Wednesday, June 02, 2004
Diesel fuel theft on farms surges
Diesel fuel theft on farms surges
Lawmaker pushes bill with tougher penalties for thieves.
By Dennis Pollock
The Fresno Bee
Wednesday, June 2, 2004
Dawn had barely broken when the foreman of Jay Gill's Chowchilla vineyard alerted him to the hoses that thieves apparently abandoned hastily before fleeing a diesel tank on his farm. Gone from the tank was about 3,400 gallons of diesel fuel valued at $6,400. Also gone were the thieves who stole the fuel, which is prized on the black market thanks to price spikes in recent weeks.
The same day, diesel thieves also hit the neighboring farm of almond grower Ronald Harris, yet another in a stream of fuel thefts that has prompted state Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, to seek tougher penalties for stealing the fuel.
On Tuesday, Florez introduced SB 703, which authorizes judges to suspend the drivers licenses and confiscate vehicles of those convicted of stealing farm diesel fuel. Florez has scheduled a hearing for 10 a.m. Friday at the Fresno County Board of Supervisors chambers to gather comments from farmers, law enforcement and others."We have to get beyond words," Florez said at a news conference Tuesday in Fresno. "We have to send the strongest message possible that those who are doing this need to think twice about it."
For the first four months of the year, thefts of diesel fuel in eight Valley counties increased 23% to 41,065 gallons compared with a total of 33,380 gallons in 2003. The $82,000 of diesel fuel is twice the value stolen last year.At the news conference, Fresno and Tulare counties sheriff's deputies talked about the challenge of catching the thieves.
Paul Betancourt, a past president of the Fresno County Farm Bureau, said farmers "have a pretty good Neighborhood Watch program, but it's a big neighborhood." Fresno County sheriff's Lt. Jeff Johnson said the cost for farmers goes beyond the price of the fuel: "It can shut them down for a time and add to losses for farmers who are struggling to stay in business."Gill said the theft at his Chowchilla business caused him to rush to get more diesel to power the engines that operate pumps on his farm: "It was hot; you can't stop the water."
Gill said he was pleased to hear of tighter penalties. "The penalties should be stiff for those who steal and for those who receive the stolen fuel," he said. Many farmers buy what is termed "red diesel," which carries a dye to indicate it is exempt from highway tax. Unfortunately, Gill said, his diesel carried no such dye."It could have wound up anywhere," he said, "another farmer, a truck driver or anybody."Betancourt said red diesel was selling at about $1.30 a gallon Tuesday, and has increased almost 80 cents in recent weeks. In Fresno, Tuesday's average for the diesel at retail was $2.29. It peaked at $2.45 on May 14.
Fresno County Supervisor Phil Larson said some of the stolen diesel "goes to farmers, and that's unfortunate."He said the stolen fuel could also pose a risk to homeland security because it, along with fertilizer, could be used for explosive devices. Tulare County sheriff's Capt. Robert Lomeli said grant money for a crime-stopping effort called the Agricultural Crime Technology Information and Operations Network is helping curb thefts on farms.
He added that farmers can help by alerting law enforcement quickly to any suspected thefts and illegal sales. They also can add screens to valves on their equipment to block hoses used for pumping the fuel.
Lawmaker pushes bill with tougher penalties for thieves.
By Dennis Pollock
The Fresno Bee
Wednesday, June 2, 2004
Dawn had barely broken when the foreman of Jay Gill's Chowchilla vineyard alerted him to the hoses that thieves apparently abandoned hastily before fleeing a diesel tank on his farm. Gone from the tank was about 3,400 gallons of diesel fuel valued at $6,400. Also gone were the thieves who stole the fuel, which is prized on the black market thanks to price spikes in recent weeks.
The same day, diesel thieves also hit the neighboring farm of almond grower Ronald Harris, yet another in a stream of fuel thefts that has prompted state Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, to seek tougher penalties for stealing the fuel.
On Tuesday, Florez introduced SB 703, which authorizes judges to suspend the drivers licenses and confiscate vehicles of those convicted of stealing farm diesel fuel. Florez has scheduled a hearing for 10 a.m. Friday at the Fresno County Board of Supervisors chambers to gather comments from farmers, law enforcement and others."We have to get beyond words," Florez said at a news conference Tuesday in Fresno. "We have to send the strongest message possible that those who are doing this need to think twice about it."
For the first four months of the year, thefts of diesel fuel in eight Valley counties increased 23% to 41,065 gallons compared with a total of 33,380 gallons in 2003. The $82,000 of diesel fuel is twice the value stolen last year.At the news conference, Fresno and Tulare counties sheriff's deputies talked about the challenge of catching the thieves.
Paul Betancourt, a past president of the Fresno County Farm Bureau, said farmers "have a pretty good Neighborhood Watch program, but it's a big neighborhood." Fresno County sheriff's Lt. Jeff Johnson said the cost for farmers goes beyond the price of the fuel: "It can shut them down for a time and add to losses for farmers who are struggling to stay in business."Gill said the theft at his Chowchilla business caused him to rush to get more diesel to power the engines that operate pumps on his farm: "It was hot; you can't stop the water."
Gill said he was pleased to hear of tighter penalties. "The penalties should be stiff for those who steal and for those who receive the stolen fuel," he said. Many farmers buy what is termed "red diesel," which carries a dye to indicate it is exempt from highway tax. Unfortunately, Gill said, his diesel carried no such dye."It could have wound up anywhere," he said, "another farmer, a truck driver or anybody."Betancourt said red diesel was selling at about $1.30 a gallon Tuesday, and has increased almost 80 cents in recent weeks. In Fresno, Tuesday's average for the diesel at retail was $2.29. It peaked at $2.45 on May 14.
Fresno County Supervisor Phil Larson said some of the stolen diesel "goes to farmers, and that's unfortunate."He said the stolen fuel could also pose a risk to homeland security because it, along with fertilizer, could be used for explosive devices. Tulare County sheriff's Capt. Robert Lomeli said grant money for a crime-stopping effort called the Agricultural Crime Technology Information and Operations Network is helping curb thefts on farms.
He added that farmers can help by alerting law enforcement quickly to any suspected thefts and illegal sales. They also can add screens to valves on their equipment to block hoses used for pumping the fuel.
# posted by Senator Dean Florez @ 9:57 AM 
