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SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Food and Agriculture is now accepting public comments on draft requests for grant applications for the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program, or SWEEP, and Healthy Soils Program, utilizing $30 million authorized by the Budget Act of 2018, and funded through the California Drought, Water, Parks, Climate, Coastal Protection, and Outdoor Access For All Act of 2018.
The State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program provides farmers and ranchers with grants to implement irrigation systems that save water and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Projects funded through SWEEP commonly include elements such as soil, plant or weather sensors, micro-irrigation systems, pump retrofits or replacements, renewable energy, and variable frequency drives (among others). The draft requests for grant applications for the SWEEP program is posted at https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/sweep .
The Healthy Soils Program offers grants to farmers who take action to capture greenhouse gas emissions – such as carbon dioxide – in the soil to help combat climate change.
The Healthy Soils Program will be implemented under two separate sections: an incentives program and demonstration projects. The Incentives program will award grants to provide financial assistance to farmers and ranchers for implementation of agricultural management practices that sequester soil carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The demonstration projects will award projects that monitor and demonstrate to farmers and ranchers in California, specific management practices in agriculture that sequester carbon, improve soil health, and reduce atmospheric GHGs.
The requests for grant applications for both the HSP Incentives Program and Demonstration Projects can be found on the CDFA Office of Environmental Farming and Innovation webpages: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/healthysoils/IncentivesProgram.html and https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/healthysoils/DemonstrationProjects.html.
CDFA will hold three listening sessions at the end of August to provide information on how to comment on the draft RGAs and answer questions related to the programs. Listening sessions are scheduled for:
Northern California – Augu. 30, 9 a.m. to noon
Glenn County Farm Bureau
831 5th St.
Orland
Southern California – Aug. 31, 9 a.m. to noon
Imperial County Farm Bureau
1000 Broadway
El Centro
Central California – Sept. 4, 1 to 4 p.m.
Fresno County Farm Bureau
1274 W. Hedges Ave.
Fresno
Webinar participation will also be available on Sept. 4 for those unable to travel to any of the listening sessions in person. To register for the Sept. 4 webinar visit https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/519454765226725891.
Comments regarding the draft requests for grant applications can be submitted toThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. no later than 5:00 p.m. PST on Wednesday, Sept. 12.
The State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program provides farmers and ranchers with grants to implement irrigation systems that save water and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Projects funded through SWEEP commonly include elements such as soil, plant or weather sensors, micro-irrigation systems, pump retrofits or replacements, renewable energy, and variable frequency drives (among others). The draft requests for grant applications for the SWEEP program is posted at https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/sweep .
The Healthy Soils Program offers grants to farmers who take action to capture greenhouse gas emissions – such as carbon dioxide – in the soil to help combat climate change.
The Healthy Soils Program will be implemented under two separate sections: an incentives program and demonstration projects. The Incentives program will award grants to provide financial assistance to farmers and ranchers for implementation of agricultural management practices that sequester soil carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The demonstration projects will award projects that monitor and demonstrate to farmers and ranchers in California, specific management practices in agriculture that sequester carbon, improve soil health, and reduce atmospheric GHGs.
The requests for grant applications for both the HSP Incentives Program and Demonstration Projects can be found on the CDFA Office of Environmental Farming and Innovation webpages: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/healthysoils/IncentivesProgram.html and https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/healthysoils/DemonstrationProjects.html.
CDFA will hold three listening sessions at the end of August to provide information on how to comment on the draft RGAs and answer questions related to the programs. Listening sessions are scheduled for:
Northern California – Augu. 30, 9 a.m. to noon
Glenn County Farm Bureau
831 5th St.
Orland
Southern California – Aug. 31, 9 a.m. to noon
Imperial County Farm Bureau
1000 Broadway
El Centro
Central California – Sept. 4, 1 to 4 p.m.
Fresno County Farm Bureau
1274 W. Hedges Ave.
Fresno
Webinar participation will also be available on Sept. 4 for those unable to travel to any of the listening sessions in person. To register for the Sept. 4 webinar visit https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/519454765226725891.
Comments regarding the draft requests for grant applications can be submitted to
- Details
- Written by: California Department of Food and Agriculture
SACRAMENTO – Moody’s Investors Service – one of the nation’s three largest credit rating agencies – issued its official report Wednesday upgrading California’s financial outlook from “stable” to “positive.”
“It was not long ago when California’s credit teetered perilously close to non-investment grade,” said Treasurer John Chiang. “With IOUs and chronically late budgets in the rearview mirror, we’ve climbed out of the trough and are now considered not just a solid, but a highly-desirable bet for investors. The recipe: swapping out accounting gimmicks, deficit spending, and fake budgets for fiscal discipline, long-term planning, and a robust rainy day fund.”
The upgraded outlook is attributed to the state’s fiscal discipline; accumulation of rainy day funds; successively balanced budgets year-after-year; and improved liquidity, resulting from reduction of budgetary borrowings.
Moody’s also highlighted that continued fiscal discipline over the coming years could lead to further upgrades, and that California is in a sound financial position to weather an economic downturn, which some have predicted may be looming in the years ahead.
“The outlook for the State of California is positive and reflects the state's strongly performing economy and finances,” Moody’s said in a release. “Continued fiscal discipline in a healthy revenue environment or retention of reserves despite slowed revenue growth could support a higher rating within the next one to two years.”
Treasurer Chiang agreed. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to enhancing the state’s credit quality,” he said, “and to borrowing at lower costs so we can meet California’s growing infrastructure needs. This will allow us to invest more in California schools, roads, and affordable housing.”
Moody’s analysis also affirmed the following:
– An Aa3 rating on the State of California's outstanding general obligation bonds.
– An A1 rating on the state's outstanding lease debt, its outstanding appropriation debt, and outstanding school fund apportionment lease revenue bonds.
– An A3 rating on outstanding debt of certain state regional centers.
“It was not long ago when California’s credit teetered perilously close to non-investment grade,” said Treasurer John Chiang. “With IOUs and chronically late budgets in the rearview mirror, we’ve climbed out of the trough and are now considered not just a solid, but a highly-desirable bet for investors. The recipe: swapping out accounting gimmicks, deficit spending, and fake budgets for fiscal discipline, long-term planning, and a robust rainy day fund.”
The upgraded outlook is attributed to the state’s fiscal discipline; accumulation of rainy day funds; successively balanced budgets year-after-year; and improved liquidity, resulting from reduction of budgetary borrowings.
Moody’s also highlighted that continued fiscal discipline over the coming years could lead to further upgrades, and that California is in a sound financial position to weather an economic downturn, which some have predicted may be looming in the years ahead.
“The outlook for the State of California is positive and reflects the state's strongly performing economy and finances,” Moody’s said in a release. “Continued fiscal discipline in a healthy revenue environment or retention of reserves despite slowed revenue growth could support a higher rating within the next one to two years.”
Treasurer Chiang agreed. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to enhancing the state’s credit quality,” he said, “and to borrowing at lower costs so we can meet California’s growing infrastructure needs. This will allow us to invest more in California schools, roads, and affordable housing.”
Moody’s analysis also affirmed the following:
– An Aa3 rating on the State of California's outstanding general obligation bonds.
– An A1 rating on the state's outstanding lease debt, its outstanding appropriation debt, and outstanding school fund apportionment lease revenue bonds.
– An A3 rating on outstanding debt of certain state regional centers.
- Details
- Written by: California Treasurer's Office
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