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Public comment opportunity on groundwater challenges
The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) has launched a working ground on America’s groundwater and is welcoming input on groundwater challenges. California Dairy Campaign and California Farmers Union plan to provide comments in support of the development of a report to advance government-wide action on groundwater. All are welcome to submit comments.
Public comments must be provided no later than July 1, 2024, to pcast@ostp.eop.gov, with “Groundwater” in the subject line of the email. Submissions should be no more than five pages in length, provide actionable ideas, and not include proprietary or any information inappropriate for public disclosure. More information and PCAST’s full post on this issue can be found here.
As the PCAST post on this comment opportunity notes, groundwater is critical for agriculture, among many other industries, and supplies drinking water for about half of the U.S. population, and nearly all of the rural population in the United States. In western states, groundwater resources are being depleted at a high rate, especially from agricultural withdrawal.
Groundwater depletion is exacerbated by climate change. The quality of groundwater has also become so poor that it can negatively affect the communities that rely on it, especially in tribal and farming communities. While groundwater is managed locally, there may be opportunities to develop and scale approaches to restore clean water in all communities, regardless of geography and local conditions. (Source: NFU)
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