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<p class=MsoNormal><strong><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:
13.5pt;font-family:Tahoma'>CENTRAL VALLEY PROJECT</span></font></b></strong><font
size=4><span style='font-size:13.5pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><b><font size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:
13.5pt;font-family:Tahoma'>Editorial: Pulling the plug on handouts</span></font></b></strong><font
size=4><span style='font-size:13.5pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><strong><b><font
size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Tahoma'>Long
Beach</span></font></b></strong></st1:place></st1:City><strong><b><font
size=4 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Tahoma'> Press
Telegram - 12/15/04</span></font></b></strong><font size=4><span
style='font-size:13.5pt'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>These
farm subsidies don't make sense.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>In 1936
the federal government began offering cheap, subsidized water to <st1:State
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">California</st1:place></st1:State> farmers in an
effort to encourage Western settlers to start small family farms.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>Yet
nearly 70 years later the federal government is still doing it and now the
subsidies are massive and primarily going to large, wealthy corporate farming
operations.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>Does this
sound to anyone like a prudent use of taxpayer money?<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>Federal
farm subsidies are a nationwide problem. What began as an earnest attempt to
assist family farms has become an indefensible handout of taxpayer funds to
some of the largest farming corporations.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>A study
released Monday by the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit Washington,
D.C.-based group opposed to federal farm subsidies, took aim at one specific
subsidy: <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">California</st1:place></st1:State>'s
Central Valley Project. The project provides one-fifth of <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">California</st1:place></st1:State>'s total water use to farms at
prices far below market value.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>The study
found that taxpayers are subsidizing water use to the tune of $416 million a
year, based on the current market value of water. The state's largest,
wealthiest farms are getting the lion's share 67 percent of the subsidized
water went to the top 10 percent of farms, the study reports. One large farm
received nearly $4 million in water subsidies alone, not including crop
subsidies and other federal discounts.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>The
subsidies are inherently unfair, favoring one type of business over another at
the expense of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region>
taxpayers. Also, there are consequences to disrupting the market with a flood
of subsidies.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>Competition
from subsidized American crops have forced many Mexican farmers out of
business, many of whom then come to the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> to work illegally. The
subsidies also put small and medium-sized <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">California</st1:place></st1:State> farms at a major disadvantage.
Smaller farms generally favor high-value crops and use more efficient
irrigation techniques.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>Technically
the Central Valley Project is supposed to benefit only farms of 960 acres or
less, but farms get around that restriction by subdividing lots into 960-acre
parcels. Until 1982, only farms of 160 acres or less were eligible for the
cheap water.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>If there ever
was a sound argument for federal intervention in the farming business, that day
has long passed. Sending hundreds of millions of dollars to farming operations
is not only antithetical to American free-market ideals, it's a foolish misuse
of taxpayer money.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>The
Central Valley Project will soon come up for review. Pulling the plug on <st1:State
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">California</st1:place></st1:State>'s water
subsidies would be a good place to start cutting off the flow of farm handouts
nationwide<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:PersonName w:st="on"><em><i><font size=3 color=gray
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Byron
Leydecker</span></font></i></em></st1:PersonName><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Chair, Friends of <st1:place w:st="on">Trinity
River</st1:place></span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>Consultant, California Trout, Inc.</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:address w:st="on"><st1:Street w:st="on"><em><i><font
size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
color:gray'>PO Box</span></font></i></em></st1:Street><em><i><font
color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='color:gray'> 2327</span></font></i></em></st1:address><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><em><i><font
size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
color:gray'>Mill Valley</span></font></i></em></st1:City><em><i><font
color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span style='color:gray'>, <st1:State w:st="on">CA</st1:State>
<st1:PostalCode w:st="on">94942-2327</st1:PostalCode></span></font></i></em></st1:place><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 383 4810 ph</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 519 4810 ce</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'>415 383 9562 fx</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 color=gray face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:gray'><a href="mailto:bwl3@comcast.net">bwl3@comcast.net</a></span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><a href="mailto:bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org"><em><i><font
face="Times New Roman"><span style='text-decoration:none'>bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org</span></font></i></em></a><em><i><font
face="Times New Roman"> (secondary)</font></i></em><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><em><i><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><a href="http://www.fotr.org">http://www.fotr.org</a></span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-style:italic'><a href="http://www.caltrout.org">http://www.caltrout.org</a></span><o:p></o:p></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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