Clout: California Agriculture Largely Spared in New Water Restrictions

"When Gov. Jerry Brown issued the first statewide water use reduction order in California history on Wednesday, he put his emphasis squarely on cities and towns.

In this 'new era' of drought, Brown said, 'The idea of your nice little green grass getting lots of water every day, that’s going to be a thing of the past.'

Within 24 hours, the administration promoted new messages posted on more than 700 electronic freeway signs encouraging motorists to limit outdoor watering.

Largely missing from Brown’s appeal was the one industry that uses more water than anything else in this state but has already been brutalized by the drought – agriculture. As Californians mulled Brown’s unprecedented order, some wondered why farms were not being asked to sacrifice more."

David Siders and Jeremy B. White report for the Sacramento Bee April 2, 2015.

SEE ALSO:

"Jerry Brown Defends Drought Order That Doesn't Limit Farmers" (AP)

"Beneath California Crops, Groundwater Crisis Grows" (New York Times)

"California Activists Want Water Restrictions To Include Oil Industry" (Reuters)

"California Is Pumping Water That Fell To Earth 20,000 Years Ago" (Reveal/CIR)

"California Drought Tests History of Endless Growth" (New York Times)

"Exclusive: California Used 70 Million Gallons of Water in Fracking in 2014" (Reuters)

"California's Ongoing Drought Hits Water Recreation Businesses" (NPR)

"Coping With California's Drought" (NPR)

"In Long Beach, Calif., Smart Meters Spot Wasteful Water Users" (NPR)

"California Drought: Who Might Feel New Water Restrictions the Most? " (Christian Science Monitor)

"California's Wealthy Lagging in Water Conservation" (Los Angeles Times)

"More Than 1 Million Californians Don’t Have Reliable Access To Clean Water" (Aljazeera America)

"California Governor Tells Climate Change Deniers To Wake Up" (Guardian)

Editorial: "Watering California’s Farms" (New York Times)

Source: Sacramento Bee, 04/06/2015