The Barbed Wire - July 28, 2017

July 28, 2017
RCRC’s 2017 Annual Meeting: Register Today!!!
RCRC Board Members Attend Annual NACo Conference
RCRC-Sponsored Legislation Signed Into Law
Sustainable Groundwater Management Act Update
RCRC Staff Provides Cannabis Update in Nevada County
Rural Prosperity Task Force
House Natural Resources Committee
Waters of the United States
RCRC Rural Photo Contest
KEEPING UP
BULLETIN BOARD
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

RCRC’s 2017 Annual Meeting: Register Today!!!

RCRC’s 2017 Annual Meeting will be held September 27-29 at the Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel in El Dorado County.  This year’s program will feature experts discussing a wide range of topics of interest to rural counties, including:

  • Daylight Saving – It’s Time for the Discussion
  • The Opioid Crisis in California’s Rural Counties
  • A Rural Way of Life – Healthy of Harmful?
  • Unfairly Labeled?  The Debate over Intergenerational Dynamics
  • Emergency Preparedness and Recovery – Lessons Learned from the Oroville Spillway Disaster

Registration is now open via the online portal.  Read More…

RCRC Board Members Attend Annual NACo Conference

The 2017 National Association of Counties (NACo) Annual Conference concluded on Monday, with a number of members of the RCRC Board of Directors attending the four day series of meetings in Columbus, Ohio.  

Of important note were conversations in the Public Lands Committee, of which Mariposa County Supervisor Kevin Cann serves as Vice Chair.  Mono County Supervisor Stacy Corliss saw the adoption of her policy resolution on funding for Public Lands Infrastructure to address the needs of tourist-based infrastructure needs in National Forest/Parks lands.  Other important items that were discussed included funding for the Federal Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program and the upcoming “PILT Fly-In” in Washington, D.C. in early September.  The final action was the election of Douglas County Commissioner Mary Ann Borgeson of Nebraska to serve as NACo 2nd Vice President.  Commissioner Borgeson will serve with NACo 1St Vice President Greg Cox, a San Diego County supervisor.  Next year’s Annual Conference will be held in Nashville, Tennessee on July 13 – 16, 2018.

RCRC-Sponsored Legislation Signed Into Law

On Tuesday, Governor Brown signed RCRC-sponsored Senate Bill 447 (Nielsen) into law.  SB 447 authorizes two or more counties to create Assessment Appeals Boards to hear taxpayer appeals.  

Many low-population counties hear appeals through the local Board of Equalization (comprised of the Board of Supervisors) because there are a lack of eligible residents to serve on an Assessment Appeals Board.  SB 447 will help low-population counties to maximize the use of Assessment Appeals Boards given the complex nature of developing the county’s property tax roll. 

RCRC’s letter urging the Governor’s signature of SB 447 be accessed here.

Sustainable Groundwater Management Act Update

The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) provides a framework for sustainable management of groundwater supplies by local authorities, with a role for State intervention if necessary to protect the resource.  The SGMA requires the formation of local groundwater sustainability agencies (GSAs) that are responsible for the adoption and implementation of management plans to achieve long-term groundwater sustainability.  The Department of Water Resources (DWR) established a June 30, 2017 deadline for the establishment of local GSAs.  

DWR’s GSA Map Viewer reflects the current status of areas covered by a GSA.  Of note, there are no substantial unmanaged areas in the Sacramento Valley, and the San Joaquin Valley is not far behind.

RCRC recently collaborated with the Northern California Water Association (NCWA) on a groundwater fact sheet titled The State of Sacramento Valley Groundwater.  We’ve circulated this document amongst numerous policy makers in Sacramento, and encourage RCRC Board Members to share the fact sheet with their respective Boards and local municipal organization.  

The Central Valley Water Board is providing a 30-day public comment period for its recently released Groundwater Quality Management Plan.  Prior to Executive Officer approval, Central Valley Water Board staff will consider stakeholder comments to determine whether the plan meets program requirements and goals and contains all of the information needed in a management plan.  Please submit written comments to Dana Kulesza at Dana.Kulesza@waterboards.ca.gov by August 18, 2017. 

RCRC Staff Provides Cannabis Update in Nevada County

This week, Paul A. Smith, RCRC Vice President of Governmental Affairs, and Arthur Wylene, RCRC Governmental Affairs Counsel, presented before the Nevada County Community Advisory Group on issues involving cannabis.  Joined by Amber Morris of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, RCRC staff provided an update on the status of California law as it relates to the cannabis landscape, including much discussion regarding the land-use, planning and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) obligations of local governments involved in commercial cannabis activities.  

It is expected that many of the specific topics covered will be addressed when the Nevada County Board of Supervisors contemplates revisions to their ordinance with respect to cannabis cultivation.

Rural Prosperity Task Force

Rural Prosperity, the Trump Administration’s interagency task force on agriculture and rural development, held its second principal’s meeting on Tuesday.  Attendees included Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, and several additional members of the Cabinet.  

The task force met at the U.S. Department of Agriculture headquarters to discuss their coordinated effort to reduce regulations, spur job growth, and improve infrastructure in rural America.  The group was created through an Executive Order from President Trump on April 25, 2017, and was given 180 days to issue a report with recommendations for legislative or administrative actions to facilitate rural prosperity.

House Natural Resources Committee

On Wednesday, the House Committee on Natural Resources held a full committee “marathon markup” on 21 bills of varying topics.  Included in the markup were H.R. 825 and H.R. 1491.  

Proposed by Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Arizona), H.R. 825 “Public Land Renewable Energy Development Act” was introduced to promote the development of renewable energy on public land.  In addition, Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Butte) proposed H.R. 1491 “Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Land Affirmation Act of 2017” in order to reaffirm the action of the Secretary of the Interior to take land into trust for the benefit of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians.

Rep. Jared Huffman (D-North Coast) addressed Rep. LaMalfa to speak on the matter of a potential local government agreement to address the Chumash Indian land conflict.  LaMalfa conveyed support for an agreement between the local government and the tribe, saying he would appreciate efforts to work together to produce an agreement that can be incorporated into the bill, even going further to say that this is the ideal solution.  Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) received unanimous consent to report all 21 bills favorably to the Floor of the House of Representatives.

Waters of the United States

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers formally proposed their withdrawal of the Obama Administration's controversial water rule on Thursday, marking the end of a years-long effort by a number of groups, including RCRC, to scrap what they say is burdensome federal overreach. 

The proposed rule to withdraw the Waters of the U.S. rule, also called the Clean Water Rule, was unveiled in late June, but had yet to be noticed in the Federal Register, the formal step that triggers the beginning of the public comment period.  The Trump Administration has given the public 30 days to weigh in on the proposed rule, though critics of the repeal effort have called for more time.

The proposed rule would change little on the ground today, since the Obama Administration's water rule only briefly went into effect before the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals put it on hold nationwide.  The repeal rule is seen as a safety net in case the U.S. Supreme Court determines the 6th Circuit did not have authority over the case and the hold is lifted.  The repeal rule would remove the Obama-era rule from the books and cement the status quo while the Trump Administration works on its own regulation to define which streams and wetlands are subject to federal protection under the Clean Water Act - an effort it has said it plans to unveil in December. 

RCRC Rural Photo Contest

RCRC has launched the 2017 Rural County Photo Contest!  The Rural County Photo Contest was created to promote tourism and local economic development through showcasing the beautiful landscape, scenery, activities, history, and charm of RCRC’s member counties.  All entries must include a brief description of each photo; location where the photo was taken, including the county in which it was taken; and, the photographer’s full name and email address.  Photo entries can be sent to spasquini@rcrcnet.org, and must be submitted in .jpeg, .jpg., or png. format, 300 dpi or less, and no larger than 10MB.  All photographs must be the original work of the participant, or must have the photographer’s written permission.  Read More…

KEEPING UP

Senate Confirms David Bernhardt as Deputy Secretary of the Interior

Click here

BULLETIN BOARD

NOFA: Rural Broadband Access Loan and Loan Guarantee Program

Click here

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

July 21, 2017 marked the last working day for the California State Legislature before their Summer Recess.  The Legislature will reconvene activities on Monday, August 21, 2017. 

For more information regarding state or federal legislative calendars, please contact the RCRC Governmental Affairs staff at (916) 447-4806.