Water in the West under the new Administration

Water in the West under the new Administration

Tim Hammerich
Tim Hammerich
News Reporter
With California Ag Today, I’m Tim Hammerich.

How will family farmers fare under the new Biden administration? Family Farm Alliance Executive Director Dan Keppen says in the early days of the Biden presidency, he does see opportunities to advance the priorities of farmers in the west.

Keppen… “You know, every administration has different policies. Our issues and challenges are going to be the same. It's a matter of finding a way to deal with our issues in a way that fits into the incoming administration's agenda.”

That agenda includes taking measures to mitigate climate change. Keppen sees that as a clear intersection with family farm priorities.

Keppen… “Climate change is definitely, I mean, has an impact, it's something that's causing some changes to hydrology in the West. There's no doubt about it. The snow pack has changing the timing of the runoff is changing. We've always felt that water infrastructure and modernizing water infrastructure is the way to mitigate with those changes. Right? And not only that, our organization is a big proponent of water infrastructure. There's a lot of jobs out there that could be created if we get an infrastructure package that starts this summer, building some of this stuff, putting people to work. And a lot of those projects could have benefits to mitigate for climate change as well. So that's sort of how we're seeing things right now.”

Keppen believes there are opportunities to get things done in a bipartisan way. The Family Farm Alliance is holding an online event with the theme of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” this week.

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