I had this flagged to post back in February when it first occurred but didn’t have a chance to write it up until now. According to the AP, “California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state emergency due to drought and said he would consider mandatory rationing in the face of nearly $3 billion in economic losses this year.” This article also mentions that Schwarzenegger asked urban users to cut water consumption by 20 percent and for state agencies to implement a water reduction plan.
The Federal government is now involved. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack created a Federal Drought Action Team that will be working with California (press release available here). See also California’s Snowpack Problem in The New Republic.
