Calif Farm Bureau counsel explains dismissal of DFG suit 010411

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http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/news/x1371476163/California-Farm-Bureau-counsel-explains-dismissal-of-DFG-suit

California Farm Bureau counsel explains dismissal of DFG suit

By David Smith, Siskiyou Daily News, February 4, 2011

California — The dismissal of the California Farm Bureau’s suit against the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) was a litigation decision, according to Farm Bureau Associate Counsel Jack Rice, who told the Daily News Thursday that the group will still be looking to resolve the concerns it has with the DFG’s management with respect to water diverters.

The Farm Bureau’s complaint was recently transferred to the Superior Court of San Francisco and consolidated with the case Klamath Riverkeeper v. California Department of Fish and Game. Rice stated that the issues raised in the Farm Bureau’s case had become entangled with the Riverkeeper’s issues, being “overcome” by that case after consolidation.

“We didn’t believe we could achieve” the aims of the suit, Rice said.

The focus of the Farm Bureau suit is the DFG’s interpretation of its code section 1602, alleging that the interpretation had changed to dramatically increase the number of water diverters who would have to complete Streambed Alteration Agreements and pay the associated fees.

Riverkeeper was filed in the San Francisco Superior Court, alleging that the DFG’s permitting programs in the Scott and Shasta basins are not adequate to protect aquatic resources.

– David Smith can be reached at dsmith@siskiyoudaily.com