Weekly Green: March 23, 2015

Good afternoon, all. News & opinions of the past week:

• New federal rules set for fracking, GHG emissions;
• California drought: $1 billion proposed in relief;
• Lawmakers demand "reckless" oil firms stop pumping waste into aquifers;
• 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

New Federal Rules Are Set for Fracking
The Obama administration on Friday unveiled the nation’s first major federal regulations on hydraulic fracturing, a technique for oil and gas drilling that has led to a significant increase in American energy production but has also raised concerns about health and safety risks.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/21/us/politics/obama-administration-unveils-federal-fracking-regulations.html

Obama drives ahead on climate with government emissions cuts
President Barack Obama ordered the federal government on Thursday to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by nearly half over the next decade, driving his climate change agenda forward despite percolating challenges from Republican-led states.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/99c689e7e20d4e8a9e991192b00347e6/obama-order-govt-cut-its-greenhouse-gas-emissions

California Announces $1 Billion Emergency Drought Relief Package [quotes CLCV CEO Sarah Rose and CLCV board member Charlie Stringer]
"Even though it was historically dry, it was still raining," says Sarah Rose, CEO of the California League of Conservation Voters. "People see the rain and think they can go back to their old habits. We're going to have to create new habits." http://time.com/3750007/california-drought-water-rules/

Lawmakers demand oil firms stop pumping waste into aquifers
Eight influential California legislators urged Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday to immediately shut down nearly 2,500 wells that are injecting oil-field wastewater into aquifers that were supposed to be protected by federal law.
http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/C-A-legislators-demand-oil-firms-stop-pumping-6148841.php

Lawmakers call oil operations 'reckless,' call for shutdown of wells
Calling the current situation "reckless," a group of state legislators on Friday called on Gov. Jerry Brown to immediately shut down more than 2,500 oil production and oilfield waste water wells that the state has allowed to operate in federally protected aquifers.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-lawmakers-urge-shutdown-20150320-story.html

Jerry Brown: Opposition on climate change ‘borders on the immoral’
Gov. Jerry Brown said opposition to steps President Barack Obama is taking on climate change “borders on the immoral,” as he tore into Republicans in an interview aired Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article16011623.html

Gov. Brown offers $1-billion drought plan amid latest grim data
Gov. Jerry Brown proposed a $1-billion drought relief plan Thursday amid a historic state drought and one of the longest stretches of March heat ever recorded in Southern California.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-downtown-los-angeles-records-heat-drought-relief-20150319-story.html

$1 billion in California drought relief may just be the beginning
Gov. Jerry Brown and top lawmakers from both parties announced Thursday a $1-billion plan to deal with California's persistent drought, describing the legislation as a mix of short-term relief and support for long-term water projects.
http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-brown-emergency-drought-20150318-story.html

How $1 billion in California drought plan would be spent
Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders are proposing legislation to accelerate more than $1 billion in water spending. Here are the highlights of the plan:
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/mar/19/how-1-billion-in-california-drought-plan-would-be/

A Candid Conversation With California’s ‘Water Czar’
After a record-dry January, California is on track for a March that is also in record-dry territory. And the state Department of Water Resources says we may be looking at the skimpiest Sierra snowpack on record. None of this has been lost on Felicia Marcus, who chairs the State Water Resources Control Board.
http://blogs.kqed.org/science/audio/a-candid-conversation-with-californias-water-czar/

California’s Next Megadrought Has Already Begun
As California limps through another nearly rain-free rainy season, the state is taking increasingly bold action to save water.... But it’s not enough. These moves are small potatoes compared to what’s needed to rein in statewide water use, of which agriculture forms the vast majority.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2015/03/20/california_megadrought_it_s_already_begun.html

While promoting climate policies in Washington, Jerry Brown weathers fire at home
In hearings at the Capitol last week, lawmakers excoriated Brown’s staff for letting oil drillers inject wastewater into wells in protected aquifers and for allowing a battery recycler in Southern California to operate under a temporary permit for decades while emitting hazardous waste.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/article15308081.html

Skelton: Thirsty crops should require state regulation
This is what the Brown administration isn't talking about as it tightens the spigot on landscaping: Urban use accounts for only 20% of California's developed water. Agriculture sucks up 80%.
http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-cap-drought-20150323-column.html

California Targets Wrong Water Wasters
As the state's water supply plummets to scary levels, officials are going after people who overwater their lawns. That's a good idea. But they're not the worst culprits.
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/california-targets-wrong-water-wasters/Content?oid=4222724

Walters: What if California’s drought is permanent?
California’s prolonged drought drew a bit of official attention last week. The state Water Resources Control Board tightened, ever so slightly, water conservation rules on local water agencies and users.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/dan-walters/article15558236.html

Op-Ed: California has about one year of water stored. Will you ration now?
Given the historic low temperatures and snowfalls that pummeled the eastern U.S. this winter, it might be easy to overlook how devastating California's winter was as well.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-famiglietti-drought-california-20150313-story.html

No, California won't run out of water in a year
State water managers and other experts said Thursday that California is in no danger of running out of water in the next two years, even after an extremely dry January and paltry snowpack.
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-0320-drought-explainer-20150320-story.html

State approves sweeping restrictions on water use
California officials approved new water restrictions Tuesday, limiting households to just two days of outdoor watering in some parts of the state while requiring restaurants to serve water only upon request and hotels to get guest approval before washing the linens.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/California-drought-State-approves-sweeping-6139559.php

California drought pushes up utility bills, study finds
The state spent an extra $1.4 billion for electricity during the past three years as persistent dry weather cut the output of California’s hydroelectric dams, according to a report issued Tuesday by the Pacific Institute environmental research organization. With less hydropower available, utility companies had to buy more electricity from power plants burning natural gas. And electricity from natural gas plants costs more than hydropower. It also produces more greenhouse gases. Emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases from California’s power plants rose 8 percent during the past three years, due to the lack of hydropower.
http://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Califormnia-drought-pushes-up-utility-bills-6140531.php?t=565b6c5c4400af33be&cmpid=twitter-premium

The Drought Is Boosting California's Natural Gas Use
In a typical year, California gets almost a fifth of its energy from dams on its rivers and streams. But the last several years have been anything but typical: the ongoing drought has shrunk the state's reservoirs and cut the amount of hydro power the state can generate by about a third.
http://www.kcet.org/news/redefine/rewire/hydroelectric/the-drought-is-boosting-californias-natural-gas-use.html

Overpumping of Central Valley groundwater creating a crisis, experts say
Parts of the San Joaquin Valley are deflating like a tire with a slow leak as growers pull more and more water from the ground.
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-groundwater-20150318-story.html

California officials set modest plans for vanishing lake
California officials said Wednesday that the drought-stricken state set an unachievable bar to save the Salton Sea and outlined small projects aimed at staving off the demise of the state's largest lake, disappointing farmers, environmentalists and others.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/article15323813.html

California Just Had Its Warmest Winter on Record
This winter has been a tale of two Americas: The Midwest is just beginning to thaw out from a battery of epic cold snaps, while Californians might feel that they pretty much skipped winter altogether. In fact, new NOAA data reveal that California's winter (December through February) was the warmest in the 119-year record, 4.4 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th century average.
http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2014/03/california-just-had-its-warmest-winter-record

It's clean and green, but don't ask what's in new diesel fuel
Speaking in front of a diesel pump in Sacramento on Wednesday, California Air Resources Board chairwoman Mary Nichols promoted the first high-performance renewable diesel fuel for sale in the state.
http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2015/03/18/its-clean-and-green-but-dont-ask-whats-in-new.html

Barbara Boxer attacks Senate bill to overhaul chemical regulation
A brawl over legislation to reform federal oversight of toxic chemicals went public at a Senate hearing Wednesday, as California Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer led the attack on a bill that opponents say could weaken regulation by California and other states.
http://www.sfgate.com/nation/article/Boxer-attacks-Senate-bill-to-overhaul-chemical-6143459.php

PG&E giving rebates for electric cars?
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. on Wednesday proposed offering one-time rebates to customers with electric cars. If approved by the California Public Utilities Commission, the rebates could be available as soon as next year. The amount of the rebate has not yet been determined.
http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/PG-E-giving-rebates-for-electric-cars-6143856.php

Manteca Considers Selling Treated Wastewater For Farm Irrigation
The City of Manteca discharges about 7 million gallons of treated wastewater daily, most of it into the San Joaquin River. Manteca would have to add another treatment step before its wastewater could be sold for crops consumed by humans.
http://www.capradio.org/44712

Carlsbad Desalination Plant Gets Close To Making Fresh Water
Construction of the Carlsbad plant is 85 percent complete, and it remains on track to begin producing fresh water this fall. The facility will generate 50 million gallons of potable water a day.
http://www.kpbs.org/news/2015/mar/19/carlsbad-desalination-plant-getting-close-making-f/

After mystery spill ravaged bay, law pushed to galvanize response
Sens. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, and Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley, say SB718 would create a funding mechanism for the rescue and rehabilitation of wildlife harmed by marine spills involving non-petroleum-based substances. California’s system for handling oil spills is considered one of the nation’s most sophisticated, but no money or resources are available when something other than oil or fuel is spilled.
http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/After-mystery-spill-ravaged-bay-law-pushed-to-6151754.php

Report: Sacramento gets short end of stick from cap-and-trade program
California's cap-and-trade program will reap far more revenue for clean air projects than the state had previously projected. But most of those dollars will flow disproportionately to the Bay Area and San Joaquin Valley, according to a report released Tuesday. It's already stirred controversy.
http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/blog/morning-roundup/2015/03/report-says-sacramento-gets-short-end-of-the-stick.html

Huge development project on Redwood City salt site suffers major setback
A developer's long-running plans to build thousands of bayfront homes on Cargill Salt's lands -- the largest proposed development along San Francisco Bay in 50 years -- have hit a significant, and possibly fatal, setback.
http://www.mercurynews.com/drought/ci_27747719/san-francisco-bay-huge-development-project-redwood-city

Starving sea lion pups inundate Southern California rescue centers
Animal rescue centers in California are being inundated with stranded, starving sea lion pups, raising the possibility that the facilities could soon be overwhelmed, the federal agency coordinating the rescue said.
http://planetark.org/wen/72938

EPA rule on power plant emissions faces formidable hurdle in Supreme Court
Twenty-five years in the making, a new nationwide rule is set to take effect this spring that will sharply restrict coal and oil-fired power plants from releasing mercury, arsenic and other hazardous pollutants into the air and, eventually, into rivers and lakes.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-court-toxic-air-20150323-story.html

Why Is Al Gore Warming Up?
Six potential culprits for the former vice president's sudden reappearance as a rumored presidential candidate
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/03/why-is-al-gore-warming-up/388069/

First electric car race in U.S.
The first ever electric car race in the United States will take place this weekend in Miami where downtown streets have been converted into a race track.
http://planetark.org/wen/72936

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