Weekly Green: February 23, 2015

Good evening, all. Recently in the news:

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California Environmental News

Over pressurization led to Exxon Mobil refinery blast
The cause of the over pressurization is still under investigation. The blast released material into the air that landed on cars and homes. The ash contained fiberglass and glass wool, but no asbestos, according to a South Coast Air Quality Management District report.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-exxon-mobil-refinery-blast-20150223-story.html

Residents roast ExxonMobil officials over response and lack of information after refinery blast
ExxonMobil officials were slammed Friday evening at a packed town hall meeting for the dearth of information relayed to the community in the wake of Wednesday's explosion at its Torrance refinery.
http://www.dailynews.com/article/20150220/NEWS/150229944

Arsenic, nitrates among pollutants in California drinking water: report
California’s public drinking water systems violated safety levels for contaminants more than 1,000 times during the 2012-2013 fiscal year says a report that cites high levels in some water systems of arsenic, nitrates and other pollutants.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/19/us-usa-california-water-idUSKBN0LN03220150219

California plastic bag ban proponents allege fraud in referendum campaign
Paid signature gatherers deceived voters in trying to qualify a referendum that would overturn California’s ban on single-use plastic bags, according to a complaint environmental groups fighting to preserve the law have filed with Attorney General Kamala Harris.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article8392098.html

State seeks more info on risky rail cargo
The fiery derailment this month of a train pulling more than a hundred tank cars of crude oil in West Virginia underscored ongoing demands by California officials for more information about hazardous materials moving through the state by rail.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/california-652061-crude-information.html

California's drought exposes long-hidden detritus
Last fall, rangers at the Lake Perris State Recreation Area and reservoir began spotting clumps of massive tractor tires peeking above the water on one section of the lake.
http://www.scpr.org/news/2015/02/22/49991/california-s-drought-exposes-long-hidden-detritus/

California to spend $20 million on building part of 'hydrogen highway'
It's been more than a decade since former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger regularly talked about his dream of building a "hydrogen highway" that would speed fleets of non-polluting cars from Mexico to Canada.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-capitol-business-beat-20150223-story.html

Vanishing water, fewer jobs, but still hope in the Central Valley
In this region that calls itself “The Cantaloupe Center of the World,” vast fields that once annually yielded millions of melons lie fallow. And, for some farmers, planting tomatoes and other traditional row crops may now constitute acts of courage.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article10902353.html

Eco-friendly California looks beyond gas tax to fix roads
In their search for new transportation funding, California lawmakers are confronting the unintended consequences of policies aimed at reducing emissions.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/technology/article10805915.html

U.S. officials to step up port inspections after illegal engines found
Federal environmental and customs officials said Thursday they will step up inspections at the nation's busiest port complex after discovering hundreds of imported vehicles, engines and other equipment that failed to comply with U.S. emissions standards.
http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-customs-engines-20150220-story.html

State could fight low voter turnout with automatic registration
After abysmal voter participation in California's last election and in Los Angeles County in particular, some state officials want to follow in the footsteps of Oregon and look into creating an automatic voter registration system. http://www.latimes.com/local/cityhall/la-me-voter-turnout-20150221-story.html

Elections experts worry that voter turnout could go further down
The California electorate hit rock bottom twice last year, setting records for lowest voter turnout in both the June and November elections, but no one should assume there is no way to go from there but up.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/elections/elections-experts-worry-that-voter-turnout-could-go-further-down_55096112

Polluted Air Cuts Years Off Lives of Millions in India, Study Finds
More than half of India’s population lives in places with such polluted air that each person loses an average of 3.2 years in life expectancy, according to a recent study by researchers from the University of Chicago, Yale and Harvard.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/22/world/asia/polluted-air-cuts-years-off-lives-of-millions-in-india-study-finds.html

World's biggest PR firm calls it quits with American oil lobby – reports
The world’s largest public relations firm is ending its lucrative relationship with America’s powerful oil lobby – after more than a decade and at least $327m in billings. Circumstances of the divorce between Edelman public relations and the American Petroleum Institute (API) were not immediately clear.
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/feb/19/edelman-public-relations-ends-relationship-american-petroleum-institute

A Look Behind the Headlines on China’s Coal Trends
Armond Cohen at Clean Air Task Force has provided helpful context in the face of recent headlines and a Greenpeace analysis focused on what appears to be the first drop in Chinese coal use in a century.
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/18/a-look-behind-the-headlines-on-chinas-coal-trends/?ref=science