Weekly Green: June 15, 2015

In recent headlines:

• Legislature approves new $117.5 billion budget as spending talks continue;
• State moves to restrict water pumping by pre-1914 rights holders;
• Explosive intervention by Pope Francis set to transform climate change debate;
• California lawmakers look to better procedure for oil spills;
• ... and much more!

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TOP NEWS

Legislature approves new $117.5 billion budget as spending talks continue
The Legislature on Monday afternoon approved a new budget with $117.5 billion in general fund spending, more money than Gov. Jerry Brown has agreed to include.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article24510952.html

State moves to restrict water pumping by pre-1914 rights holders
For the first time in nearly 40 years, state regulators are telling more than 100 irrigation districts and others with some of the oldest water rights in California that they have to stop pumping supplies from drought-starved rivers and streams in the Central Valley.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-drought-water-rights-20150612-story.html

Explosive intervention by Pope Francis set to transform climate change debate
Pope Francis will call for an ethical and economic revolution to prevent catastrophic climate change and growing inequality in a letter to the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics on Thursday.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/13/pope-francis-intervention-transforms-climate-change-debate

California lawmakers look to better procedure for oil spills
A bipartisan gathering of area Congress and city council members Monday decried the May 19 oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara, calling for improvements to aging infrastructure and quicker spill response times.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/oil-665246-beach-federal.html

CALIFORNIA DROUGHT

Rich Californians balk at limits: ‘We’re not all equal when it comes to water’
Perspectives from residents living in the ultra-wealthy enclave of Rancho Santa Fe, a bucolic Southern California hamlet of ranches, gated communities and country clubs that guzzles five times more water per capita than the statewide average.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/rich-californians-youll-have-to-pry-the-hoses-from-our-cold-dead-hands/2015/06/13/fac6f998-0e39-11e5-9726-49d6fa26a8c6_story.html

'Extreme Drought' Expands In California
The latest U.S. Drought Monitor report shows that conditions worsened in two California counties in the midst of a fourth year of drought.
http://www.capradio.org/51111

$110 million in drought aid going to California, other Western states, White House says
To help Western states combat what federal officials called “severe” and “historic” drought conditions, the Obama administration on Friday announced $110 million in additional funding to provide temporary jobs for dislocated Californians, support farmers and improve water efficiency.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-drought-feds-20150612-story.html

Court Battles Loom Over Challenge to State Water Rights
Now that California officials have ordered water cutbacks for some of the oldest and most protected water rights holders in the state, we’re about to see if those orders will stick. In a historic move, more than 100 “senior” water rights holders have been notified that they must stop pumping water from streams and rivers.
http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2015/06/15/court-battles-loom-over-challenge-to-state-water-rights/

Gov. Jerry Brown pushes budget measure to consolidate water agencies
The Brown administration is pushing late-emerging budget legislation to let state officials force the consolidation of troubled water systems with larger, better-funded agencies, with the goal of improving Californians’ access to safe drinking water after four years of drought.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article24297055.html

L.A. water department will drain Silver Lake Reservoir this summer
The Silver Lake Reservoir is about to go dry. The reservoir will be temporarily drained this summer as part of a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power project to build a new water pipeline beneath it.
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-silver-lake-reservoir-20150615-story.html

Why do they keep building homes during a drought?
It’s a question asked in every drought, as Californians are told to sacrifice to conserve water, while new demand is added to an inadequate supply. And that question gets the same set of answers.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/jun/14/why-do-they-keep-building-homes-during-a-water/

California’s Water Czar, Part Empathetic Confessor and Part Friendly Scold
Felicia Marcus, chairwoman of California’s Water Resources Control Board, has become the face of the state’s crackdown on water abusers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/15/us/californias-water-czar-part-empathetic-confessor-and-part-friendly-scold.html

In the drought, Orange County agencies learn to say 'conserve' in several languages
It took Gov. Jerry Brown’s emergency drought order for Luyen Trinh to begin saving his shower water in a bucket and to cut back his plant watering from five days to two. The 69-year-old Vietnam native didn’t get the message in English.
http://rtumble.com/666514-drought-conservation.html

Three Sacramento water agencies get breather on drought cutbacks
Conservation has gotten a bit easier for three water agencies in the Sacramento area. The city of Lincoln, Sacramento Suburban Water District and Georgetown Divide Public Utility District have been told they have to reduce water consumption by 32 percent over the next nine months compared to 2013.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article23514328.html

Dublin defends construction of massive water park during drought
Construction is underway on what city officials boast will be the "biggest and best" water park in the East Bay, however some Dublin residents are questioning the wisdom of building the $36 million Emerald Glen Aquatic Center in the midst of a historic drought.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/breaking-news/ci_28244463/dublin-defends-construction-massive-water-park-during-drought

California’s Vanishing Clouds Could Intensify Drought
Fog season is with us once again. And whether it’s the ground-level “pea soup” of legend or the looming overcast known as the marine layer, there’s a reason it’s called California’s natural air-conditioning: fog and clouds are vital cogs in keeping the coastal thermostat turned down. But that advantage could be disappearing.
http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2015/06/08/californias-vanishing-clouds-could-intensify-drought/

In drought and desperate times, an unlikely water source: the desert?
Two hundred miles east of Orange County, billions gallons of water percolate through 1,300 square miles of dirt to a pair of dry lake beds.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/water-664957-cadiz-project.html

California drought: No rain, but 'the sky is not falling'
The management of the Santa Ana River watershed could become a model for the rest of the state.
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-beyond-drought-20150607-story.html

Drought spurs sports to look at water use on fairways and fields
It is a cool Friday morning, and perhaps the greatest player ever is planning a massive renovation at Sherwood Country Club. Most of the notes he scribbles in a thick binder deal with reshaping greens and moving tees, but there is something else to consider: the drought.
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-sp-sports-drought-20150608-story.html

Thirsty valley east of Lake County could become massive reservoir
Cattle rancher Mary Wells lives in a remote valley of summer-gold grass where eagles wheel in the sky, wild pigs roam the surrounding hills and rattlesnakes slither over a parched 14,000-acre domain that looks almost untouched by humans.
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/home/4024929-181/thirsty-valley-east-of-lake

Shannon Grove under fire for linking drought to abortion
A conservative California assemblywoman has touched off a backlash by suggesting that God eased Texas’ drought after the passage of pro-life legislation.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article23868907.html

Dying trees may force a new outlook on irrigation during drought
Scientists say the death of so many trees could drive up temperatures, wreak havoc on habitats and limit the capture of water. They expect that even more trees could wither as Californians struggle to comply with new conservation rules.
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-drought-trees-20150612-story.html

El Niño continues to build, bringing increased chances of a wet winter
In a promising trend that increases the likelihood of steady storms this winter that could offer relief for California's historic drought, federal scientists on Thursday reported that El Niño conditions in the Pacific Ocean are continuing to grow stronger.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/California-drought-Odds-of-an-El-Ni-o-rising-6321607.php

California Drought Changes What Farmers Grow
Water scarcity is driving farmers to plant different crops. Growers are switching to more profitable -- less thirsty fruits, vegetables and nuts. Nowhere is this more true than San Diego County where the water prices are some of the highest in the state.
http://www.capradio.org/51055

Riverside sues state over demand for 28% cut in water use
The city of Riverside has filed a suit to bar the state from imposing mandatory drought restrictions on it, saying it has its own plentiful groundwater.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-riverside-water-reduction-lawsuit-20150609-story.html

Drought and record-breaking heat are bad combination as fire season begins
The fire season officially started Monday. It's barely underway. But local, state and federal authorities are concerned that California’s parched conditions could lead to devastating wildfires.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-fire-season-starts-20150609-story.html

MORE CALIFORNIA NEWS

Senate leader says he's certain state's proposed clean-energy goals can be met
Speaking at a transportation-fuel symposium Wednesday, Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León said he is confident a measure that calls for a 50 percent reduction in petroleum use in California over the next 15 years will be signed by Gov. Jerry Brown this fall and that he has no doubts the goal will be achieved.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/environment/senate-leader-says-hes-certain-states-proposed-cleanenergy-goals-can-be-met_20650281

Gov. Brown says fixing delta water system important for entire state
Gov. Jerry Brown called on California to support a plan to transform the heart of one of the state’s most important water systems, saying failure to take action on the delta could risk disaster for not only Southern California but the San Francisco Bay Area as well.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-brown-drought-mwd-20150609-story.html

Opinion: California ‘job killer’ strategy a big success
More than 600 bills were given the “job killer” epithet over the last 18 years and fewer than 50 made it into law. In some years, none did.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/dan-walters/article23606755.html

LA Times Editorial: Assembly bill on ivory sales is worth approving
As the decimation of the African elephant continues, fueled by the illegal ivory trade, this law (AB 96) is not only smart, but necessary.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-ivory-stop-the-illegal-trade-ab96-20150607-story.html

Santa Barbara County official rejects plan to move crude oil by truck
A Santa Barbara County official has rejected a proposal by Exxon Mobil to send a fleet of 6,720-gallon trucks on as many as 192 daily trips on U.S. 101 while the pipeline the company normally uses is out of commission after last month's oil spill.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-oil-trucks-rejected-20150609-story.html

First rehabilitated pelicans returned into wild after Santa Barbara oil spill
The rehabilitated brown pelicans waddled out of their cages and into the surf at Goleta Beach on Friday, slowly stretching their wings after a three-hour car ride from a Los Angeles care center.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-pelicans-release-20150612-story.html

Offshore oil drilling banned along new stretch of California coast
Under the dramatic move by the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration, the boundaries of the Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank national marine sanctuaries expand from Bodega Bay to Point Arena, permanently banning offshore oil drilling along that stretch of the coast.
http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_28283645/offshore-oil-drilling-banned-along-new-stretch-california

44% of coastline clean after Santa Barbara County oil spill, officials say
More than 40 miles of California coastline has been cleared of oil from the Plains All American Pipeline oil spill off Santa Barbara County, officials say.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-coastline-clean-santa-barbara-county-oil-spill-20150608-story.html

Challenges face tule elk management in Point Reyes National Seashore
Once thought extinct, tule elk have returned in force in Marin and now have become the source of concern as well as controversy as herds in West Marin are managed against the backdrop of drought, working farms and tourism. Tule elk can be found in only one national park: Point Reyes National Seashore.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/environment/ci_28311301/challenges-face-tule-elk-management-point-reyes-national

Red Crab Invasion At San Diego Beaches May Signal Coming El Niño
Massive numbers of small red crabs that normally inhabit the warm waters off of Baja California have invaded San Diego’s beaches — from Ocean Beach to La Jolla.
http://www.kpbs.org/news/2015/jun/12/red-crab-invasion-san-diego-beaches-may-signal-com/

L.A. won't buy power from Mojave Desert solar plant, after all
City officials said Thursday that the Soda Mountain Solar Project would be too damaging to bighorn sheep, desert tortoises and other wildlife near the site along Interstate 15, just south of Baker and less than a mile from the Mojave National Preserve.
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-solar-20150612-story.html

EPA 'environmental justice' map highlights California's pollution ills
Many Southern California communities stand out as some of the nation’s worst environmental justice hot spots, according to a new map released Wednesday by the Obama administration.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-environmental-justice-map-20150609-story.html

Ocean investigators set their sights on Pacific Ocean 'blob'
Researchers from Canada to Mexico are coming together to address a mass of warm water that's killing off sea lions and heating up the Pacific Coast.
http://www.mercurynews.com/drought/ci_28293175/ocean-investigators-set-their-sights-pacific-ocean-blob

Port pollution cleanup partially credited with fewer child asthma-related hospital visits in Harbor Area
Emergency room visits and hospitalizations are down for children with asthma, said Nicholas, a founder of the Long Beach Alliance for Children with Asthma. “There have been a lot of efforts in cleaning up the air that the kids breathe,” she said.
http://www.dailybreeze.com/health/20150607/port-pollution-cleanup-partially-credited-with-fewer-child-asthma-related-hospital-visits-in-harbor-area

Coastal Commission Releases “Sea Level Rise Policy Guidance”
The California Coastal Commission has released a revised “Sea Level Rise Policy Guidance” document for public review. The Commission received and reviewed hundreds of comments from individuals and organizations, including Sierra Club California, on a first draft at the end of 2014.
http://california2.sierraclub.org/articles/coastal-commission-releases-sea-level-rise-policy-guidance#.VX90ZvlVhBc

NATIONAL & GLOBAL NEWS

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi Breaks with President Obama on Trade legislation
Despite President Obama's last-minute attempt to persuade members of his own party to support Fast Track Trade Authority, Leader Pelosi surprised many by speaking in opposition to the measure -- partly due to her concerns about climate impacts. Link to video of Leader Pelosi speaking on the House floor:
http://www.c-span.org/video/?c4540755/house-minority-leader-nancy-pelosi-trade-legislation

Climate: China Ahead of Schedule on Greenhouse Gas Reductions
China's greenhouse gas emissions are likely to peak, and then begin to taper, around 2025, according to a new report. That's five years ahead of a promise made by China's leader, Xi Jinping, in November 2014, as part of China's historic climate accord with the United States.
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2015/06/climate-change-good-news-china

Do 'whatever it takes' for a deal, says majority in global climate surve
Nearly two-thirds of people believe that negotiators at key UN climate talks in December should do “whatever it takes” to limit global warming to a 2C rise, according to what is believed to be the most comprehensive survey of global public attitudes to climate change ever conducted.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jun/08/paris-talks-must-get-agreement-on-2c-limit-majority-say-in-a-global-survey

G7 leaders agree to phase out fossil fuel use by end of century
The G7 leading industrial nations have agreed to cut greenhouse gases by phasing out the use of fossil fuels by the end of the century, the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, has announced, in a move hailed as historic by some environmental campaigners.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/08/g7-leaders-agree-phase-out-fossil-fuel-use-end-of-century

Sudden onset of ice loss in Antarctica so large it affects Earth's gravity field
Scientists have observed a sudden increase of ice loss in a previously stable region of Antarctica. The ice loss in the region is so large that it causes small changes in the gravity field of the Earth.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150521143926.htm
 

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