Region: California

Fumigants Take Center Stage in California

I wrote previously about the strange story of methyl iodide, a chemical purposely used by researchers to cause cancer in labs, being proposed for use as a fumigant for strawberry production in California.  The New York Times recently covered a  legislative hearing by the California Senate Food and Agriculture Committee in which the members of an external scientific review panel lambasted California …

CONTINUE READING

Meg Whitman and the Environment

I thought it would be useful to review the environmental positions of the key candidates in California.  My goal is to be informative rather than evaluative.  I’m beginning with Meg Whitman. She’s not exactly “Ms. Environment.”  In an op. ed last year, Meg Whitman (the GOP gubernatorial candidate) called for a suspension of AB32, as …

CONTINUE READING

What’s in Your Juice?

NPR reported yesterday about a study by Environmental Law Foundation (ELF) of lead (that’s right, lead) in juices and packaged fruits marketed for kids.  The group purchased single serving packages of juice and fruits and sent them to an EPA-certified laboratory for testing.  According to NPR, the group discovered that “[m]any individual servings of apple juice, grape juice, …

CONTINUE READING

Retrofitting homes to make them more energy efficient

When we ponder ways to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change, nothing says “low hanging fruit” more than retrofitting our existing homes and small businesses to make them more energy efficient. Energy use from commercial and residential buildings accounts for 22 percent of California’s greenhouse gas emissions. But relatively simple steps like …

CONTINUE READING

The Looming Political Battle Over AB 32 & California’s Environmental & Economic Future

Today, proponents of an initiative measure designed to “suspend” California’s landmark Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32) are scheduled to submit signatures to state election officials designed to qualify the measure for the November 2010 ballot. Bankrolled by two Texas-based oil companies, Tesoro Corporation and Valero Energy Corporation, the initiative measure would preclude …

CONTINUE READING

More Bad News on Climate: Boxer is in Deep Trouble

Barbara Boxer has been a US Senator for 18 years.  She is chair of the Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee, and is a real environmental hero.  If we ever get a climate bill, she will have a lot to do with it. And she is also in deep political trouble. Take a look at …

CONTINUE READING

Endangered listing for Delta smelt warranted but precluded

Finally completing work on a petition submitted by the Center for Biological Diversity in 2006, the US Fish and Wildlife Service has determined that reclassifying the Delta smelt from threatened to endangered is “warranted but precluded.” That means the population decline is dramatic enough to justify the conclusion that the smelt is in fact endangered, …

CONTINUE READING

California’s Delta & Water Reforms: Now the Hard Work Begins

Last fall’s passage of landmark California legislation to “fix” the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and reform California water law was big news. But key, recent events demonstrate that the devil is truly in the details, and that while legislation certainly matters, it is the manner and means of executive branch implementation that ultimately spell success or …

CONTINUE READING

Delta NRC committee issues initial report

The National Research Council’s Committee on Sustainable Water and Environmental Management in the California Bay-Delta released its first report this morning (also available through the National Academies Press web site, with registration). On a quick review of the summary, the conclusions are unsurprising — the Committee finds that the provisions of the Biological Opinions for …

CONTINUE READING

Big Three backs CAA regulation, cars deal

An interesting development: Yesterday, the industry group for major car manufacturers sent a letter to Congressional leaders opposing Sen. Murkowski’s legislative efforts (discussed by Holly here) to un-do EPA’s greenhouse gas endangerment finding.  The Murkowski resolution, as many have pointed out, would have the result of undoing the federally brokered cars deal set to impose Clean Air …

CONTINUE READING

TRENDING