According to the Alliance of Western Milk Producers, Governor Schwarzenegger has asked dairyman Dennis Leonardi to resign his position on the Northern California Water Resources Board because he sells his milk to Humboldt Creamery, which has a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NDPES) permit. There is a state law disallows any board member from receiving more than 10% of their income from an organization that holds an NPDES.  Leonardi’s business does not hold the permit–the creamery he sells his milk to holds the permit.  I do not believe that this is a new law that was enacted after Leonardi was appointed so the question is:  what changed between when Leonardi was appointed and now?  The Alliance, which calls this situation a "travesty," believes that the governor’s office is interpreting the law too broadly and the result will be to deny virtually every dairy producer from roles on water boards. 

This is not the first time the dairy industry has been treated poorly by the Schwarzenegger Administration.  Chuck Ahlem, a well-respected dairyman whom the governor appointed as the undersecretary of the Department of Food and Ag, gave up his job after the Sierra Club and the Sacramento Bee went after him and his company, Hilmar Cheese, over water issues.  He deserved the governor’s support, but did not get it and was encouraged to resign.  Read the details of the Ahlem story here. 

It’s looking like the Schwarzenegger Administration is more interested in making the Sierra Club happy than giving the dairy industry–which generates $4 billion each year for California’s economy–a voice at the table when it comes to water issues.  When Terry Tamminen’s role in the horseshoe was diminished and the supposed pro-business Chief of Staff Susan Kennedy came aboard, people were hopeful that a more reasonable approach to environmental policy would take hold in this Administration.  Apparently, that is not the case.

This entry was posted on Saturday, February 18th, 2006 at 12:00 am and is filed under Blog Posts.