Weekly Green: May 14, 2015

In recent headlines:

• Environmental groups sue state oil and gas regulators;
• Millions of trees die in California drought, adding to fire danger;
• Too much at stake to fast-track Trans-Pacific pact;
• US gives Shell approval to recommence Arctic drilling;
• ... and much more!

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TOP NEWS

Environmental groups sue state oil and gas regulators
California environmental groups filed a lawsuit Thursday against state oil and gas regulators seeking to halt illegal oil-industry dumping into drinking-water aquifers.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/article20432061.html

Millions of trees die in California drought, adding to fire danger
California's drought led to the deaths of 12.5 million trees in the state's forests last year, leaving behind huge amounts of dry fuel that could burn easily as the summer wildfire season begins, the U.S. Forest Service said Monday.
http://news.yahoo.com/millions-trees-die-california-drought-adding-fire-danger-011225370.html

Too much at stake to fast-track Trans-Pacific pact
Op-Ed by Sarah Rose (CLCV) & Art Pulaski (CA Labor Fed.) for the San Francisco Chronicle: "... In its current state, the TPP could lead to increased stress on natural resources and species including trees, fish and wildlife."
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Too-much-at-stake-to-fast-track-Trans-Pacific-pact-6251877.php

US gives Shell approval to recommence Arctic drilling
When oil and gas giant Shell, last tried its hand at Arctic drilling, in 2012, it was forced to abandon its operations after an oil rig ran aground. Now, however, the US government has given Shell approval to begin drilling again.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/05/shell-approval-resume-arctic-drilling-150513082736316.html

CALIFORNIA DROUGHT

Taste, smell of water is about to change for EBMUD customers
The East Bay Municipal Utility District reported Thursday that two drought-related changes in its water supplies will change water taste and odor. The water will remain safe to drink, but consumers with sensitive palates may not like the changes, officials said.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_28071395/taste-smell-water-is-about-change-ebmud-customers

Drought update: Dry wells, debate over water cutbacks
With Californians increasing efforts to deal with the drought, lawmakers got an update Tuesday on exactly how bad things are and heard little to cheer them.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-drought-hearing-20150512-story.html

Measure California’s Water
Droughts in California may become more frequent, and their effects more severe, as the state feels the effects of climate change. The state can’t respond to them if it doesn’t know who is using how much.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/08/opinion/measure-californias-water.html

Crystal Geyser to tap Siskiyou County groundwater
A private water bottling company will soon be sucking up thousands of gallons a day from an aquifer that feeds the Sacramento River, the primary source of drinking water for millions of thirsty Californians struggling to cope with a four-year drought.
http://www.sfchronicle.com/science/article/Crystal-Geyser-to-tap-Siskiyou-County-groundwater-6253314.php

‘Aggressive’ New Drought Rules for California: Now Comes the Hard Part
After state regulators approved California’s first-ever statewide water restrictions on Tuesday, it’s now up to nearly 3,000 local water agencies, big and small, to make it work.
http://blogs.kqed.org/science/2015/05/06/aggressive-new-drought-rules-for-california-now-comes-the-hard-part/

Starbucks moves Ethos water bottling out of drought-hit California
Starbucks on Friday said it would stop sourcing water for its Ethos Water brand in California, which is in the fourth year of a serious drought that has prompted the governor to order the state's first-ever mandatory water use cuts of 25 percent.
http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/local/x1334160485/Starbucks-moves-Ethos-water-bottling-out-of-drought-hit-California

BPA Added to Prop 65 List
The decision of a scientific advisory committee to add bisphenol A, or BPA, to California’s Proposition 65 list of toxic chemicals is a huge victory in the fight to protect people from this harmful hormone disruptor, Environmental Working Group said.
http://www.ewg.org/release/bpa-designation-huge-victory-californians

California fines 2 oil firms $11.5 million for waste violations
Two affiliates of a giant petroleum company that operates nearly 150 gas stations in the Bay Area will pay $11.5 million to the state for numerous violations of hazardous-waste laws, the California Attorney General announced Thursday.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/California-fines-petroleum-giant-11-5M-for-6249656.php

Despite cutbacks, Sacramento Valley ponders big water sale in drought
Even as they cope with their own cutbacks, several Sacramento Valley water agencies are contemplating major water sales to huge farming interests south of the Delta.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article20865126.html

California Pool Construction Soars During Drought
Deal is hardly alone in building a pool during the drought. According to the Utah-based industry tracking firm Construction Monitor, Californians built or rebuilt well over 11,000 residential swimming pools last year – the highest since 2007. This year, the state is on track for more than 13,000.
http://www.capradio.org/48131

Colorado water shortage looms
California’s drought emergency woes have worsened, with a shortage on the Colorado River next year becoming increasingly likely. Odds of a shortage rose from 33 percent to 50 percent from April 1 to May 1, Metropolitan Water District, Southern California’s largest water wholesaler, said Monday.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/may/11/colorado-river-shortage-even-chance/

Drought May Mean The End For Some Native Fish
The Delta smelt, the small fish that is often at the center of California's water wars, is likely headed toward extinction.
http://www.capradio.org/47929

California seeking help from landowners to save coho salmon
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is hoping to foster partnerships with Sonoma County landowners in four critical coho salmon spawning watersheds to help juvenile fish survive a fourth year of drought.
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/home/3929902-181/california-seeking-help-from-landowners
 

MORE CALIFORNIA NEWS

Growing California cap-and-trade fund attracts surge of spending proposals
Floating proposals ahead of a pivotal period for budget negotiations, they say they want to fund port improvements, pay for heavy-duty trucks and ferries, nurture urban rivers, sponge up carbon in soil and provide discounted bus passes.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/state-budget/article20639208.html

Oil waste doesn’t belong in California’s water supply
It’s time to stop temporizing about a bureaucratic foul-up that threatens underwater water supplies across a swath of California’s oil fields. Two environmental groups are going to court, demanding Sacramento ban the practice of pumping drilling wastes into the earth where the fluids can taint drinking supplies.
http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/editorials/article/Oil-waste-doesn-t-belong-in-California-s-6256472.php

NRC wants more research on earthquake risk at nuke plants
Federal regulators Wednesday directed nuclear power plants in California and Washington state to conduct additional, in-depth research into earthquake risks by June 2017, part of a broad review of seismic threats following Japan's Fukushima Dai-ichi disaster.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/article20960256.html

Local Opposition Deals Blow to Solar Project in Desert Town
Faced with opposition from Landers residents, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors is telling a solar developer "not so fast."
http://www.kcet.org/news/redefine/rewire/solar/photovoltaic-pv/local-opposition-deals-blow-to-solar-project-in-desert-town.html

Senators apply new pressure on oil industry as gas prices rise
Sens. Jim Beall, D-San Jose, and Ben Hueso, D-San Diego, demanded in a letter Thursday that companies provide more information about their operations, including maintenance, outages and price spikes.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article20524758.html

Boxer, Feinstein help block Obama’s big trade initiative
California’s two Democratic senators helped block President Obama’s big trade initiative Tuesday, dealing a stunning blow to their own party leader and his rare alliance with the new Senate Republican majority.
http://www.sfchronicle.com/nation/article/Boxer-Feinstein-help-block-Obama-s-big-trade-6259234.php

NATIONAL & GLOBAL NEWS

This International Trade Deal Could Be a Huge Assault on Environmental Protections
The United States is in the midst of negotiating a massive free trade agreement that some environmental groups fear will undermine regulations protecting air, land, water — and democracy.
https://news.vice.com/article/this-international-trade-deal-could-be-a-huge-assault-on-environmental-protections

E.P.A. Carbon Emissions Plan Could Save Thousands of Lives, Study Finds
New carbon emissions standards that were proposed last year for coal-fired power plants in the United States would substantially improve human health and prevent more than 3,000 premature deaths per year, according to a new study.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/05/health/epa-emissions-plan-will-save-thousands-of-lives-study-finds.html

SATIRE: Shell Assures Nation Most Arctic Wildlife To Go Extinct Well Before Next Spill
Stating that any damage would be limited to just a handful of species that somehow managed to survive that long, officials from the Shell Oil Company assured the public Wednesday that most of the Arctic wildlife living near their proposed drilling site will be extinct well before their next oil spill.
http://www.theonion.com/article/shell-assures-nation-most-arctic-wildlife-go-extin-50408

Bill McKibben: Obama’s Catastrophic Climate-Change Denial
THE Obama administration’s decision to give Shell Oil the go-ahead to drill in the Arctic shows why we may never win the fight against climate change. Even in this most extreme circumstance, no one seems able to stand up to the power of the fossil fuel industry. No one ever says no.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/13/opinion/obamas-catastrophic-climate-change-denial.html

US taxpayers subsidising world's biggest fossil fuel companies
Shell, ExxonMobil and Marathon Petroleum got subsidises granted by politicians who received significant campaign contributions from the fossil fuel industry, Guardian investigation reveals.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/may/12/us-taxpayers-subsidising-worlds-biggest-fossil-fuel-companies

House votes to block EPA regulation of streams, wetlands
House Republicans on Tuesday voted to block government rules that would clarify which streams, tributaries and wetlands should be protected from pollution and development under the Clean Water Act.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/article20727777.html
 

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