National Geographic - Online (September 17, 2014) - Despite California's reputation as an environmental policy leader, its regulation of groundwater extraction has long been among the weakest in the nation. That changed Tuesday, when California Governor Jerry Brown signed a package of three bills designed to regulate the pumping of water from underground aquifers. The new laws give local agencies five to seven years to develop those groundwater plans, and until 2040 to implement them—a "rather languid" schedule in a time of crisis, according to Richard Frank, a professor of environmental law at the University of California, Davis. Frank also criticizes a clause that prohibits public disclosure of personal information related to groundwater extraction, a caveat that he says could be broadened to keep basic pumping data under wraps.