Hello? Will the state give corporations control of its water? – Methow Valley News
If you lived in Twisp after the town lost its water rights, irrigated spawning salmon in your farm fields or waited in vain for water to appear at the empty end of the Methow Valley Irrigation District’s ditch, you understand water trouble.
30+ Companies, Boards, NGOs Join Farmers, Ranchers to Endorse a Shared Vision for Sustainable Food Systems – U.S. Farmers and Ranchers In Action
St. Louis, March 23, 2021 – U.S. Farmers & Ranchers in Action (USFRA) is celebrating National Ag Day by announcing the growing list of companies, organizations and individuals who have joined the Decade of Ag, the first sector-wide movement to align to a shared vision for the next decade centered around investing in the next generation of agricultural systems, restoring our environment, regenerating natural resources and in doing so, strengthening the social and economic fabric of America.
"The most significant piece of climate legislation the state has ever considered" - Washington State Wire
SB 5126 passed out of the Senate Ways and Means Committee last night, bringing one of the legislature’s most ambitious pieces of climate legislation ever considered one step closer to enactment.
The bill creates a system referred to as “cap and invest” where funds generated from auctioning the rights or licenses to create carbon emissions will be invested into capital infrastructure. In the case of the current bill, this would equal between $272m and $551m per year dedicated to transportation infrastructure starting in FY 2023.
But just having a brain isn’t enough. It’s using the power of this small, mighty organ to do what technology can’t do nearly as well: adapt and create.
Phish Leads to Breach at Calif. State Controller — Krebs on Security
A phishing attack last week gave attackers access to email and files at the California State Controller’s Office (SCO), an agency responsible for handling more than $100 billion in public funds each year...“This isn’t even the full extent of the breach,” said the California state employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Ne’er-do-wells leaked personal data — including phone numbers — for some 553 million Facebook users this week. Facebook says the data was collected before 2020 when it changed things to prevent such information from being scraped from profiles.
The HaveIBeenPwned project, which collects and analyzes hundreds of database dumps containing information about billions of leaked accounts, has incorporated the data into his service.
How Does Soil Health Impact Farm Management Decisions? – PNW AG Network
“Soil Health is, simply put, the ability to produce marketable outputs with minimal inputs. It’s very important for people to understand that multi-dimensional property is dynamic, it changes over time and it’s dependent on environmental conditions like temperature, moisture and even the microorganisms and worms and all other life that’s present there.”
On March 17, the Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council released updated revenue forecasts bringing the budget writers very good news – the state is expected to collect an additional $1.3 billion in state revenues for the current two-year budget, and an additional $1.9 billion for the 2021-2023 biennium, leaving the state with a net surplus of nearly $3 billion – including reserves – at the end of the current biennium.
Spring Forecast: An Already Bad Drought Worsens Across The West | Northwest Public Broadcasting
With nearly two-thirds of the United States abnormally dry or worse, the government’s spring forecast offers little hope for relief, especially in the West where a devastating megadrought has taken root and worsened.
Cliff Mass Weather Blog: The Northwest Snowpack Trend of the Past Fifty Years: The Truth May Surprise You
The media is full of stories suggesting that global warming has greatly reduced the mountain snowpack in the Pacific Northwest...Yes, there are some random, low snow-depth years (like 2015), but no trend is apparent during the period when global warming has been greatest.
Washington is now in Phase 3 of reopening — here's what that means
As of Monday, all of Washington state has now moved into Phase 3 of reopening, affording restaurants and other indoor spaces more flexibility with looser restrictions.
An Uprising of DDoS Attacks, a Cause of Concern for Organizations | Cyware Alerts - Hacker News
Did you think DDoS attacks were over? They are not. Actually, recent research has discovered that these attacks attained a record high during the pandemic.
Native American producers critical to future of U.S. food system and fighting climate change – U.S. Farmers and Ranchers In Action
With over 59 million acres of Native-operated farms across over 30 states within the United States, Tribal Nations and Native producers are perhaps the single most underappreciated resource for sustainable, rural economic development in the U.S.
Vilsack calls for structural changes in U.S. food distribution systems to deal with hunger, equity | Successful Farming
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack stressed the need for structural changes to U.S. food distribution systems in order to tackle hunger, strengthen equity, and increase access to school meals during his keynote address Wednesday at the National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference...
Seattle City Light told public their dam operations increased salmon runs as fish numbers declined | king5.com
While all runs of salmon on the Skagit River experienced declines, Seattle City Light left 20-year-old glowing messages on its website – touting the utility’s stewardship that led to “strong” and “landmark” returns of salmon.
Forecast for spring: Nasty drought worsens for much of US
With nearly two-thirds of the United States abnormally dry or worse, the government’s spring forecast offers little hope for relief, especially in the West where a devastating megadrought has taken root and worsened.
Washington rural counties fear losing money to environmental justice | Rural Life | capitalpress.com
OLYMPIA — All timber sales conducted by the Washington Department of Natural Resources would be subjected to an "environmental justice assessment" under the Healthy Environment for All Act, which has passed the Senate and is poised to advance in the House.
USDA Announces $218 Million Investment in Land and Water Conservation | USDA
$3.7 million to acquire 1,550 acres in the Yakima River Basin for the Washington Cascades Project. Supported by a wide coalition of public, private and nonprofit partners, this project seeks to ensure a long-term water supply in the face of climate change.
Rant and Rave: Reader does not appreciate scam calls | The Seattle Times
RAVE to the people who worked at the annual Snohomish Conservation District plant sale. It’s a huge effort even before the pandemic. The required changes to be able to hand the plants out made it even more so. Thank you!
Washington state projected to get $3.2 billion more in taxes as economy brightens amid COVID-19 recovery | The Seattle Times
OLYMPIA — Washington’s state tax collections are roaring back, with an estimated additional $3.2 billion projected through 2023 as parts of the economy brighten and people get vaccinated amid the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s a big chunk of money for a state with a $53.3 billion, two-year state budget that funds schools, parks, prisons and other programs.
Washington lawmakers get good news on state revenues | Tacoma News Tribune
Washington’s economy continues to improve, with the latest state revenue forecast showing that lawmakers will have more than $3 billion more to work with as they prepare to unveil budget plans next week, plus money the state will receive from the latest federal stimulus package.