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Blog commentary: Water bond will continue California’s water rip off: “Why should taxpayers continue supporting agriculture that has to be bailed out of its self-made problems?”

Posted by: Maven on January 26, 2010 at 8:12 am

From the American West at Risk blog (I believe written by the authors of the book), a post that disputes that the drought affecting Westlands is man-made, and that Westlands farmers ‘feed the nation’:

“We, the U.S. taxpayers, paid for the projects that supply Westlands farmers with water, and for the drains that made it possible for them to continue farming in an area that traps highly polluted irrigation water in the soils. Those drains created Kesterson Reservoir, an ostensible wildlife refuge receiving poisoned agricultural water. Taxpayers eventually had to pay to fill in Kesterson’s collection ponds to stop the deforming of bird chicks and outright wildlife kills due to the high concentration of selenium in the drain water.

Recent tests of alternative drainwater disposal projects have shown that all have the same potential to poison and kill wildlife as did Kesterson. This also means that Westlands drain waters should never reach the San Joaquin River.

It’s time to get real about the level of taxpayer subsidies that allow Westlands agribusiness to thrive, when those farms continue to create environmental havoc, which taxpayers then have to pay to clean up. Why should taxpayers continue supporting agriculture that has to be bailed out of its self-made problems? … “

Read the full post at The American West at Risk blog by clicking here.

January 26, 2010 · Filed Under Agriculture, Water Agency News

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