REDWOOD NEEDLES

Presented by the Sierra Club Redwood Chapter Newsletter,
The REDWOOD NEEDLES

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Sierra Club opposes SB 1810 which is designed exempt vineyards from CEQA

By Tyler York, Vice Chair, Napa Group

JUNE 2000 UPDATE:

Senator Perata withdrew SB 1810, the bill designed to exempt vineyards from CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) in late May. Not only was there widespread Sierra Club opposition, but both the Napa County Farm Bureau and the Napa County Grape Growers actively opposed SB1810. Additionally, the California Farm Bureau was moving toward officially opposing the bill as they have used CEQA in the past to stop development encroachment on agricultural lands.

APRIL 2000 ARTICLE

SB 1810 has been recently introduced by State Senator Don Perata. This bill is designed to exempt vineyards from the California Environmental QualityAct (CEQA), which safeguards public interests. CEQA provides for publicinvolvement in the project review process, and requires disclosure and mitigation of potentially adverse impacts. Adverse affects from vineyard development- both direct and indirect- include loss of oak woodlands and the species associated with them and impacts to fish such as steelhead and coho.

There are currently a lack of land use controls and strategies in place to protect the environment from these impacts.

Vineyard expansion is a growing concern in Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake Counties. To register your disagreement with this bill, contact your state senator. The following letter, written by Tyler York, Napa Group Vice Chair, was approved by the Napa Group and the Redwood Chapter to represent our position. We appreciate the support of other groups and chapters, the comments, and the letters. Vineyard development and replanting presents complex environmental and economic problems to all of us at local and regional levels. Hopefully, Senator Perata will withdraw this bill so that we can continue the dialogue on a level playing field.

What You Can Do:We urge you to register your disagreement with this bill by contacting these State Senators: Wesley Chesbro senator.chesbro@sen.ca.gov , Byron Sher senator.sher@sen.ca.gov. , John Burton senator.burton@sen.ca.gov , phone: (916) 445-1412 and also the State Senator for your area.

To read the text of the bill, visit the website for the California State Senate: www.sen.ca.gov . Click on "Legislation" and follow the directions to find SB 1810.

LETTER TO SEN. PERATA FROM NAPA GROUP AND REDWOOD CHAPTER:

Dear Senator Perata:

Both the Napa Group of the Sierra Club and the Redwood Chapter of the Sierra Club have voted to oppose SB 1810. As you may be aware, Napa County is conducting Initial Studies pursuant to CEQA on all outstanding Erosion Control Plan Applications. While it may be the intent of SB 1810 to foster local dialogue regarding vineyard planting and replanting regulations, we believe that the proposed exemption will have the opposite effect.

Therefore, we respectfully request that you withdraw SB 1810, at this time, and permit local dialogues to proceed within the framework of CEQA. This framework is not economically onerous to industry interests nor does it provide an unfair advantage to community or environmental interests.

Thank you for your consideration of our request.

For the Napa Group and the Redwood Chapter,

Tyler York, Vice Chair, Napa Group

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