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Government Relations Reports California Government Relations
Network Announcement
Government Relations Chairman & Lobbyist in action! California Government Relations Network Announcement Attached please find the CARB Announcement to golf courses concerning the upcoming regulations regarding diesel equipment. Please note that most golf courses will fall in the small fleet category and have until August 2009 to register all affected equipment. All golf course superintendents are encouraged to log on the CARB website to get all of the necessary information that is required to comply with this new regulation. These links can be found below for easy reference and guidance. Off road diesel small fleet reference: View
Here
"Draft Regulatory Concept tp Prevent Pesticide Contamination
of Surface Water"
March 6, 2009
Attached please find the CARB Announcement to golf courses concerning the upcoming regulations regarding diesel equipment. Please note that most golf courses will fall in the small fleet category and have until August 2009 to register all affected equipment. All golf course superintendents are encouraged to log on the CARB website to get all of the necessary information that is required to comply with this new regulation. These links can be found below for easy reference and guidance. http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/ordiesel/documents/offrddieselsmallfltsFS.pdf http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/ordiesel/documents/OffRoadDieselEarlyActionsFS.pdf http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/ordiesel/guidanceadvisory.htm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bulletin from Department of Pesticide Regulation
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Legislative bills that Jim Husting has marked for tracking/monitoring
for the CGCSA
James C. Husting, CGCS
Subject: Enforcement Advisory Thank you for your input on the enforcement advisory regarding new idling limits and disclosure/record retention requirements. We are currently incorporating changes based on your input. We will be including a section that details what minimal components should be included in the written idling policy. If at all possible, please provide me a list of what you think should be included, minimally, in the written idling policy. Please submit your list by 5 p.m. on Friday. Thank you. Sincerely,
Heavy-Duty Diesel In-Use Strategies Branch Air Resources Board
06/04/2008 GAAS:307:08 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Governor Schwarzenegger Proclaims Drought and
Orders Immediate Action to Address Situation
"For the areas in Northern California that supply most of our water, this March, April and May have been the driest ever in our recorded history," Governor Schwarzenegger said. "As a result, some local governments are rationing water, developments can't proceed and agricultural fields are sitting idle. We must recognize the severity of the crisis we face, so I am signing an Executive Order proclaiming a statewide drought and directing my Department of Water Resources and other entities to take immediate action to address the situation." Today's Executive Order directs the Department of Water Resources (DWR) to: Facilitate water transfers to respond to emergency
shortages across the state.
Last month, DWR's final snow survey of 2008 showed snowpack water content at only 67 percent of normal and the runoff forecast at only 55 percent of normal. As conditions continue to worsen across California, it underscores the state's need for infrastructure improvements to capture excess water in wet years to use in dry years like this one. "This drought is an urgent reminder of the immediate need to upgrade California's water infrastructure. There is no more time to waste because nothing is more vital to protect our economy, our environment and our quality-of-life. We must work together to ensure that California will have safe, reliable and clean water not only today but 20, 30 and 40 years from now. Beginning with the first Strategic Growth Plan in 2006, the Governor called for a comprehensive plan to address California's urgent water needs. The Governor renewed that call in his 2008-09 budget by proposing an $11.9 billion water bond for water management investments that will address population growth, climate change, water supply reliability and environmental needs. Specifically, the bond includes: Water Storage: $3.5 billion dedicated to the development
of additional storage.
In February, Governor Schwarzenegger sent a letter
to Senators Perata, Steinberg, and Machado clarifying the administrative
actions under consideration as part of a comprehensive solution in the
Delta.
EXECUTIVE ORDER S-06-08 WHEREAS Statewide rainfall has been below normal in 2007 and 2008, with many Southern California communities receiving only 20 percent of normal rainfall in 2007, and Northern California this year experiencing the driest spring on record with most communities receiving less than 20 percent of normal rainfall from March through May; and WHEREAS California is experiencing critically dry water conditions in the Sacramento and San Joaquin River basins and the statewide runoff forecast for 2008 is estimated to be 41 percent below average; and WHEREAS water storage in many of the state's major reservoirs is far below normal including Lake Oroville, which supplies the State Water Project, at 50 percent of capacity, Lake Shasta at 61 percent of capacity and Folsom Lake at 63 percent of capacity; and WHEREAS the Colorado River Basin has just experienced a record eight-year drought resulting in current reservoir storage throughout the river system reduced to just over 50 percent of total storage capacity; and WHEREAS climate change will increasingly impact California's hydrology and is expected to reduce snowpack, alter the timing of runoff and increase the intensity and frequency of droughts in the western United States; and WHEREAS diversions from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta for the State Water Project (SWP) and federal Central Valley Project (CVP) are being greatly restricted due to various factors including federal court actions to protect fish species, resulting in estimated SWP deliveries of only 35 percent, and CVP deliveries of only 40 percent, of local agencies' requested amounts for 2008; and WHEREAS dry conditions have created a situation of extreme fire danger in California, and these conditions resulted in devastating fires last year, resulting in proclamations of emergency for the counties of El Dorado, Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and San Diego, with wildfires there causing millions of dollars in damages; and WHEREAS on May 9, 2008, I signed an Executive Order directing various agencies and departments within my administration to respond to these dry conditions and prepare for another potentially severe wildfire season; and WHEREAS the current drought conditions are harming urban and rural economies, and the state's overall economic prosperity; and WHEREAS some communities are restricting new development and mandating water conservation and rationing, and some farmers have idled permanent crops and are not planting seasonal crops this year, because of unreliable or uncertain water supplies; and WHEREAS recent supply reductions have jeopardized agricultural production in the San Joaquin Valley; an WHEREAS it is not possible to predict the duration of present drought conditions; and WHEREAS while communities throughout the state have worked to significantly improve their drought preparedness, the readiness to cope with current and future drought conditions varies widely; and WHEREAS immediate water conservation measures are needed this year to address current conditions and prepare for a dry 2009; and WHEREAS the State of California is committed to enhancing drought response and drought preparedness and to protecting the state's economy and its environment NOW, THEREFORE, I, ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim a condition of statewide drought, and in accordance with the authority vested in me by the Constitution and statutes of the State of California, do hereby issue the following orders to become effective immediately IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the Department of Water Resources (DWR) shall take immediate action to address the serious drought conditions and water delivery limitations that currently exist in California, and that are anticipated in the future, by taking the following actions: Expedite existing grant programs for local water
districts and agencies for new or ongoing water conservation and water
use reduction programs and projects that are capable of timely implementation
to ease drought conditions in 2008 or 2009.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that DWR and DPH coordinate with the State Office of Emergency Services and local offices of emergency services to identify public water systems at risk of experiencing health and safety impacts due to drought conditions and water delivery limitations, and to mitigate such impacts. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that DWR and DPH work with local water districts to evaluate system interconnections among the state's large water purveyors, review the status or availability of mutual aid agreements among those large water purveyors, and work with the parties to those mutual aid agreements to correct any deficiencies that restrict the movement of water in an emergency situation IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that DWR coordinate with the California Public Utilities Commission to identify investor-owned water utility systems at risk of experiencing health and safety impacts due to drought conditions and water delivery limitations, and to mitigate such impacts. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that DWR work with the Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Bureau of Reclamation to identify potential federal funding for local water agencies and farmers to facilitate the rapid installation of best available irrigation management and conservation systems. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the CDFA work with county Agricultural Commissioners and others as necessary to identify and gather data on crop losses and other adverse economic impacts caused by the drought and, when necessary, transmit that information to the appropriate federal and state agencies. IT IS FURTHER STRONGLY ENCOURAGED that local water agencies and districts work cooperatively on the regional and state level to take aggressive, immediate action to reduce water consumption locally and regionally for the remainder of 2008 and prepare for potential worsening water conditions in 2009. This Order is not intended to, and does not, create any rights or benefits, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity, against the State of California, its agencies, departments, entities, officers, employees, or any other person. I FURTHER DIRECT that as soon as hereafter possible, this Executive Order be filed in the Office of the Secretary of State and that widespread publicity and notice be given to this Executive Order. IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 4th day of June 2008. ________________________________
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER
James C. Husting, CGCS
Governor to issue drought
decree, press for more conservation
June 4, 2008 SACRAMENTO – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will formally declare today that the state has plunged into a drought, putting Californians on notice that rationing could be next if conservation efforts are not stepped up. “The governor is ringing the bell. We're heading over a cliff,” Lester Snow, director of the state Department of Water Resources, said in an exclusive interview with The San Diego Union-Tribune. Schwarzenegger will issue an accompanying executive order to launch an aggressive campaign to transfer water to parched regions, pursue federal aid, quickly funnel more state money to conservation projects and to lay the foundation for a emergency water bank, beginning in 2009, that would be filled by supplies purchased from farmers. The state is already feeling repercussions of drought conditions, from idled farmland to reduced deliveries to metropolitan areas between San Diego and the Silicon Valley. Relief is a gamble, given the changing weather patterns blamed on global warming, Schwarzenegger plans to say. This will be the first statewide drought declaration since 1991, when Gov. Pete Wilson declared an emergency in the fifth year of a punishing dry spell that extended into 1992. Much of California endured a record dry spring. The numbers are grim: Runoff in the vital Sacramento and San Joaquin River basins is 41 percent below average. Snowfall was a dismal 67 percent of normal. The picture doesn't improve with the state's reservoirs. Lake Oroville is half full, Lake Shasta is at 61 percent capacity and Folsom Lake is 63 percent of normal. Along the Colorado River, despite a better-than-average snowpack in that basin, lakes Mead and Powell are about half full. If there's no dramatic improvement next rainy season, California will have less water in storage in 2009 than it had during the worst of the disastrous 1976-77 drought, Snow said. The governor plans to challenge water purveyors, even those with sufficient local supplies, to accelerate savings. “Not everybody is sending the same message,” Snow said of the different responses to looming shortages. “The governor is saying the entire state has a problem.” The threat varies by region, depending on water sources. That makes it politically difficult for water agencies to tell their customers to turn off the tap when there is no local shortage. For example, the water district serving Oakland and Berkeley has imposed rationing, but the district serving San Francisco has not. In Southern California, Long Beach is the only major metropolitan area to order conservation. Metropolitan Water District directors on Tuesday plan to issue a regional supply alert that encourages agencies that buy its water to actively enforce conservation ordinances, such as those limiting outdoor use. If that fails, “the next step is rationing,” said Jeffrey Kightlinger, Metropolitan's general manager. And that appears to be the governor's message as well, Kightlinger said. “He is trying to give people a warning . . . trying to not hit people with the Draconian step first,” Kightlinger said. The San Diego County Water Authority has been relying on voluntary conservation encouraged by an extensive outreach program. It's unclear just how far the governor's powers extend if he moved toward rationing statewide, his aides said. What is certain is the governor can set priorities for where the state delivers supplies, perhaps using that authority to persuade reluctant agencies to cooperate. The governor also plans to renew his demand that lawmakers pass a $11.7 billion bond measure that would finance storage facilities, conservation programs and projects to revitalize the troubled Sacramento delta, the hub of the state's water supply network. “We're going to living from snowstorm to snowstorm until we do a long-term fix,” Snow said. In many respects, this water crisis could be more threatening than the 1987-92 drought, water officials say. California is already losing vast amounts of water – enough for more than 1 million households a year – under a federal court order to protect a rare tiny fish, the delta smelt. A multistate deal to share the Colorado River resulted in Metropolitan Water District losing the rights to about 700,000 acre-feet, enough for 1.4 million households for a year. At the same time, California continues to grow. And much of the easiest and cheapest conservation has been implemented. Schwarzenegger had previously issued a call for 20 percent conservation by 2020. Democrats are pushing Assembly Bill 2175 that would gradually enact that target, and the governor is in negotiations with the author. “We're expecting 10 million more people in California over the next 25 years,” said Assemblyman John Laird, D-Santa Cruz, who is carrying the bill. “It's time to do everything we can for our water future. This is one piece of what we have to do.” Schwarzenegger's directives to be released today may draw some criticism from environmentalists, many of whom oppose new reservoirs and will question why it is does not include specific actions to safeguard fish and wildlife from water shortages. Snow, the state water official, said water set aside to protect the smelt will also benefit other fish and the Sacramento delta estuary. Lake Oroville levels also are being managed for optimum releases to help salmon. “We already have the environment covered in other processes,” Snow said. The governor's executive order will create two posts to coordinate the state's response to the drought and to facilitate transfers. Crucially, the governor will order his water planners to concentrate on working with the federal Bureau of Reclamation, which delivers supplies to much of the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. The bureau has dramatically reduced deliveries there, raising the specter of plowed-under cotton fields and withered almond trees. The action comes as the Westlands Water District, coping with the driest spring in eight decades in the San Joaquin Valley, sharply cut irrigation supplies leading into the scorching summer. “Yields will fall, quality will decline, fields will be abandoned, trees may die and unemployment will skyrocket,” farmer Mark Borba told the Fresno Bee this week. Although the state is counting on more water transfers, questions of where the fresh supplies will come from and at what price do not have easy answers. Rice farmers, the traditional relief well because of ample groundwater and historic rights to supplies in reservoirs, are reaping record profits and may be reluctant to sell. Snow, however, is confident the state can broker some deals.
California Government Relations Network Announcement Below is information concerning the federal H-2B guest worker program. This information has been forwarded to me by GCSAA. If you are in support of this program please read the information below and if you can help in any way please forward all information to Carrie Riordan at GCSAA. Jim Husting, CGCS
All communiqués are Bcc'd to all individuals on the Network for e mail confidentiality. If do not wish to receive any further announcements please contact me and I will remove your name from the Network. If you wish to be taken off the Network updates please contact jchust@sbcglobal.net James C. Husting, CGCS
Attention H-2B supporters! Please read the important e-mail below. We found out late yesterday that an anti-H2B hearing will be held in Congress next week! Please provide me with any H-2B testimonials by NOON Eastern time tomorrow, Friday, April 11, I will send them to our contacts in Washington, DC to make sure our voices are heard! Please forward this e-mail to your chapter leaders and allied golf association
contacts and ask that they send it out to their members.
Thank you!
TESTIMONIALS NEEDED IMMEDIATELY The House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border
Security, and International Law will hold a hearing on the H2B program
next Wednesday.
Testifying at that hearing will be people from the Southern Poverty Law Center and others who want to eliminate the H-2B program. Last week, these individuals organized a briefing for Hill staff where they said : The H-2B program is “human trafficking” and that “H-2B workers are systematically
exploited due to structure of program.” They also stated that workers
were kept in “work camps” paid less than minimum wage, lived in squalor
and kept in perpetual debt and servitude.
Next week, they will make these kinds of statements in the official Congressional record. They want to eliminate the H-2B program and will portray H-2B employers as greedy, heartless exploiters of workers that are engaged in human trafficking. I am not exaggerating. In order to protect the H-2B program from elimination YOU MUST SEND LETTERS AND TESTIMONIALS TO ME IMMEDIATELY. We have allies that are members of the committee. We can have
these allies enter your testimonials into the Congressional record to provide
truthful and accurate description of how the H-2B program works and how
H-2B workers are actually treated. Without your testimonials, the
opponents of the program who use rhetoric that portrays the program as
a form of slavery will go unchallenged in their attempt to eliminate the
program.
We need two types of testimonials (please note that these will be entered
into the record and publically available, just as the testimony from the
others will be) –
FROM H-2B EMPLOYERS, letters with the following issues discussed:
How you feel about your H-2B workers
FROM H-2B WORKERS, handwritten testimonials with the following issues discussed: Why the program is important to them (support family, learn
job, etc.)
I NEED THESE BY NOON THIS FRIDAY, APRIL 11 Thanks again for everything you’ve done to date on the H-2B issue, and if you have not yet responded to the GCSAA H-2B Alert that is posted on the homepage of gcsaa.org, please do so immediately. We are pushing for an H-2B extension bill to be brought up for an immediate vote in the House of Representatives. If you have questions, or need assistance, contact me directly. Carrie Riordan
CGCSA and Coalition to Build a Cleaner California Hello everyone. The California GCSA has joined this coalition against the upcoming CARB proposed regulations on off-road diesel equipment emissions. As you all discussed at your last board meeting, we are all for cleaner air, however these proposed new regulations would come too fast and would be too harsh for the golf industry. We would be more in favor of a gradual phase in of new regulations. What I am presently doing is trying to come up with a cost analysis of just what these proposed regulations would cost our industry as written. Anybody? This is very difficult at this time...but I am working on it. Actually, excuse the pun, we are but a flea on a dog here, concerning this coalition. The major construction companies in California are the major driving force here in this coalition, however we need to respond and make our voice heard...if that is what you wish. What I need from the BOD is some input. We have until...Tuesday to draft a letter and get it off...I can help and Bruce should be the one to sign it. We also could use/have someone in the San Diego area attend the next CARB hearing (it should be huge)...to introduce ourselves to Beth Miller, who is the lay person for this coalition. I talked extensively with her the other day and she really had no idea that these regs would affect us too. Thanks to George for introducing her to us. Below is the info/web page announcements concerning this coalition. Unless anyone objects......this will go out as a CGCSA Government Relations Alert this weekend. I await your feedback. Jim Husting, CGCS
Your Voice is More Important Than Ever – Only 8 Days Until the Hearing! In just 8 DAYS the California Air Resources Board (CARB) will hold its hearing on off-road construction diesel equipment regulations. It is IMPORTANT that YOU let them know that we must develop a reasonable – and achievable – timeline that keeps California’s construction industry and infrastructure projects moving forward. Show strength in numbers - attend the CARB Meeting on May 25th! The meeting starts at 8 a.m. at the:
For more information regarding this issue and its impact on you, visit our web site at www.buildacleanerca.org. Be On the Lookout!!! The California Air Resources Board (CARB) hearing on off-road diesel construction equipment regulations is just 7 days from today!
Take Action before it is too late! For more information regarding this issue and its impact on you, visit our web site at www.buildacleanerca.org.
Water agency asks East Bay to conserve 25% CUT SOUGHT FROM INDUSTRIAL USERS By Julie Sevrens Lyons
Hoping to avoid mandatory water rationing next year, directors of the East Bay Municipal Utilities District agreed Tuesday to ask their 1.3 million water users to conserve immediately - with large, industrial users being asked to cut their consumption by 25 percent. The move comes on the heels of similar decisions in Santa Cruz, San Francisco and Sonoma counties, as water agencies have been left reeling by a rainy season that brought low levels of rain and pitiful levels of snow to most of the state. The East Bay agency, which serves customers from Hayward and San Ramon to Walnut Creek, declared an official water shortage for the first time in more than a decade - and said that unless water is conserved now, one more abnormally dry year could leave the area facing a water emergency. The conservation efforts are being encouraged "until further notice." "We can't predict what's going to happen next year. That's what it really comes down to," said agency spokesman Charles Hardy. An especially wet winter last year has left local reservoirs in decent shape, he said, and "if we knew next year was going to be average, then we wouldn't worry about it. But next year could be dry, and we want to go into it in the best position we can." The agency will ask residential customers to water their lawns and gardens only three days a week - and never on consecutive days. Watering should be reserved for night or early morning hours, the agency says. Large irrigators, such as golf courses, cemeteries and Caltrans, will
be asked to cut their use by one-fourth. The district's 1,000 largest water
users will also be notified and told to upgrade their plumbing and irrigation
systems, check for leaks and cut back on their water use. And businesses
that use water in their manufacturing processes will be asked to look for
ways to recycle water.
"We don't control Mother Nature," Hardy said. "We can't create the water. So we really do have to ask people to conserve." Posted 04/27/07
This update was in today's Federal Register (April 25, 2007). The bilingual brochure and maps and guidance are now available on the EPA website. Please share with your members. Chava SUMMARY: On October 20, 2006, the Federal District Court for the
Federal Register notice --
Brochure, maps and guidance --
The California DPR has better information on their website at:
Posted 04/27/07 Below is a synopsis of the CARB workshop on February 26 that was attended by myself and Chuck Talley, from Turfstar Inc. Many thanks to Chuck for putting together the review about the upcoming regulations concerning off-road diesel equipment. Golf courses as well as equipment distributors will be affected by these new regulations. If there are any questions please contact me and I will try and explain what I have learned or forward you on to Chuck Talley for any more information. Further developments on this issue will be forwarded to the Network. Jim Husting, CGCS
Air Resource Board
Pending emission standards for off-road self-propelled diesel powered equipment above 25 hp targeted to reduce Particulate Matter (PM) and oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) by 2025. Agricultural, forestry, dedicated snow removal equipment is exempt. Equipment operated less than 100 hours a year is exempt as well. However equipment dealers that have demos...must sell them before 100 hours or be subject to registration of said demos. Golf course equipment examples...tractors, fairway and rough mowers and any other equipment over 25 hp. Requirements starting 2008 include: Annual reporting of all diesel equipment in your fleet of over 25 hp
(to be filed with your local ARB)
Fleet size will be determined by the total combined horsepower and classified into three fleet categories: Small fleet: Total horsepower less than 1,500 and less than 9.5 million
in total revenue, or small municipality. PM reduction only. Compliance
2015-2025.
Most golf courses would fall into the less than 1,500 combined horsepower, however 9.5 million in total revenues could be an issue for some. The 2008 reporting will establish the baseline for your fleet. Reporting in subsequent years should reflect at 10% total hp annual turnover of equipment to meet the target dates set by the ABR. Individuals are encouraged to check out the below links for further information. http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/ordiesel/ordiesel.htm Here is a link to a simple fact sheet about the rule -
Here is a link to the latest proposed regulatory language:
Individuals can sign up for CARB email listserve here to get notice
of future meetings, further information, etc. -
California Government Relations Network Alert Proposed CARB Regulations concerning off road equipment. This will affect all equipment distributors in California as well as all current golf courses throughout the State. Please get back to me as soon as possible with any comments that you may have. Please pass this Alert to anyone that may want to know. Jim
Husting, CGCS
The
proposed rule is scheduled to be considered by our Board in April of
Here
is a link to a simple fact sheet about the rule -
Here
is a link to the latest proposed regulatory language:
We
are scheduled to hold some further workshops to discussed the
http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/ordiesel/documents/Off-Road_Wkshop_Notice_2-07.pdf You
or your members can sign up for our email listserve here to get
Posted Jan. 24, 2007
Attention: California GCSA Government Relations Network. Draft 2007 Air Quality Management Plan The South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD), the air pollution control agency for Orange County and major parts of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties, released its updated blueprint for achieving healthful air -- the draft 2007 Air Quality Management Plan -- in early October. The plan must demonstrate scientifically how specific future air pollution control measures can achieve the emissions reductions needed to achieve health-based air quality standards. In its revised plan, the AQMD outlined 60 potential control measures to reduce smog-forming emissions by 50% by 2020. It calls for tightening pollution standards on everything from cars to lawn mowers, providing incentives for businesses to replace aging diesel equipment, and reducing pollution from ships at the sprawling Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex. Many changes would require approval from state or federal regulators. More information can be found at: http://www.aqmd.gov/aqmp/07aqmp/07AQMP.html The control measure related to lawn and garden equipment is coded as
OFFRD-12.
GCSAA has forwarded
this alert regarding EPA's upcoming decision for PCNB and MSMA. Please
read below and submit your comments to the EPA dockets regarding this issue.
Use the below links to get an idea of sample letters.
Jim Husting,
CGCS
If you wish to be taken off this e-mail notification please e mail me and I will honor that request. All communiqués are Bcc'd to all recipients to protect their e mail confidentiality Attention GCSAA-affiliated chapter presidents and government relations liaisons: The U.S. EPA has decided to extend the public comment periods another 30 days for both PCNB and MSMA. Please update your chapter websites with the following new public comment deadlines: PCNB - Monday, December 4, 2006 - http://www.gcsaa.org/resources/advocacy/pcnb.asp MSMA - Wednesday, December 13, 2006 - http://www.gcsaa.org/resources/advocacy/msma.asp Over 75 comments have been posted to the PCNB docket from the golf industry. The MSMA docket includes 100+ golf industry comments. Those numbers are a good start, but hundreds more are needed in order to convince EPA that our industry needs these products. Sample letters, which can be personalized, have been added to the action alerts to help your chapter members quickly and easily submit comments to the docket. If you or your chapter members haven't sent a letter to the docket, do it today! Give me a call at (800) 472-7878, ext. 3619 for help. Sincerely, Chava McKeel Chava Martens
McKeel
A list of California governmental & environmental issues that may impact our industry. Government Relations Committee Chairman - Jim Husting, CGCS
To the California Government Relations Network
members of the Hi-Lo Desert GCSA,
Also would you like the California Alliance for Golf to help as well?? Regards, Jim Husting, CGCS
All, Just to add my two cents to the conversation here, this particular bill was worded very much like section 13550 of the California water code currently is with regard to mandated use of recycled water. There is one key difference however, (beneficial to the golf industry in my opinion) and that is the wording below (see page 2, lines 23 through 27) that spells out taking into consideration the level and types of specific constituents in the non-potable water affecting the use. That wording is not included in the California water code and if this gets added specific to the Coachella Valley Water District, perhaps we as an industry can use this to leverage it into the entire code and benefit all recycled water users in the state of California. (George Steffes and I had a conversation yesterday regarding the opportunity to use this to our advantage.) For informational purposes I have also attached section 13550 of the water code in case you're interested in referring to it. "In determining adequate quality, the board shall
consider all relevant factors, including, but not limited to, food and
employee safety, and level and types of specific constituents in the nonpotable
water affecting the use, on a user-by-user basis."
Mike Huck
Telephone 949-388-5097
Government Relations Network Update: January 26, 2006 California Golf Course Superintendents
Local GCSAA Chapter Executive Directors and Association
Mangers should post these regulations and restrictions in your chapters
monthly newsletter.
Jim Husting, CGCS
Last week I responded to your question about the
use of clopyralid on golf courses without the benefit of having seen the
new adopted regulations or the proposed notification form from CDPR. My
apologies, but it now appears that some sort of statement will be required
of applicators by pesticide dealers, according to the attachments to this
email. The distributors say that they can "tag" the active ingredient on
their computers so that a "form" will get spit out along with the invoice.
It is the dealers responsibility to keep the form on file for two years.
Bruce E. Kidd
FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL CODE
13190. (a) "Clopyralid" means 3,6-dichloro-2-pyridinecarboxylic
13191. (a) No person, except a pest control
dealer licensed
13192. Not later than April 1, 2003, the
department shall, pursuant
California Code of Regulations - Final Regulation View Regulation:Sales Limitation of Clopyralid
Attention California GCSAA Government Relations Network Members Senate Bill 509 (Pesticide Application Notification) is again making its way through the legislature. As you may recall the CGCSA was against the previous version of this bill in 2005. This year it is being re-introduced again with notification being required when using a California Restricted Material. Please read the attached bill and give me your
feedback ASAP so I can relate your position to the California GCSA BOD.
Jim Husting, CGCS
California Golf Course Superintendent Association Government Relations Network Update Senate Bill 509 (Pesticide Application Notification) will be amended to include "production agriculture" only and not golf courses. The CGCSA with the help of Tim Howe (George Steffes's office) and Chava McKeel from GCSAA drafted an immediate response of opposition to this proposed legislation. The bill will be formally introduced in committee next week with this amendment. Thanks go out to all CGCSA Government Relations Network members for responding, to me, quickly concerning this issue. All further government relations updates will be blind carbon copied (Bcc) to all members of the Network. This will hopefully keep everyone's email address private and will also prevent Spam filters from delaying these messages to the Network. Jim Husting, CGCS
To All CGCSA Government Relations Network Members. New Legislation has been introduced that would
require pesticide application notification
Jim Husting, CGCS
SENATE BILL No. 509
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: yes.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 SECTION 1. Section 12978.5 is
added to the Food and Agricultural Code, to read:
To California GCSA Government Relations Network Equipment Distributors Please read below Assembly Bill
585. Feedback from our equipment distributors in
Jim Husting, CGCS
Attention all California GCSA Government Relations Network Members: The California GCSA has come out against the California
Urban Water Conservation
Jim Husting, CGCS
Posted: 02/04/05
February 4, 2005 Mr. Lester Snow
RE: OPPOSE CUWCC PROP 50 GRANT APPLICATION
TO THE DEPARTMENT
Dear Mr. Snow: The California Golf Course Superintendents opposes
the California Urban Water Conservation Council’s application for Proposition
50 Water Use Efficiency grant funding for a Statewide Pilot Turf Buy Back
Program. You undoubtedly have received many applications proposing
to improve landscape water use through conservation. We believe this is
a better
With the states limited budgetary resources, we
are confident that the use of bond money
Turf grass provides many important environmental
benefits, benefits that this pilot program would discard, while not
California’s demand for landscape water can be
met by increasing reclaimed water use, new irrigation technology
Sincerely, Patrick R. Finlen
Posted 02/04/05
Subject: Aquatic Herbicide Update A very important EPA interpretation has just been
issued that clarifies the agency's position regarding the
The EPA position now appears to be much more clear,
and indicates that in certain circumstances, a NPDES
Terry McNabb of Aquatechnex has been very active
in working with EPA on this issue, and has provided an excellent summary
of this recent ruling and the history behind it. If aquatic vegetation
management is an issue
http://newsletter.baron-co.com/?id=10&nid=89 Posted 02/04/05
California GCSA Government Relations Update: 12/23/2004 There is a comment period on these proposed regulations from the DPR. Anyone that has concerns, comments or suggestions please feel free to contact me ASAP before the deadline. Thank you. Jim Husting, CGCS
Dear Clopyralid & Compost stakeholders:
David Haskell,
David Haskell
FLEX YOUR POWER! For simple ways to reduce energy demand and costs, see http://www.cdpr.ca.gov.
Below are the new regulations regarding the use of the herbicide Clopyralid in California just recently released by the CA DPR. Please pass the information on. I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a very Prosperous New Year with Peace On Earth! Thank you for your continued support! Cordially, Jim Husting, CGCS
AGENCY: Department of Pesticide Regulation
AGENCY CONTACT:
CITATION:
DPR Regulation No. 04-003 Herbicide Clopyralid
Notice of Proposed Action (PDF, 17 kb) <<notice.pdf>> <<text.pdf>> Initial Statement of Reasons (PDF, 20 kb) <<statement.pdf>> Economic And Fiscal Impact Statement (Form 399) (PDF, 114 kb) <<399.pdf>>
Agency Contact:
The following news release has been released by the California DPR. Golf Courses have been given a exemption, and can continue to use the herbicide Clopyralid on golf course applications. The CGCSA has been participating in the DPR workshops concerning this issue for well over a year. Please read the DPR press release below. Jim Husting, CGCS
California Department of Pesticide Regulation News, April 2, 2003 (03-08)
DPR announces restrictions to protect compost SACRAMENTO -- The California Department of Pesticide Regulation today announced new pesticide restrictions to protect commercial compost from potential contamination. DPR will restrict sales of the herbicide Clopyralid ("clo-PEER-ah-lid") to lawn and turf professionals, instruct those licensees to assure that green waste stays onsite when the herbicide is used, and require dealers to provide written notice of the restrictions when they sell some Clopyralid products. DPR will immediately begin drafting regulations to enforce those restrictions, based on concern that Clopyralid residue in grass clippings could make compost toxic to non-target vegetation. DPR expects its restrictions to affect about 15 Clopyralid products used in parks, playing fields, and cemeteries. Golf courses were exempted after DPR determined that grass cycling onsite is a standard industry practice, and Clopyralid product labels prohibit use on tees and greens. Clopyralid products labeled for farm, rangeland, and forest use are not affected. DPR took initial action against residential uses in March 2002. Used to control broadleaf weeds, Clopyralid is a low-toxicity chemical that poses little hazard to people, animals, and most vegetation. However, even low levels of Clopyralid in compost may damage some plants. Some commercial compost facilities in California have detected Clopyralid residues, but no cases of non-target vegetative damage have been documented in the state. "This action underscores our commitment to California's environment in general and to the compost industry in particular," said DPR Director Paul Helliker. "Clopyralid is a useful pesticide, but some applications could cause a problem if residues accumulate in the green waste stream. We've worked closely with the Integrated Waste Management Board to protect the green waste stream while preserving beneficial uses of this herbicide," said Helliker. "Using organic material to make compost is an essential part of our efforts to prevent valuable resources from ending up in landfills, a major reason why California's statewide diversion rate has grown to 48 percent," said Linda Moulton-Patterson, Chair of the Integrated Waste Management Board (IWMB). "We are very pleased with the Department's determination to further limit the use of Clopyralid. It is a crucial step in protecting the viability of compost markets and the continued success of our waste diversion efforts." In March 2002, DPR announced it would seek cancellation of 15 Clopyralid products registered for residential lawn use, citing a potential hazard to compost. Dow AgroSciences, which registered the herbicide in California, subsequently asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for product label changes to address DPR's concerns. Since U.S. EPA allowed Dow time to clear existing stocks from dealer shelves, products with the new labels are expected to appear in the market later this year. DPR's action today fulfills a charge by Assembly Bill 2356 (Keeley), passed in 2002. It directed DPR to assess the possibility that Clopyralid residues could persist in compost and either impose restrictions or cancel registration of those uses. Clopyralid was initially registered for use in California in 1997 to combat yellowstar thistle, a noxious weed that can kill livestock. DPR and IWMB began investigating Clopyralid residues in compost about 18 months ago. The two Cal/EPA agencies co-sponsored a workgroup that included compost industry representatives, Dow, and other interested parties. The group held four meetings in the past year to explore how Clopyralid residues enter the green waste stream, what residue levels may pose a risk to non-target vegetation, and other relevant information. Among the findings: - - Compost monitoring data varied. While the frequency of residue detections declined, low levels of Clopyralid continued to show up in some samples. - - Sales data from DPR's pesticide assessment database and Dow AgroSciences suggested sales of turf products declined in the past 12 to 18 months. - - Dow AgroSciences has made significant efforts to educate its product dealers and users about compost issues, and Dow advised users to discontinue residential lawn uses of Clopyralid after DPR initiated cancellation action for that use. - - Professional lawn and turf associations and the University of California Cooperative Extension Service raised awareness of the issue in meeting presentations, magazine articles, newsletters and Web postings. - - No phytotoxicity resulting from Clopyralid in compost has been reported to DPR during the last 18 months. A recently submitted study examined the phytotoxicity of Clopyralid to sensitive plants under defined conditions of soil/compost and compost/peat combinations with varying levels of Clopyralid. The Dow-funded study suggested a low probability of phytotoxicity on sensitive plants, given detected levels in California compost. Members of the compost industry reviewed a summary of the study and discussed it with DPR. However, AB 2356's definition for persistent residues in compost covered a broad range of characteristics with potential toxicity: "residues of an herbicide in compost at levels and in a form with the potential to be toxic or injurious to plants." Based on the law and the joint investigation with IWMB staff, DPR acknowledged the potential diverse uses of compost in commercial agriculture, the nursery industry, and home gardens. Under the law's criteria, DPR determined it was possible that persistent residues in compost could occur from turf uses of Clopyralid. One of six boards and departments within the California Environmental Protection Agency, DPR regulates the sale and use of pesticides to protect people and the environment. DPR media contact: Glenn Brank (916) 445-3974 # FLEX YOUR POWER! For simple ways to reduce demand and energy costs, see <www.flexyourpower.com>.
EPA Decision Impact The California GCSA is trying to make the political leaders of our Nation,
aware of the our concerns when decisions
If you would also like to write a letter to your federal legislators, their addresses can be found at:
Revised June 9, 2009
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Be
on the lookout for our postcard, arriving in the mail, outlining ways you
can make sure your voice is heard by CARB and the other decision makers
in this process. Take a few minutes to let them know that these regulations
are not achievable in the current time frame. We need more time to ensure
we have the equipment and money to make these regulations work.