Weekly Green: August 19, 2014

Good evening, California. In recent headlines:

• CLCV, other groups take on Big Oil price manipulation;
• Slimmed-down California water bond heading to voters;
• California isn't just dry -- it's hot;
• High-speed rail progress; and much, 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 today! Get your free subscription here: http://ecovote.org/wg

Above the Fold

CLCV Blog: Coalition to California Attorney General: Keep Your Eye on Big Oil
Today, several environmental, labor, and other groups delivered a letter to Attorney General Kamala Harris, writing on behalf of millions of our California members to express strong concerns about the potential manipulation of gasoline prices by oil companies, as transportation fuels come under the greenhouse gas emissions cap created by AB 32, California's landmark climate and clean energy law.
http://www.ecovote.org/blog/coalition-california-attorney-general-keep-your-eye-big-oil

Liberal coalition urges Harris to scrutinize gas prices in AB 32 feud
A coalition of unions, environmental organizations and other liberal groups are trying to enlist Attorney General Kamala Harris in their efforts to beat back an oil industry campaign to scuttle the state's plan to expand its cap-and-trade program to vehicle fuels in January.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/19/6639457/liberal-coalition-urges-harris.html

CLCV Blog: Your Right to Know What's in Your Couch
You would expect firefighters would know a thing or two about fire safety. So when they speak up and tell the state legislature that adding pounds of flame retardant chemicals to single pieces of furniture puts lives MORE at risk, you would hope our lawmakers would listen.
http://www.ecovote.org/blog/your-right-know-whats-your-couch

Slimmed-down California water bond heading to voters
California lawmakers voted Wednesday night to swap out an unpopular $11 billion water bond with one they hope voters will find more palatable: a scaled-back $7 billion version that earned widespread bipartisan support. It was promptly signed by Gov. Jerry Brown.
CLCV Statement: http://www.ecovote.org/blog/california-legislature-passes-new-water-bond
Coverage:
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Slimmed-down-California-water-bond-heading-to-5687778.php
http://capitolweekly.net/water-bond-november-ballot-lawmakers-approve/
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2014/08/14/water-bond-deal-draws-rare-unity-at-capitol/
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/14/us-usa-california-drought-idUSKBN0GE02H20140814

CLCV Blog: Why are we flushing plastic down the drain?
Washing your face and brushing your teeth are daily activities that shouldn't cause harm to our environment. Unfortunately, tiny plastic beads in some personal care products are entering our local streams and rivers directly from our sinks – and they're eventually found in the ocean and inside the bodies of marine wildlife.
http://www.ecovote.org/blog/why-are-we-flushing-plastic-down-drain

More: Water Bond

Gov. Brown says drought concerns helped build support for water bond
An annual environmental summit at Lake Tahoe on Tuesday gave Gov. Jerry Brown an opportunity for a victory lap on the new plan for a California water bond, which was approved by the Legislature last week.
http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-ln-governor-says-drought-concerns-helped-build-support-for-water-bond-20140819-story.html

California water rights: Huge gap between what's promised, what's available
California over the last century has issued water rights that amount to roughly five times the state's average annual runoff, according to new research that underscores a chronic imbalance between supply and demand.
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-california-water-rights-20140819-story.html

Skelton: The cup's half full without groundwater regulation
They're all patting themselves on the back in the state Capitol for finally achieving a water bond deal. And that's fine. It was a momentous act.
http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-cap-ground-water-20140818-column.html

Walters: New water bond could make Delta tunnels unnecessary
As Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders hammered out a water bond deal last week, one very high priority was making it “tunnel-neutral.”
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/17/6633604/dan-walters-new-water-bond-could.html

California water bond won't be a drought-buster
Despite its size, the measure will not solve the problems created by the drought nor is it expected to prevent rationing during future ones. Instead, the projects it will fund are designed to provide a greater cushion when the state finds itself dealing with prolonged water shortages in the decades ahead.
http://www.dailybulletin.com/article/20140816/NEWS/140819611

$7.5 billion water bond could meet California's needs during drought
The $7.5 billion water bond measure approved by state legislators this past week could help pay for ambitious local projects, from cleaning the polluted San Fernando Valley groundwater basin to recycling treated sewage for drinking water.
http://www.dailynews.com/article/20140816/NEWS/140819564

More: Drought

California Isn't Just Dry — It's Hot
California might be headed for its hottest year on record. The state's average temperature for the first half of the year is already its highest in recorded history, according to a recent report by the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Association's Climatic Data Center.
http://blogs.kqed.org/science/2014/08/14/california-isnt-just-dry-its-hot/

California Drought Transforms Global Food Market
The result will affect everything from the price of milk in China to the source of cherries eaten by Americans. It has already inflamed competition for water between farmers and homeowners.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-08-11/california-drought-transforms-global-food-market.html

'Severe' drought covers nearly 99.8% of California, report says
Drought conditions may have leveled off across California, but nearly 100% of the state remains in the third-harshest category for dryness, according to the latest measurements.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-severe-drought-california-20140818-story.html

West's historic drought stokes fears of water crisis
When the winter rains failed to arrive in this Sacramento Valley town for the third straight year, farmers tightened their belts and looked to the reservoirs in the nearby hills to keep them in water through the growing season.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/2014/08/17/d5c84934-240c-11e4-958c-268a320a60ce_story.html

UC Davis Scientists Say The Drought Has Helped Water Quality At Lake Tahoe
The drought had at least one positive effect on Lake Tahoe in 2013: improved water clarity. UC Davis researchers have been monitoring the health of Lake Tahoe for nearly 50 years and released the annual "State of the Lake" report Thursday.
http://www.capradio.org/30199

Water agencies: Delta farmers may be taking water meant for other regions
In what is believed to be a first, the California Department of Water Resources and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation are asking the state board that oversees water rights to investigate water diversion practices by farmers in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/18/6635145/water-agencies-delta-farmers-may.html

Bay Area loses billions of gallons to leaky pipes
As Bay Area residents struggle to save water during a historic drought, the region's water providers have been losing about 23 billion gallons a year, a new analysis of state records reveals.
http://www.mercurynews.com/drought/ci_26350962/california-drought-bay-area-loses-billions-gallons-leaky

San Jose moving to impose water conservation measures, but without fines
Complying with new state rules aimed at cutting water use during California's historic drought, the San Jose City Council is poised to declare a citywide water shortage, ask all residents to cut use by 20 percent and place new limits on watering lawns and landscaping.
http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_26349990/california-drought-san-jose-moving-impose-water-conservation

Water-conservation tools: Shame, higher prices
The water ninjas are prowling the streets. Mocking. Undercover. Often anonymous. They are watching you, snapping pictures of your wastefulness with their cellphones, then uploading the evidence for all the world – and your newly empowered local water agency – to see.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/water-631916-use-customers.html

L.A. takes gentle approach to conserving water during drought
For all the tough talk about cracking down on water wasters, Los Angeles and other California cities are choosing gentle coaxing over costly fines.
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-0819-drought-police-20140819-story.html

L.A. dramatically increases 'water cops' staffing as drought worsens
Until now, the Department of Water and Power has assigned just one inspector to drive around handling complaints of water wasting in a city of 4 million people. The DWP said Monday it now has four water-wasting inspectors, but officials emphasized that their job will be more educational than enforcement.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-la-dramatically-increases-water-cops-as-drought-worsens-20140818-story.html

High-Speed Rail

California High-Speed Rail Faces Skepticism As Preliminary Construction Begins
Preparatory work has begun on California's High-Speed Rail network after years of legal fights and delays. But the project is facing the same skepticism and challenges as other big infrastructure ventures in the past.
http://www.capradio.org/30359

Legal wrangling means no rush to sell high-speed rail bonds
While a state appellate court has declared that California has the authority to issue billions of dollars in bonds for high-speed rail development in the San Joaquin Valley, state finance officials aren't rushing to sell the bonds to investors just yet.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/08/14/4070611/legal-wrangling-means-no-rush.html

Dan Richard, bullet train conductor
Dan Richard, the chair of the California High Speed Rail Authority, is a man in the middle. The middle of court fights, the middle of political fights, the middle of a fight over California's future.
http://capitolweekly.net/bullet-train-rail-california-project-richard/

Supporters from Valley tell high-speed rail board: Build it
On Tuesday, a busload of rail supporters from Fresno offered praise for the board's efforts and reiterated their plea for Fresno to be chosen as the site for a major train-maintenance facility for the high-speed system.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/08/12/4066612/high-speed-rail-supporters-from.html

Federal board approves 144- mile high-speed rail route
The federal Surface Transportation Board on Tuesday made public its authorizing for construction of a 114-mile high-speed passenger rail line between Fresno and Bakersfield.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/08/12/6622704/federal-board-approves-144-mile.html

California Environmental News

Two reports warn Los Angeles County residents of how climate change can affect health
Respiratory illnesses, water quality, and mosquito- and rodent-related diseases will worsen across Los Angeles County in the next few decades because of climate change, according to two reports released Monday by public health officials.
http://www.dailynews.com/article/20140818/NEWS/140819432

California Dems balk at Obama climate talk
Voters don't hear the words “climate change” when Democrats in competitive races in California explain what's causing the worst drought in the state's history.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/215293-california-dems-in-tight-races-balk-at-obama-climate-talk

Bill tackles odd crime of grease thievery from restaurants
The California Legislature approved a bill Monday that would increase penalties for stealing a restaurant's used cooking oil, which has become a hot commodity for thieves because it can fetch hundreds of dollars due to its ability to be converted into clean-burning biofuel.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Bill-tackles-odd-crime-of-grease-thievery-from-5696491.php

Sacramento County Ditches Lawn Mowers For Goats
Living in an urban setting you wouldn’t expect to see a herd of goats grazing a couple lots over. But, as summer progresses, municipalities like Sacramento County are ditching lawn mowers and hiring goat herders to clear county-owned basins with overgrown brush.
http://www.capradio.org/30062

California solar plant is frying birds in mid-air
Workers at a state-of-the-art solar plant in the Mojave Desert have a name for birds that fly through the plant's concentrated sun rays -- "streamers," for the smoke plume that comes from birds that ignite in midair.
http://www.mercurynews.com/weird-news/ci_26357650/emerging-california-solar-plants-scorch-birds-mid-air

In Santa Barbara County, oil firms and environmentalists square off
Seen from U.S. 101, northern Santa Barbara County looks to be mostly vineyards and cattle ranches, with majestic oak trees scattered across the dry rolling hills.
http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-santa-barbara-fracking-20140818-story.html

Tom Steyer's ads test the boundaries of the 'bizarre'
Liberal billionaire Tom Steyer is trying to sway national climate policy and the midterm elections with an ad campaign that is raising eyebrows among independent fact-checkers, some television stations, his political opponents and even a few allies -- using an approach that strikes observers as anywhere from groundbreaking to downright bizarre.
http://www.politico.com/story/2014/08/tom-steyer-ads-election-2014-110056.html

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