Daily Green

Hello and good morning all. In today’s news:

• Climate change a threat to Sierra Nevada and Bay-Delta;
• EPA approves Klamath River clean-up;
• Governor Brown takes a hard look at Prop 13;
• And much more.

Top of the Ticket

Capitol Alert (Sac Bee blog) 1/5/11

Report: Sierra Nevada and Bay-Delta threatened by global warming

http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2011/01/report-sierra-nevada-and-bay-d.html

Multiple sources 1/5/11

Klamath River cleanup wins federal approval

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-salmon-klamath-20110105,0,2039677.story

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/01/05/MN7R1H3TMI.DTL

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/04/3298583/epa-approves-water-quality-plan.html

CA Environmental News & Opinion

California Watch, USA Today 1/5/11

State wants to limit 'Erin Brockovich chemical' in drinking water

http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/state-wants-limit-erin-brockovich-chemical-drinking-water-7836

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/greenhouse/post/2011/01/california-chromium-6-drinking-water-standard/1

Associated Press 1/5/11

Fishermen get $3.6M settlement from SF Bay oil spill

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/05/3301072/fishermen-get-36m-settlement-from.html

Sacramento Bee (opinion) 1/4/11

John G. Williams: Despite rising chinook numbers, clipped fins hint at troubling reality

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/04/3296951/despite-rising-chinook-numbers.html

New York Times 1/5/11

Firs for the Fish (and the Fishermen)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/05/us/05trees.html

San Francisco Chronicle 1/3/11

Bay Area Air Quality Management District on patrol

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/01/03/MNQT1GUQ9D.DTL

ABC-TV (San Francisco) 1/3/11

Co-founder Kay Kerr of Save the Bay dies

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/video?id=7878052

Fresno Beehive (Fresno Bee blog) 1/5/11

Jim Boren: California farmers want Dean Florez appointed to state PUC

http://fresnobeehive.com/opinion/2011/01/farmers_want_dean_florez_on_th.html

Oakland Tribune 1/4/11

Clif Bar keeps it green at new Emeryville headquarters

http://www.insidebayarea.com/top-stories/ci_17008794

Greenspace (LA Times blog) 1/4/11

Parks grant program extended for Japanese internment camp sites

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2011/01/grant-program-extended-for-japanese-internment-camp-sites.html

Bay Citizen 1/3/11

Will High-Speed Rail Get Sick with BART Syndrome?

http://www.baycitizen.org/transportation/story/will-high-speed-rail-get-sick-bart/

Legal Planet 1/3/11

Ethan Elkind: The Schwarzenegger Legacy: Environmentalism on the Cheap

http://legalplanet.wordpress.com/2011/01/03/the-schwarzenegger-legacy-environmentalism-on-the-cheap/

San Jose Mercury News 12/26/10

Schwarzenegger's legacy: Green laws and red ink

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_1692129

State Politics

Associated Press 1/5/11

Brown: California needs wholesale restructuring

http://www.pe.com/ap_news/California/CA_California_Budget_547892C.shtml

Multiple sources 1/5/11

Jerry Brown takes a hard look at Prop. 13

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/05/3299751/jerry-brown-pitches-a-shift-to.html

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-jerry-brown-20110104,0,6866281.story

http://www.contracostatimes.com/politics-government/ci_17008996

Ventura County Star (column) 1/5/11

Timm Herdt: Can Brown seize his honeymoon moment?

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/jan/04/can-brown-seize-his-honeymoon-moment/

McClatchy 1/5/11

California's clout shifts with new Congress

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/05/3299758/californias-clout-shifts-with.html

Sacramento Bee (column) 1/5/11

Dan Walters: Foul stench permeates Schwarzenegger's final acts

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/05/3299618/dan-walters-foul-stench-permeates.html

California Watch 1/5/11

Low-income voters struggled with ranked-choice voting

http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/low-income-voters-struggled-ranked-choice-voting-7840

David Allgood’s Cure for Insomnia

FOSSIL FUEL FUNTIME:

Labor Dept. steps enforcement of mine safety regulations, toughens penalties.
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/03/AR2011010305653.html

Water quality, coal jobs in conflict in Kentucky.

www.kentucky.com/2011/01/04/1585946/water-quality-coal-jobs-at-issue.html

Oil and gas firms find it harder to drill on US land.
www.npr.org/2011/01/05/132658302/oil-gas-firms-find-it-harder-to-drill-on-u-s-land

Top Pennsylvania environmental official says fracking waste won't harm drinking water.

http://oneidadispatch.com/articles/2011/01/04/news/doc4d23ecedad02a848451747.txt

Environmentalist deal setback for Shell's planned offshore drilling in Arctic.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703808704576061993221978686.html

Shell's Arctic clean air permits revoked.

www.ecoworld.com/energy-fuels/oil-petroleum/shells-arctic-clean-air-permits-revoked.html

Anti-coal mining mountain top removal activist, Judy Bonds, dies.

www.ecoworld.com/energy-fuels/coal/judy-bonds-w-va-coal-mining-opponent-and-activist-dies.html

NEWS FROM THE HOMELAND:

Republicans ask corporations to identify which regulations to rewrite.

www.nytimes.com/2011/01/05/business/economy/05letters.html?hp

The new war on EPA regulations.

http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2011/01/next-war-epa-regulations

Breaking news: Conservative MIT scientist sees link between greenhouse gas emissions and climate change

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-na-scientist-climate-20110105,0,6611143.story

New York Governor Cuomo picks open space advocate for environment chief.

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/04/cuomo-picks-open-space-advocate-for-environment-chief/

House Republicans plan to withhold funding necessary for implementing food safety bill.

www.thecalifornian.com/article/20110104/NEWS01/110104014/Food-safety-bill-Setting-the-table-for-conflict

Dead birds again falling from the sky, scientists baffled.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2011/01/thousands-of-dead-birds-falling-from-the-sky-.html

Ikea stops selling incandescent light bulbs in US.
www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/04/ikea-stops-selling-incand_n_804103.html

BLM chief opposes wild horse slaughter.

www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-wild-horses-20110105,0,16207.story

Texas eager to be America's nuclear dumpsite.

www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/05/commission-36-states-nuclear-waste-texas_n_804527.html

Wolves face threat of removal from endangered species act.

www.care2.com/causes/animal-welfare/blog/wolves-face-threat-of-removal-from-endangered-species-act/

Judge orders DuPont to clean up toxic mess.

http://wvgazette.com/News/201101041251

Solar thermal industry set to boom.

www.grist.org/article/2011-01-04-solar-thermal-industry-set-to-boom

LOCAL NEWS FROM THE GOLDEN STATE:

Pesticide, methyl iodide, bad news for state's children.

www.montereyherald.com/opinion/ci_17014713

A toxic sequel for Hinckley, town made famous by movie Erin Brockovich.

www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2011/0104/For-town-made-famous-by-Erin-Brockovich-a-toxic-sequel

Monterey City Council considers PG&E smart meter ban until health and privacy issues are answered.

www.montereyherald.com/local/ci_17014704?nclick_check=1

Protected desert tortoises moved to make way for solar project fall ill.

www.pe.com/localnews/stories/PE_News_Local_D_tortoise05.405081d.html

OC paint company fined $1 million for improper handling of hazardous waste.

www.mydesert.com/article/20110105/NEWS0802/101050314/Paint+company+to+pay++1+million+settlement

Environmentalists sue to block new city of 21,000 proposed to be built on LA County open space.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2011/01/newhall-ranch-santa-clarita-los-angeles-development.html

Save the Plastic Bag Coalition succeeds in delaying Marin County plastic bag ban.

www.marinij.com/business/ci_17008168

Arcadia to reconsider coyote slaughter program.

www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_17014065

NEWS FROM THE EU:

EU approves ethanol venture with Brazil.

www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE70318U20110104

NEWS FROM THE LAND OF 1.4 BILLION PEOPLE:

Desertification slows in China.

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/china-spread-of-deserts-has-slowed-2176064.html

NEWS FROM THE DAMP ISLES:

Northern Ireland water chief resigns over water shortages.

www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jan/05/northern-ireland-water-chief

Lack of trash collections stirs controversy.

www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jan/04/councils-complacency-rubbish

NEWS FROM THE LAND OF THE 4 O’CLOCK SUN:

British Columbia plans to annoy geese to assuage salmon.

www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/mark-hume/bc-plan-aims-to-bring-back-the-salmon-by-driving-away-the-geese/article1856423/

NEWS FROM THE REST OF THE WORLD:

Falling consumption drives Japan's whale meat inventory to record highs.

www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/360772,stocks-hit-record-high.html

Dwindling blue fin tuna catch drives prices to record high in Japan.

www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/360744,records-highest-bid-tuna.html

India's environmental chief under fire for being anti-business.

www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2011/01/05/MNK41H3SCO.DTL

Australian floods cause catastrophic damage, shut down 75% of coal mines.

www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6BU09620110105

Threat of mercury poisoning rises with gold mining boom.

http://e360.yale.edu/feature/threat_of_mercury_poisoning_rises_with_gold_mining_boom/2354/

FROGS IN THE NEWS:

Endangered frog population gets a jump start.

www.npr.org/2010/12/28/132364898/endangered-calif-frog-population-gets-a-jump-start

Giant bullfrogs of South Africa stage sex scene like no other.

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jan/02/world/la-fg-south-africa-giant-frog-20110102

BEST HEADLINES EVER:

Pesticides threaten Brazilian habit of snacking on ants.

www.nytimes.com/2011/01/05/world/americas/05ants.html

Weeds, rock snot and lionfish: It's what's for dinner!

www.grist.org/article/2011-01-03-weeds-rock-snot-and-lionfish-a-menu-for-invasivores

• Next Weekly Green
•  
• Previous Weekly Green