In light of the looming development of the Regional Water Board’s (RWB) development of Ag Order 4.0, the San Luis Obispo County Farm Bureau hosted a CEQA Scoping Workshop on March 29. Unlike previous Ag Orders, this is the first time the RWB will be conducting a CEQA review for an Ag Order.
The purpose of the meeting was to provide participants with: (1) a summary of the new Order under development and potential alternatives, and (2) an opportunity to comment on the appropriate scope and content of the environmental analysis and environmental documentation in the assessment for the project to be prepared pursuant to CEQA guidelines.
Some of the concerns expressed by Farm Bureau members include:
- The lack of incentives for agriculturists to reduce nitrate application
- The increasing amount of time needed for monitoring and reporting takes time away from implementing best management practices
- Costs of future compliance mitigations
Click here to view a pdf matrix generated by the RWB.
