Weekly Green: April 1, 2015

In recent headlines:

• Jerry Brown orders mandatory water reductions amid California drought;
• State lawmakers slam oil regulators after embarrassing lapses;
• As water dwindles, lawmakers seek access to confidential well logs;
• State drought relief package falls short, conservation advocates say;
• ... and much more!

» Welcome to another edition of the Weekly Green, your no-frills news roundup provided free of charge by the California League of Conservation Voters. If you're not a regular subscriber, sign up for your free subscription today: http://ecovote.org/wg »

TOP NEWS

Jerry Brown orders mandatory water reductions amid California drought
Gov. Jerry Brown, standing on a patch of brown grass in the Sierra Nevada that is usually covered with several feet of snow, on Wednesday announced the first mandatory water restrictions in California history. "It's a different world," he said. "We have to act differently."
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article17115506.html

State lawmakers slam oil regulators after embarrassing lapses
In recent weeks, elected officials have publicly chided the Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources, launched their own investigations and introduced at least a half-dozen bills that aim to recast DOGGR’s mission to prioritize protecting public health and the environment over promoting energy development.
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-lawmakers-intent-on-overhaul-20150325-story.html

As water dwindles, lawmakers seek access to confidential well logs
It’s not a secret that California is facing a groundwater crisis. But something else is: a vast repository of state records that scientists and water policy specialists say could dramatically improve our understanding of California’s groundwater resources if they were made public.
http://www.revealnews.org/article/as-water-dwindles-lawmakers-seek-access-to-confidential-well-logs/

State drought relief package falls short, conservation advocates say
Not only will the $1-billion spending plan approved by lawmakers Thursday provide little immediate relief to drought-stricken Californians, state leaders are missing an opportunity to take more decisive action to restrict water use, conservation advocates said.
http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-state-drought-relief-package-falls-short-advocates-say-20150326-story.html

CALIFORNIA DROUGHT

What's old is new again: Brown called for 25% water cuts in the 1970s
In 1977, during his first term as governor, Brown called for a similar voluntary 25% reduction in water use amid a two-year drought. But he met resistance from Southern California water districts.
http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-ln-new-drought-same-governor-20150401-story.html

Record-Low Sierra Snowpack Will Drive Home Drought Impacts
We are officially in uncharted territory. The Sierra Nevada snowpack, which typically supplies nearly a third of California’s water, is showing the lowest water content on record: 6 percent of the long-term average for April 1. That doesn’t just set a new record, it shatters the old low-water mark of 25 percent, which happens to have been last year’s reading (tied with 1977).
http://blogs.kqed.org/science/2015/03/31/record-low-sierra-snowpack-will-drive-home-drought-impacts/

Jerry Brown signs drought relief package
Gov. Jerry Brown signed a $1.1 billion drought relief and flood protection package Friday, as California’s dry conditions stretch into a fourth year. The package’s enactment marks the second time in two years that Brown and lawmakers approved emergency legislation related to California’s ongoing drought.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article16507031.html

The Economics of California's Drought
Given the importance of California's agriculture to the food supply of the United States—and the rest of the world—the state's drought is far from just a local concern.
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/03/the-economics-of-californias-drought/388375/

Judge rules Navy underestimated threat to marine mammals from sonar
A federal judge has ruled in favor of environmentalists who assert the Navy has vastly underestimated the threat to marine mammals posed by its use of sonar and explosives during training off Southern California and Hawaii.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-judge-marine-mammals-20150401-story.html

Tribe fights Coachella Valley water agencies for aquifer rights
In drought-ravaged California, the vast freshwater aquifer beneath the Coachella Valley is a rare bright spot.
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-water-conflict-20150331-story.html

California drought: Sour water — a new normal in the East Bay?
It turns out the taste, and a foul odor associated with it, comes from algae in the Pardee Reservoir, which supplies most of the drinking water for East Bay Municipal Utility District customers.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/California-drought-Sour-water-a-new-normal-6168768.php

Why Isn’t Desalination the Answer to All California’s Water Problems?
One idea gaining traction is desalination: converting seawater into drinking water. While desal has long been confined by steep costs and environmental concerns, even some critics now say it merits a place in the state’s water portfolio.
http://blogs.kqed.org/science/audio/why-isnt-desalination-the-answer-to-all-californias-water-problems/

California’s hydro power dries up as drought worsens; utility customers paying more
The drought is drying up California’s once-plentiful supply of cheap hydroelectricity, and utility customers are paying for it.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article16494344.html

Yosemite: Popular lookout opens, earliest date in 20 years
Glacier Point Road takes drivers to a lookout perched at 3, 214 feet above the valley floor, where visitors can view spectacles such as the Half Dome rock, Yosemite Falls and Yosemite’s high country.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/popular-yosemite-national-park-lookout-opens-for-season/2015/03/28/4b732e00-d57a-11e4-8b1e-274d670aa9c9_story.html

Photos show skiers on more dirt than snow at Squaw Valley
A series of photographs taken at ski resorts in Northern California show just how grim winter has been.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-california-ski-resorts-no-snow-20150324-story.html

Proposed Office To Help Poor Communities Get Clean Drinking Water
The emergency drought relief bill proposed for California would create a new state office. That might sound fairly mundane. But it could go a long way to help disadvantaged communities.
http://www.capradio.org/44869

MORE CALIFORNIA NEWS

Sacramento City Council approves ban on single-use plastic bags
In a unanimous vote, the Sacramento City Council approved a ban on single-use plastic bags that will effectively eliminate plastic bags from the checkout counters of all grocery stores, pharmacies and convenience stores within city limits.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article17016179.html

California Plastic Bag Referendum Could Spark Environmental Showdown
A referendum to repeal California's statewide ban on plastic single-use bags has been added to the November 2016 ballot. The measure was backed by the plastic bag industry.
http://www.npr.org/2015/03/24/395119079/california-plastic-bag-referendum-could-spark-environmental-showdown

Bay Area pollution agency wants to ban open fireplaces
The term “home and hearth” evokes in many a vision of rosy-cheeked children snuggling with their families by a crackling fire, but proposed air pollution regulations may soon banish traditional open-air fireplaces from Bay Area households.
http://www.sfchronicle.com/science/article/Bay-Area-pollution-agency-wants-to-ban-open-6171602.php?

Is Pollution From Asia Making the Central Valley’s Bad Air Even Worse?
California’s Central Valley grapples with some of the dirtiest air in the nation. The culprits range from its vast agriculture industry to trucks on Highway 99. But one local air district is tagging a source far away: Asia.
http://blogs.kqed.org/stateofhealth/2015/03/31/is-pollution-from-asia-making-the-central-valleys-bad-air-even-worse/

Tom Steyer wants ‘answers’ for California gas price spike
Steyer, the billionaire environmental activist and Democratic mega-donor, signed his name to a letter Monday sharing his appreciation for the Senate’s preliminary probe into why gas prices rose by more than $1 a gallon in early March.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/transportation/article16955615.html

Big Horn Sheep Reintroduced Into California Mountains
Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep had almost disappeared over the last century because of interbreeding with domestic sheep and vulnerability to disease.
http://www.capradio.org/45230

Splintering desert plan worries environmental groups
Leaders of several major environmental groups say they are uneasy about a decision this month to separate federal and state parts of a desert land-use plan involving 22.5 million acres of federal and non-federal desert land in California.
http://www.sbsun.com/article/20150330/NEWS/150339950

One man's quest to quake-proof LA's water supply
Craig Davis's long quest to quake-proof the city's water system began at the epicenter of the 1994 Northridge earthquake. He experienced the early morning 6.8 magnitude shaker like most Angelenos did--in bed.
http://www.scpr.org/news/2015/03/27/50592/one-man-s-quest-to-quake-proof-l-a-s-water-supply/

Preserve and Tejon Ranch look for common ground for wildlife, public
Two of the largest private landowners in Southern California this week launched discussions on proposals to connect the Tejon Ranch Co. and adjacent Wind Wolves Preserve with wildlife corridors and public access.
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-wind-wolves-20150327-story.html

California's shift toward renewables makes energy harder to manage
Because nearly 23 percent of California's energy now comes from renewable sources such as solar and wind -- and the state is on track to reach its goal of generating one-third of its energy from renewables by 2020 -- the energy has become much harder to manage.
http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_27796539/californias-shift-toward-renewables-makes-energy-harder-manage

California secretary of state proposes automatic voter registration
Every eligible Californian with a driver’s license would be automatically registered to vote under a proposal Thursday by Secretary of State Alex Padilla, who estimated it would add millions of people to the voter rolls.
http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-secretary-of-state-proposes-automatic-voter-registration-in-california-20150326-story.html

Air pollution takes a double toll on babies' brains
A common pollutant in vehicle exhaust, power plant emissions and secondhand cigarette smoke can shrink white matter in fetal brains and cause further developmental damage during the toddler years, a new study suggests.
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-air-pollution-baby-brains-20150324-story.html

EBMUD considers 7 percent permanent hike in water rates
Rates would go up even more if water needs to be hauled from Sacramento River.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_27776766/ebmud-considers-7-percent-permanent-hike-water-rates

Anti-fracking protesters rally outside Long Beach workshop
The question of how the state's petroleum companies should dispose of wastewater that comes from the ground mixed with newly pumped crude oil attracted a gathering of anti-fracking protesters in Long Beach last Tuesday, March 24.
http://www.dailynews.com/article/20150324/NEWS/150329680

Altamont wind farm’s permit extended despite fear of bird deaths
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to extend permit rights for Altamont Winds Inc. to operate in the Altamont Pass, despite charges by environmentalists that the company’s technology is outdated and will unnecessarily kill nearly 2,000 birds.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Alameda-County-supervisors-extend-Altamont-wind-6156642.php

Bird nests halt emergency repairs on 60 Freeway bridge
Emergency repairs to a bridge on the 60 Freeway in Moreno Valley is at a standstill after crews found two bird nests holding hatchlings of a federally protected species.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-birds-nests-60-freeway-bridge-20150324-story.html

After mystery spill ravaged bay, law pushed to galvanize response
Two California senators, angered by the tepid reaction to a mystery goo that has killed hundreds of birds on San Francisco Bay, are introducing legislation Monday to close a loophole that effectively froze state funding and prevented a unified multiagency response to the crisis.
http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/After-mystery-spill-ravaged-bay-law-pushed-to-6151754.php

NATIONAL & GLOBAL NEWS

Op-Ed: Taking Back Democracy
By U.S. Representatives Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11), Jared Huffman (CA-2), Jerry McNerney (CA-9), and John Sarbanes (MD-3)
"While we support a constitutional amendment to restore the authority of Congress, state and local governments to regulate campaign spending, it's a long-term fight. But there is another way dilute big money's influence: we can set up a small-donor fundraising system to compete with today's big-money politics. That's the idea behind H.R. 20, the Government By the People Act. ..."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-desaulnier/government-by-the-people-act_b_6973214.html

US promises to cut greenhouse gas emissions up to 28 percent by 2025
The Obama administration is pledging that the U.S. will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 26 percent to 28 percent of 2005 levels over the next 10 years.
http://www.scpr.org/news/2015/03/31/50686/us-promises-to-cut-greenhouse-gas-emissions-up-to/

Supreme Court's conservative justices question cost of EPA emissions rule
The Supreme Court's conservative justices sharply questioned the high cost of a new Obama administration environmental regulation last Wednesday, raising the prospect they may block the strict emissions standards for coal-fired power plants.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-court-epa-20150326-story.html

Oceans might take 1,000 years to recover from climate change, study suggests
Naturally occurring climate change lowered oxygen levels in the deep ocean, decimating a broad spectrum of seafloor life that took some 1,000 years to recover, according to a study that offers a potential window into the effects of modern warming.
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-oceans-climate-change-20150331-story.html

The Most Important Thing We Can Do to Fight Climate Change Is Try
The next few years will be crucial in steering us toward the least devastating of the futures that await us. It’s hard to see how we will get there, but it’s important to try anyway—and part of that work involves knowing that we don’t know what will happen, what kind of a world we will inhabit in 2020, let alone in 2115.
http://www.thenation.com/article/198537/unpredictable-weather#

Nebraska Man Asks Oil Commission Just One Question: 'Would You Drink It?'
"It" being a mysterious brown sludge -- allegedly fracking fluid -- that Osborn brought in a foam cup to a public hearing in Sidney, Nebraska, in front of the state Oil and Gas Conservation Commission on Tuesday.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/28/nebraska-fracking-fluid-would-you-drink-it-video_n_6961976.html

Environmental groups urge feds to consider beef’s cost in U.S. diet
The ads, sponsored by more than 100 health and environmental groups, come as U.S. policymakers evaluate evidence that meat, particularly beef, takes a toll on the environment, and as they consider adjusting the nation’s dietary guidelines accordingly.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Environmental-groups-urge-feds-to-consider-6155899.php

Thanks for reading the Weekly Green from the California League of Conservation Voters. If you're not a regular subscriber, don't forget to sign up today! Get your free subscription here: http://ecovote.org/wg

• Next Weekly Green
•  
• Previous Weekly Green