MBCA’s May 16 letter to Assemblymember James Ramos encourages his efforts to pass legislation that would establish a California Desert Conservancy within the state’s Wildlife Conservation Board. (See our January 13 News post for additional background.) Ramos introduced AB 1183 in mid-February and the bill is working through the committee review process.

MBCA's long-time Board member and science educator Pat Flanagan is part of a team of conservation advocates who have created detailed Science Briefs about carbon sequestration and biodiversity in the California desert. They will be used to educate lawmakers and state agency officials working on climate change and land use issues. Other writing team members were representatives of the Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife, and Mojave Desert Land Trust. 

Along with the California Native Plant Society and sixty additional organizations, MBCA has signed a letter requesting that California's proposed emergency funding related to wildfire be allocated with a focus on science-based management practices. The letter states: "We urge the Legislature to modify this proposal to ensure that appropriate levels of funding are directed into the right locations to protect communities and ecosystems and that science-based solutions are used appropriately in California’s different regions."

While Assembly Bill 1139 ("Net Energy Metering") contains provisions that support expansion of clean energy, especially to low-income customers, other provisions undercut those benefits. They add costs and reduce solar customer credit for extra energy they can send back to the grid. MBCA joined more than 30 organizations in signing a letter to insist on amendments that will continue to advance clean energy for low-income consumers.  

MBCA has published new website features and content. First, we have created a section called MBCA Takes a Stand. These letters, addressed to those having the power to affect our future (decision-makers and public agencies), demonstrate our commitment to our desert way of life with detailed and data-rich information enforcing our point of view. An extensive new section titled Desert-Wise Living contains new content and numerous helpful links in the spirit of MBCA’s mission to encourage “economic and environmental welfare” for residents of the Morongo Basin and other desert communities.