Weekly Green: January 26, 2015

Good evening, all. Recent news and opinion:

• Could California replace gas tax with a per-mile "road usage charge?"
• We are again the #1 animal-friendly state;
• Obama administration to propose new wilderness protections in Arctic refuge;
• Tom Steyer not running for Senate; 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

California Environmental News

California considering plan to replace gas tax with charge per mile driven
As cars get better gas mileage and more people drive electric vehicles, gas tax revenues in California are falling. The state is now studying a plan for a "road usage charge" but there are major concerns.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_27387453/california-considering-plan-replace-gas-tax-charge-per

Billionaire Tom Steyer won’t run for Boxer’s Senate seat
Billionaire activist Tom Steyer won’t run for the U.S. Senate in 2016, saying Thursday he will instead concentrate on electing a Democratic president and in continued activism on his signature issue of climate change.
http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Billionaire-Steyer-won-t-run-for-Senate-6033528.php

‘Ridiculous Ridge’ May Be Back to Prolong California Drought
You might’ve noticed a conspicuous absence lately: rain. In fact, with a scant few days remaining in the month, much of Northern California is on track for a record-dry January.
http://blogs.kqed.org/science/audio/ridiculous-ridge-may-be-back-to-prolong-california-drought/

California poised to see driest January on record
While New York prepared Monday for a historic blizzard, California continued to court the record books due to a lack of precipitation. With just a few days left in the month, January is on track to be the driest on record across much of the state.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/California-poised-to-see-driest-January-on-record-6041058.php

California again tops ranking of the most animal-friendly states
For the sixth straight year, the society has ranked the Golden State No. 1 on its list of 50 states for laws and policies relating to wildlife, farm livestock, pets and animal fighting. Oregon placed second and Illinois came in third.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-capitol-business-beat-20150126-story.html

Developer Won't Build Controversial Solar Plant Without Tax Incentives
The controversial Palen Solar Electric Generating System, which was put on hold in November, will stay on hold unless a federal tax credit for building solar power plants is extended.
http://www.kcet.org/news/redefine/rewire/solar/concentrating-solar/spanish-developer-wants-assured-tax-breaks-before-building-controversial-solar-plant.html

No state or federal aid for handling bird-killing goo emergency
The deaths of birds from a sticky goo on San Francisco Bay this past week signaled an environmental emergency, but the network of skilled government agencies trained to swiftly respond to bay disasters was nowhere to be found.
http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/No-state-or-federal-aid-for-handling-bird-killing-6038179.php

California Politics

Redistricting panel prepares U.S. Supreme Court filing
California’s voter-approved commission that draws the boundaries for legislative and congressional districts is going to the U.S. Supreme Court to support a similar commission in Arizona, which is locked in a power struggle with its Legislature.
http://capitolweekly.net/state-redistricting-commission-eyes-u-s-supreme-court-filing/

3 former California governors back independent redistricting
Former Govs. George Deukmejian, Pete Wilson and Arnold Schwarzenegger, along with the California Chamber of Commerce, GOP mega-donor Charles T. Munger Jr. and entrepreneur Bill Mundell, submitted a brief late Friday stating their support for an independent commission that crafts a state's districts, rather than restricting the task to state legislatures.
http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-scotus-redistricting-governors-20150126-story.html

Hiltzik: Five years after Citizens United ruling, big money reigns
If you're wondering why issues favored by a majority of Americans such as raising the minimum wage, gun control and net neutrality get scarcely any attention in the halls of Congress, the Citizens United case is the reason.
http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-20150125-column.html

National & International Environmental News

Obama administration to propose new wilderness protections in Arctic refuge
The Obama administration will propose setting aside more than 12 million acres in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as wilderness, the White House announced Sunday, halting any chance of oil exploration for now in the refuge’s much-fought-over coastal plain and sparking a fierce battle with Republicans, including the new chair of the Senate Energy Committee.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/01/25/obama-administration-to-propose-new-wilderness-protections-in-arctic-refuge-alaska-republicans-declare-war/

Here’s What Every Governor Thinks About Climate And Clean Energy
Nationwide, 16 governors explicitly reject the reality of mainstream climate science, up from 15 before the elections. The number that have been hostile to the idea of cutting carbon emissions and have not said explicitly whether they deny mainstream climate science decreased by one, from ten to nine.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/01/26/3614703/governors-climate-guide-post-midterms/

After Senate climate votes, Dems see rift in GOP
Republicans managed to neutralize a Democratic amendment on climate change in favor of a watered-down statement that left deliberately vague how much human activity is to blame for global warming. But the move proved almost too successful: Fifteen Republicans agreed with Democrats that humans played at least some role in the changing climate, enough to put the amendment within one vote of passage, to the dismay of the Senate majority.
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/01/senate-climate-votes-democrats-barbara-boxer-114556.html

Copenhagen unveils first climate-change adapted neighborhood
“St. Kjeld’s transformation shows what can be done if you take climate change seriously,” says Morten Kabell, Copenhagen’s deputy mayor in charge of environment and technology. In truth, after a catastrophic cloudburst in 2011 that resulted in damage of about $1 billion, this windy port city had little choice but to find ways of protecting itself.
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/1/26/copenhagen-worlds-first-climate-adjusted-neighborhood.html

Coffee consumption linked to lower melanoma risk
Sunblock you can drink? A new study suggests that drinking coffee could reduce the risk of developing melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, by as much as 20%. Researchers from the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health and the Yale School of Public Health found that the more coffee people drank, the lower their melanoma risk.
http://www.latimes.com/food/dailydish/la-dd-drinking-coffee-linked-to-lower-melanoma-risk-20150121-story.html

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