Canada's environmental jobs now surpass all oil/tar sands jobs—by Walter Einenkel: "Great news out of Canada: About $25-billion has been invested in Canada’s clean-energy sector in the past five years, and employment is up 37 per cent, according to a new report from climate think tank Clean Energy Canada to be released Tuesday. That means the 23,700 people who work in green energy organizations outnumber the 22,340 whose work relates to the oil sands, the report says. Over the past five years, Canada's wind, solar, biomass, and hydro energy capacity has increased 93%. The investments have grown and results are coming in."

Fracking

First Texas City to Ban Fracking Cites "Public Nuisance" in Lawsuit Response—by Steve Horn: "Attorneys representing Denton, Texas, the first city to ban hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) in state history, have issued rebuttals to the two lawsuits filed against Denton the day after the fracking ban was endorsed by voters on election day. Responding to lawsuits brought byattorneys with intimate Bush family connections—with complaints coming from both the Texas General Land Office and theTexas Oil and Gas Association—the Denton attorneys have signaled the battle has only just begun in the city situated in the heart and soul of the Barnett Shale, the birthplace of fracking. In its response to the Texas Oil and Gas Association, Denton’s attorneys argued the Association did not provide sufficient legal evidence that the Texas constitution demarcates the Texas Railroad Commission or the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality as the only governmental bodies that can regulate or permit fracking."

Environmental Groups File Motion to Intervene in Defense of Denton Fracking Ban—by Steve Horn: "Just days after attorneys representing Denton, Texas submitted their initial responses to two legal complaints filed against Denton—the first Texas city ever to ban hydraulic fracturing ('fracking')—environmental groups have filed an intervention petition. That is, a formal request to enter the two lawsuits filed against the city after its citizens voted to ban fracking on election day. Denton Drilling Awareness Group and Earthworks are leading the intervention charge, represented by attorneys from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Earthjustice. The drilling awareness group runs the Frack Free Denton campaign. Those groups have joined up with attorneys representing Denton to fight lawsuits filed against the city by both the Texas Oil and Gas Association and the Texas General Land Commission."

Center launches lawsuit against offshore fracking in Santa Barbara Channel—by Dan Bacher: "The enormous influence of the oil industry, the largest and most powerful corporate lobby in California, has allowed it to frack offshore waters in the Santa Barbara Channel over the past 20 years undeterred by state and federal state regulators. These environmentally destructive fracking operations may be finally halted if the Center for Biological Diversity has its way. The Center on December 4 filed a notice of intent to sue the U.S. Interior Department for violating three federal laws by rubber-stamping offshore fracking in California’s Santa Barbara Channel without evaluating its polluting effects on coastal communities or blue whales, sea otters and other marine wildlife."

Agriculture, Food & Gardening

Action Alert: GOP to Greater Minnesota Farmers: We're Going to Shut YOU Up!—by Phoenix Woman: "The Minnesota Republicans who just won back the lower state chamber after the urbane West Metro billionaires that love them funded a multi-million-dollar campaign depicting Republicans as hearty ruralist friends of the farmers. Turns out that just as the way they show their rural love is by building million-plus-dollar 5800-square- foot homes in the Twin Cities while only having tiny 800-foot cottages in their districts, the way they show friendship is by taking away your rights. [...]  The Action Alert is past the fold. The Land Stewardship Project has the details: The Minnesota Senate Rural Task Force met on Nov. 12 to discuss rural Minnesota initiatives that could be brought up during the state legislative session that begins Jan. 6. On a short list of three agenda items was 'Rural Permitting Discussion.' This 'discussion' focused on corporate ag advocates attacking local control of factory farms and the recent decision by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) Citizens’ Board to order an in-depth environmental review on an 8,800+ cow dairy in Stevens County."

Iowa's pig farms polluting drinking water so that China can feed its Spam appetite—by VL Baker: "Iowa has gone Hog Wild  with the proliferation of thousands of pig factory farms. Factory Farms are Poisoning Iowa's Drinking Water. Millions of pigs are crammed into overcrowded barns all across the state, being fattened for slaughter while breeding superbugs—all to feed China's growing appetite for Spam. Between May and July 2013, as downpours sheeted off drought-hardened fields, scientists at the Des Moines Water Works watched manure contamination spike to staggering levels at intake sites on the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers. These two major tributaries of the Mississippi are also the usual sources of drinking water for roughly one out of every six Iowans. But at one point last summer, nitrate in the Raccoon reached 240 percent of the level allowed under the Clean Water Act, and the DMWW warned parents not to let children drink from the tap, reminding them of the risk of blue baby syndrome. (Nitrate impairs the oxygen capacity of the bloodstream; in babies and toddlers the syndrome can effectively cut off their air supply, rendering them a deathly blue.) Nitrate levels from farm runoff and from agricultural manure runoff has caused the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers in Iowa to reach historical levels of nitrate pollution  causing the Des Moines Water Works to have to take expensive, last ditch measures to try to protect the areas drinking water."

Are you up to watching the best food prank ever?—by VL Baker. Watch if you dare.

Nick Kristof: Abusing Chickens We Eat—by teacherken: "Today he writes about agribusiness, specifically, about a farmer who raises chickens for Perdue who had an attack of conscience after watching an ad of Jim Perdue talking about raising chickens 'humanely'—and notes The company’s labels carry a seal of approval from the Department of Agriculture asserting that the bird was 'raised cage free,' and sometimes 'humanely raised,' although it says it is phasing that one out. Such labels appeal to many customers. Except, as farmer Craig Watts of NC, whose family has been on its farm since the 1700s and who has raised chickens for Perdue for more than two decades knows, the labels are not really true."

Four National Farm and Food Policy Plans: Part 1—by Iowa Farm Activist: "As we consider the new proposal for a National Food Policy,[1] here’s some background on earlier national farming plans might be helpful.  Here is a discussion of four such plans, with the first two sections covering the same basic approach, followed by three other, more recent reports. PROPOSAL FOR "NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL PLANNING" 
THE AGRICULTURAL ADJUSTMENT ACT, 1933. This section comes from information in Al Krebs book, The Corporate Reapers: The Book of Agribusiness. It explains how the original farm bill effort was the fulfillment of a goal for 'national agricultural planning.' HENRY A. WALLACE STATEMENT: 'ACHIEVING A BALANCED AGRICULTURE.' This is Henry A. Wallace's 1940 book in the farm programs.  It serves better as a statement of national policy, as it's written after the farm bill had settled down into a more coherent form. It addresses a lot of concerns that are relevant to the Sustainable Food Movement of today, by explaining in a very well integrated way the original purposes of the farm bill as a whole, (including the 'food' sections,) by filling in some gaps in our historical knowledge today, and by correcting a number of misunderstandings."

National Farm AND Food Policy, Response to Bittman et al—by Iowa Farm Activist: "Mark Bittman, Michael Pollan, Ricardo Salvador and Olivier De Schutter have been doing some integrative work on farm and food policy issues, as seen in the recent call for a 'National Food Policy' from President Obama, in The Washington Post. 'How a national food policy could save millions of American lives'. This is an important contribution to the Farm and Food Movement of today, and deserves serious discussion. The proposal certainly contains a broad diversity of ideas that are widely shared. My response to it comes from the farm side, and specifically from the Farm Justice or Family Farm Movement point of view. My thesis is that what’s needed is a policy that more fully incorporates the farm side into it, which means that it’s a policy that, in it’s formulation, includes, rather than excludes, the 'family farm' point of view, which represents about 5 decades of extensive experience with the issues, and which which emphasizes farm-side justice (or 'farm justice')."

Saturday Morning Garden Blogging Vol. 10.41—by Frankenoid: "Denver's weather has not been getting me into the mood for Christmas. The high on December 2nd was 65°. Overnight lows have bobbed around the freezing mark.  Average daily temperatures are 5° or so above normal. And no moisture.  We need moisture—always. The forecast isn't showing any Christmas-type weather coming up, so I'll just have to charge through Christmas preparations without it."

Transportation & Infrastructure

Wisconsin Department of Stupidity Proposes New Fee on Hybrid and Electric Cars—by Heywaitaminute : "One example of just how retrograde the Republican mindset has grown in the Badger State is a recent DOT proposal to raise the auto registration fees on hybrid and electric cars. That's right, specifically on hybrid and electric models. This proposal is both a manifest stupidity and, more importantly, a distraction. More to come on what it hides. There is no sane, rational, objective way to justify this fee. It is, quite transparently, a provocation, a poke in the eye to those who see right through the governor's actions to the puppet masters pulling his strings. Responsible, civic-minded residents here still labor to get the creature indicted and see justice done."

Trade & Eco-Related Foreign Policy

Obama Will Twist Democrats' Arms to Support Fast Track for TPP—by Th0rn: "I'd think that if it were really the case that this 'free trade' bill really 'will help raise labor and environmental standards' and 'that trade brought benefits for workers' there wouldn't be any reason to keep its terms a state secret from the public and from the Congress that has to answer to the public. There wouldn't be any reason to keep it a secret from the public until the very last moment. There wouldn't be any need to tie the hands of lawmakers to keep them from changing any part of what the business lobbyists have written to benefit themselves and their clients. Is all the other free trade agreements have led all the businesses who want to offshore already, so don't worry about it really a good argument for making yet another one? Why doesn't the president want to articulate the principles and vision of the party of which he is the leader instead of demonstrating to Republicans that he's willing to wade into the fight for theirs?"

Critters & the Great Outdoors

Save Our Seabirds Rescue Center (Photo Diary)—by Lenny Flank: "Photos from a recent visit to the Save Our Seabirds Rescue center in Sarasota, Florida. They rescue and rehabilitate wild birds that have been injured. It unfortunately had most of the species commonly seen in the area, and many of them were not releasable to the wild (most with wing injuries--in some of the photos you can see the wing droop)."

The Daily Bucket , One Picture—by Wood Gas: "Just one view today, Call it Autistic Obsession Artistic Expression, or just self indulgence, but the important thing in a Bucket, are the comments and of course your own pictures, We like more than one picture."

Daily Bucket: Florida's Invaders--Capybara—by Lenny Flank: "People who wander around in the wilds of northern Florida may be shocked to encounter a 'rodent of unusual size' that looks like an enormous guinea pig. This is the Capybara, a giant South American rodent that has now made Florida its home. The largest group of living mammals are, by far, the rodents, with about 1500 species. And the largest of the living rodents is the Capybara, Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris. Weighing in at around 100 pounds, the Capybara's closest living relatives are the familiar petshop Guinea Pigs or Cavies. Like the Guinea Pig, the Capybara is native to South America, but unlike its tiny mountain-dwelling cousin, the Capybara is an animal of riverbanks and canals. Capybaras once lived in North America. During the Ice Ages, there were two different species of Capybara living in the southern US, including Florida. They went extinct about 10,000 years ago—likely with a little help from the humans that invaded the area. Since then, Capybaras have been limited to South America."

Multiple Stressors Impacting Honey Bee Colonies—by jtietz: "Bees are recognized for their work in developing hive products such as honey and beeswax but their work as crop pollinators is the most significant contribution to agriculture. Pollination services are provided throughout the United States and consist of managed honey bee colonies that are transported two to three times during the nectar-producing season. The bee industry in Florida produces a quantity of honey valued at $8 million to $11 million annually. On a national scale, the value of United States crops pollinated by honey bees in 2010 was valued around $12.4 billion worth of directly dependent crops and $6.8 billion of indirectly dependent crops. Although there is an expected loss in bees over the course of the year, such as a rate of 15 percent during the winter seasons, the rate has been averaging an unsustainable 30 to 31 percent of colonies annually in the United States since 2006. This widespread bee loss has been deemed as colony collapse disorder."

The Daily Bucket - winter colors in the ferry marsh—by OceanDiver: "The tide was super high the last time I came through the ferry dock at Anacortes. Usually I walk along the beach down as far as the derelict pilings that are all remaining of the fish canneries giving this bay the name Ship Harbor. I had an hour or so to wait for my boat though, so I wandered around by the marsh behind the beach instead. The dormant vegetation was surprisingly colorful, even on this classically overcast Northwest day. Never bypass an opportunity to walk around outside ... you never know what surprises you'll find, even right next to a giant parking lot. [...] Puddle ducks forage and rest in the marsh all year. Today some Mallards groom and nap."

Trash, Pollution & Hazardous Waste

Israel has massive 4 mile long oil spill. Jordanian city of Aqaba sickened by toxic fumes.—by Pakalolo: "Think Progress reports that a 600,000-gallon oil spill occurred in southern Israel's Evrona Nature Reserve. The spill was due to a breach in the 153 mile long Trans-Israel pipeline. The breach and subsequent spill took place in the desert near Eilat, a southern Israel city with a population of about 50,000 people. Though the city itself is not said to be in immediate danger, the now-4.3 mile river of oil is reportedly making its way toward the Jordanian border, where fumes have already been detected. The Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection is warning people to stay away from the spill, noting that oil “can be a health concern,” contaminating land and releasing hazardous gas. The Ministry noted that a triathlon had been scheduled in Eilat for Thursday, and recommended it be cancelled in light of the fumes. Some Israeli media outlets have already reported adverse effects to human health. According to at least one media report, more than 80 people in the neighboring city of Aqaba, Jordan, had been hospitalized for breathing difficulties due to hydrogen sulfide in the air."

Oceans, Water & Drought

Conservation groups call on Feinstein to oppose Valadao drought bill—by Dan Bacher: "Restore the Delta (RTD) and a coalition of environmental groups, fishing organizations and Indian Tribes today urged Senator Dianne Feinstein to keep her word regarding drought legislation and to ensure that H.R. 5781, Congressman David Valadao's salmon-killing "drought relief" bill, is not converted into language that is added on to other pieces of federal legislation in the lame duck session. 'It is our understanding that if H.R. 5781 passes it could jeopardize future urban water supplies because reservoirs could be over pumped in the present for agricultural water needs,' said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of Restore the Delta. 'Furthermore, by bringing this bill to Congress in lame duck session, Congressman David Valadao has once again started a secret negotiation process for water management in California that excludes 99% of California’s population.' 'As Representative Louise Slaughter noted in the rules committee congressional hearing yesterday, California should work out how to manage its own drought,' concluded Barrigan-Parrilla."