Friends of the Eel River neither supports nor opposes the Humboldt Cannabis Reform Initiative, also known as Measure A. The initiative offers several ways to improve cannabis cultivation regulations by bolstering existing regulations on cannabis operations to further reduce environmental impacts, imposing new caps on the number of grows, and limiting cultivation area.
One important feature is the requirement of hydrologic studies by a qualified expert to demonstrate that groundwater use will not reduce surface water flows. This is particularly important given the lack of subterranean stream designations in the Eel watershed and the strong connectivity between groundwater and surface water in some regions.
While we appreciate the intent of the Initiative, we believe that passing land use regulations by initiative is a tool that should be reserved for only the most urgent matters. We strongly urge Humboldt County to improve their regulatory efforts to meet their existing standards, for example to complete all necessary in-person site inspections each year.
Click here to read about the nearly $1.5 million dollars that we helped direct to sediment reduction projects through our Cannabis Mitigation and Remediation Grant Program established by Humboldt County as a term of our legal settlement.