Weekly Green: September 8, 2014

In recent headlines:

• CLCV and LCV Announce "Price We All Pay" Campaign;
• Gov. Brown says he will sign bill that would ban plastic grocery bags;
• Big Oil's 'Grass-Roots' Groups in California;
• Drought not just a California problem;
• ... 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 today! Get your free subscription here: http://ecovote.org/wg

TOP NEWS

CLCV and LCV Announce "Price We All Pay" Campaign
At a press conference today, the California League of Conservation Voters (CLCV) and the national League of Conservation Voters (LCV) announced a new campaign, The Price We All Pay, to curb the influence of polluter money in elections. As part of the campaign, the groups are urging California members of Congress to co-sponsor the Government by the People Act, and are raising awareness of the impacts of polluter money in politics at a time of record climate change impacts nationwide.
http://www.ecovote.org/blog/clcv-and-lcv-announce-price-we-all-pay-campaign

Gov. Brown says he will sign bill that would ban plastic grocery bags
Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown, during Thursday night’s gubernatorial debate with Republican rival Neel Kashkari, said he plans to sign a law that would make California the first state to impose a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags.
http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-pc-brown-plastic-bags-ban-20140904-story.html

Big Oil's 'Grass-Roots' Groups in California
In recent months, groups have popped up that appear to be grass-roots organizations started by ordinary people opposed to the rules. In fact, they’re paid for by the oil industry.
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-09-04/californias-carbon-laws-oil-companies-fund-grass-roots-revolt

Drought not just a California problem: Our view
Beyond the obvious risks of wildfires and crop losses, this drought carries lessons about the need for states and localities to prepare for extreme weather and to invest in water resources, just as they need to spend money on roads, bridges, airports and other basic public works.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2014/09/03/drought-california-water-climate-change-infrastructure-editorials-debates/15054041/

Yosemite hikers evacuated as backcountry wildfire takes off
A small, lingering brush fire in the backcountry of Yosemite National Park exploded into a large wildfire Sunday, prompting park officials to evacuate hikers by helicopter from Half Dome and the wilderness above Yosemite Valley, park officials said.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/09/07/4110706/yosemite-hikers-evacuated-as-backcountry.html

Yosemite wildfire grows substantially
Crews battling a wildfire in the backcountry of Yosemite National Park that forced the helicopter evacuation of 85 park visitors were expecting to get some help from the weather on Monday.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/us/article/Yosemite-wildfire-leads-to-helicopter-evacuations-5740716.php

Surprise bonanza since Napa quake: dry creeks now flowing
It turns out that the earth's mighty shifting - which caused about $400 million in damage to Napa, Sonoma and Solano counties - also mysteriously forced groundwater to the surface and into several dry or nearly dry creeks and streams in the region.
http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Surprise-bonanza-since-Napa-quake-dry-creeks-now-5739098.php#photo-6820897

Blue whales of California are back to historical levels, study finds
Today, there are roughly 2,200 blue whales who range from Mexico in the south to Alaska in the north. In the 1930s, that number was closer to 750.
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-blue-whales-of-california-population-20140905-story.html

Scientists Warn El Nino Won't Help Ease Drought
After a long, hot summer, Californians turn to the winter rainy season with the hope we get a good soaking this year. People talk about El Nino coming from the Pacific Ocean to save us, but the National Weather Service warned this week that's looking less and less likely with each passing month. - See more at: http://www.californiareport.org/archive/R201409051630/a#sthash.EFhDjuQw.dpuf
http://www.californiareport.org/archive/R201409051630/a

MORE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS

In the Parching West, It’s Beginning to Feel like 1159
Doyle Rice has an invaluable piece in USA Today placing California’s persistent and exceptional* drought in the broader context of a very dry West — and the even broader context of the last 1,000 years or so.
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/03/in-the-parching-west-its-beginning-to-feel-like-1159/

September song: Expect more dry wells in San Joaquin Valley
Dry-well desperation in the San Joaquin Valley's rural communities is beginning to peak -- and East Porterville in Tulare County is the epicenter… "I grew up here, I've never seen this many people out of water," said Supervisor Mike Ennis.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/09/02/4100513_september-song-expect-more-dry.html

Hustle and Flow: Here's Who Really Controls California's Water
"Water flows uphill towards money," a source told Marc Reisner in Cadillac Desert, the seminal book on California water politics. Today the complex web of political interests that Reisner detailed some 30 years ago has become even more arcane and intertwined. As California confronts its worst drought in years, these power brokers will largely determine who gets water, and who gets left high and dry.
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/08/california-water-politics-drought-players

California homes lack water meters during drought
Although California is locked in a third year of historic drought, many homeowners and businesses still don't have meters telling them just how much water they are using.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/06/6684055/in-california-some-homes-lack.html

Inaction to stop Salton Sea shrinkage could cost up to $70B
The cost of doing nothing to stop the Salton Sea from shrinking could range between $29 billion and $70 billion, a recently released report by an environmental think tank said.
http://www.sbsun.com/environment-and-nature/20140907/inaction-to-stop-salton-sea-shrinkage-could-cost-up-to-70b

Environmental justice movement battles 'hot spots' while winning cap-and-trade money
The Chevron Corp. oil refinery takes up 15 percent of this industrial city, and company billboards line the nearby streets. It's one of the biggest petroleum processors in the state, and Chevron wants to add the capability to refine dirtier oil. Activists here want to stop that and the state rules that they say are allowing it.
http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060005368

Calif. Fish Farmers Say They Can Meet Strict Environmental Standards
Fish farming raises a lot of environmental concerns, even as it meets more of the world's appetite for seafood. Most of the farmed fish Americans eat comes from overseas, where there are few controls to mitigate issues including habitat destruction and water pollution.
http://www.californiareport.org/archive/R201409080850/b

Tesla expected to bypass California for 'Gigafactory' in Nevada
Tesla Motors on Thursday is expected to name Nevada as the site of the electric automaker's planned $5 billion "Gigafactory" for advanced batteries, following an intense competition among five states trying to land the massive project and its 6,500 jobs.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Tesla-expected-to-bypass-California-for-5732044.php

Conservation groups snapped up large swaths of Sierra Nevada during recession
The catastrophic collapse in real estate prices that started in 2007 left more than a legacy of mass foreclosures in the Sacramento region; it also left vast expanses of newly preserved open space in the Sierra Nevada that the public can use for recreation.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/06/6685151/conservation-groups-snapped-up.html

Muir Beach fight illustrates National Park Service tension
The National Park Service wants to ease what everyone agrees is a growing traffic and parking problem in and around Muir Woods while still providing access to the internationally famous national monument.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Muir-Beach-fight-illustrates-National-Park-5739099.php

Judge says suit to stop Richmond oil shipments filed too late
A judge on Friday dismissed a lawsuit by environmental groups over shipments of volatile crude oil to the Richmond rail terminal, saying they had waited too long to challenge regulators' approval of the project - approval they discovered only after the deadline for going to court.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Judge-says-suit-to-stop-Richmond-oil-shipments-5737183.php

CALIFORNIA POLITICS

Analysis: Impact of Brown-Kashkari Debate … Debatable
When Gov. Jerry Brown walked into the studios of The California Channel Thursday night, ten minutes before the cameras went live, he so completely ignored Neel Kashkari that the challenger awkwardly decided to get up, walk over, and gently introduce himself. By the time the debate was over, as everyone saw, the GOP contender clearly had Brown’s attention. Still, don’t be surprised if that doesn’t last.
http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2014/09/05/impact-of-jerry-brown-neel-kashkari-debate-unclear

Californians among richest members of Congress
Members of California’s influential congressional delegation were again well represented on an annual list of Washington’s most well-heeled members. It also showed well on a separate rundown of the poorest federal lawmakers.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/09/08/4111709/californians-among-richest-members.html

Republicans gaining traction in push to turn Silicon Valley red
Republicans, after musing about the possibility for more than a decade, have finally found a footing in Silicon Valley, ingratiating themselves with tech entrepreneurs who had long eschewed politics in general, conservative politics in particular.
http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-gop-silicon-valley-20140908-story.html

Groundwater, sick leave, plastic bags among Gov. Brown’s decisions
Will he sign, or won’t he? Lawmakers spent the hectic final weeks of August whipping votes, accepting amendments and negotiating with interest groups in an effort to get their bills passed.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/06/6684992/groundwater-sick-leave-plastic.html

THE MORE YOU KNOW!

Do I really need to rinse my recyclables?
“As a California resident, I have been keenly aware of my water usage and trying to curb any water waste. At the same time, we are avid recyclers who live in 12-unit condo complex. I’m torn: Do I waste another gallon of water trying to get those last remnants out of the Sriracha bottle or do I save the water and recycle a less-than-pristine item?”
http://grist.org/living/do-i-really-need-to-rinse-my-recyclables-before-pitching-them-into-the-bin/

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