AB 2447 (Bauer-Kahan), otherwise referred to as the Nitrogen Pollution Reduction Act, was held in suspense in the Assembly’s Appropriations Committee today. The bill would have eliminated the current reporting structure growers utilize with their respective water quality coalitions, additionally it would have required individual farm information be reported directly to the State Water Board (Water Board), given increased fee authority to the Water Board, as well as set restrictive caps on the amount of fertilizer growers could use per acre per year. The bill was authored in response to the ongoing Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program – Expert Panel meetings, where hard limits on fertilizer use was being considered but was ultimately left off of the recommendations from the committee. As expected, the proposed legislation was supported by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and pushed by a supportive author in Bay Area representative Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-16).

The bill was opposed by a broad range of industries, and the Association highlighted our opposition of the bill to the various legislators last week during the Association’s Lobby Days trip to Sacramento. While the bill is not completely dead yet, this is a significant victory for the moment. Stay tuned for more updates.