- Associated Press
California county's farm bureau sues over state monitoring of groundwater
A lawsuit has been filed over California's decision to take over monitoring groundwater use in part of the fertile San Joaquin Valley under a landmark law aimed at protecting the vital resource. The Kings County Farm Bureau and two landowners filed a lawsuit last week over a decision by the State Water Resources Control Board in April to place the Tulare Lake Subbasin on so-called probationary status. The move placed state officials, instead of local officials, in charge of tracking how much water is pumped from the ground in a region that state officials deemed had failed to come up with a plan to sustainably manage the resource.
- The Columbus Dispatch
Gun violence rose and spread in Columbus during pandemic, New York Times reports
Coincidentally, on the heels of five gun homicides in Columbus this weekend, the city is in the national news for its gun violence problem.
- Associated Press Finance
California congressman urges closer consultation with tribes on offshore wind
A congressman who represents California’s north coast has sent a letter to federal regulators asking that they “urgently place” a senior official in the state to respond to tribal needs as wind power is developed offshore. U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman sent the letter as the U.S. offshore wind industry begins to take shape and as tribal communities in California and Oregon express frustration with what they say is a lack of consultation on proposals that affect culturally significant waters and land. “Regional tribal nations are asking for the opportunity to help influence the way in which offshore wind is executed off the shores of the West Coast,” said Heidi Moore-Guynup, director of tribal and government affairs for Blue Lake Rancheria, in an interview Friday.
