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Government
Midterms and the irrigation industry: A breakdown
With the dust still settling in some races, the Fairfax, Virginia-based Irrigation Association’s Advocacy Director Nathan Bowen breaks down some of the key takeaways from 2022’s midterms.
According to Bowen, the outcomes of the midterms suggest there will be a few identifiable priority shifts in irrigation- related policy but that the increased likelihood of political gridlock could also have an impact on the industry.
“Quite frankly, I think we’re fairly status quo,” he says. “We appear to be entering a period of divided government where one political party no longer controls the entire process and large-scale policy shifts will be difficult. Going into this, the House was widely expected to flip, and the Senate was the big uncertainty. From my perspective, there weren’t as many incumbents on key committees for our industry who lost their seats as we would have expected in a typical midterm election.”
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Labor
H-2B visa cap increase ‘incredibly important’ for industry
The Department of Homeland Security, Washington, D.C., announced its plan to release 64,716 additional H-2B visas for the fiscal year 2023 in October, potentially easing some of the labor challenges caused by low unemployment and a strong jobs market.
The H-2B visa program allows for the temporary admission of foreign workers to the United States to perform nonagricultural labor or services of a temporary nature if unemployed U.S. workers are not available.
“It’s incredibly important for our industry,” says Andrew Bray, senior vice president of government relations and membership at the National Association of Landscape Professionals.
Green industry professionals make up the largest group of participants in the H-2B program.
According to Bray, green industry professionals comprise between 40% and 50% of all H-2B visas every year.
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Irrigation
Water agencies affirm commitment to lessen demand on Colorado River
More than 30 municipal and public water providers in the upper and lower Colorado River Basin have committed to reducing water demand.
The consortium of municipal and public providers has listed several conservation plans in a memorandum of understanding delivered to Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton.
Agencies from California to Colorado have signed the memorandum, including the Southern Nevada Water Authority.
“As we consider the long-term aridification of the Colorado River Basin, the math is simple: water uses exceed water supplies,” says John Entsminger, general manager of SNWA. “But solving that equation will require all Colorado River water users across every sector to make hard decisions and be fully invested in water conservation if we are going to bring our shared river system into balance.”
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irrigationtoday.org
Winter 2023 | Irrigation TODAY 31
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