Farm Bureau Raises Legal Arguments Over Board's Coastal-Runoff Rules

The California Farm Bureau Federation is raising several legal arguments against the Central Coast regional water board's latest draft of rules targeting pesticides and other pollutants in agricultural runoff. For example, the group argues the plan violates the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by relying on an outdated analysis and not accounting for agricultural land that may be taken out of production due to the costly rules. The group also contends that certain provisions exceed the regional board's authority, including...