Water
EPA threatens a mountaintop removal veto
Early on in the Obama administration, EPA did some inconclusive dancing and shuffling about its role in overseeing the issuance of Clean Water Act section 404 permits by the Corps of Engineers for mountaintop removal coal mining projects. Now, though, EPA is bringing the big guns into position. Section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act …
Continue reading “EPA threatens a mountaintop removal veto”
CONTINUE READINGFederal Circuit rules for water contractors
The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has ruled in Stockton East Water Dist. v. U.S. that the federal government must pay damages to two California water districts for its failure to deliver water they were contractually promised. Plaintiff districts hold contracts for water delivery from the New Melones Reservoir, which is part of …
Continue reading “Federal Circuit rules for water contractors”
CONTINUE READINGFeds re-engage on the Delta
Last week brought a lot of good California water news. Restoration of the San Joaquin River took a giant step forward, as the first flows were returned to the channel in accordance with a settlement agreement negotiated in 2006, ending years of litigation by NRDC. As Steve and I noted, removal of four dams on …
Continue reading “Feds re-engage on the Delta”
CONTINUE READINGMountaintop removal review moves to next stage
EPA finished September with a flourish. In addition to proposing New Source Review rules for greenhouse gas emissions and pushing for TSCA reform, the agency took the next step toward a crack-down on mountaintop removal. On September 11, EPA announced preliminary plans to review all 79 pending permit applications. Today, after considering public comment, it …
Continue reading “Mountaintop removal review moves to next stage”
CONTINUE READINGInching closer to Klamath dam removal
Today’s San Francisco Chronicle has encouraging news for the Klamath River. In this front-page story, Peter Fimrite reports that a final agreement has been reached “among 28 parties, including American Indian tribes, farmers, fishermen and [PacifiCorp,] the hydroelectric company that operates the dams,” subject to formal ratification by their various boards, commissions, and councils. A …
Continue reading “Inching closer to Klamath dam removal”
CONTINUE READINGDavid Nawi Appointed to High-Ranking USDOI Post
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has named a respected California environmental lawyer to serve in a key, newly-created Department of Interior post. Salazar appointed David Nawi as his Senior Advisor to the Secretary for California and Nevada. In his announcement selecting Nawi, Secretary Salazar stated, “The current water crisis and land management challenges …
Continue reading “David Nawi Appointed to High-Ranking USDOI Post”
CONTINUE READINGOld MacDonald Had a Farm . . .
But unfortunately, the farm wasn’t as bucolic as you might imagine, as the NY Times reports: Agricultural runoff is the single largest source of water pollution in the nation’s rivers and streams, according to the E.P.A. An estimated 19.5 million Americans fall ill each year from waterborne parasites, viruses or bacteria, including those stemming from …
Continue reading “Old MacDonald Had a Farm . . .”
CONTINUE READINGDelta blues
California’s legislature ended its session Saturday morning without doing anything to address the problems of the Bay-Delta, or more generally of the state’s dysfunctional water governance system. As Rick explained last month, water was at the top of the agenda this year for both the Republican Governor and the Democratic leaders of the legislature. This …
Continue reading “Delta blues”
CONTINUE READINGMountaintop removal update: EPA may grow a spine
EPA today announced that it would review 79 pending applications for Clean Water Act section 404 permits for surface coal mining projects in Appalachia (hat tip: Coal Tattoo). This review is good news, and an indication that EPA may be developing a backbone with respect to the effects of mountaintop removal mining on the region’s …
Continue reading “Mountaintop removal update: EPA may grow a spine”
CONTINUE READINGTravel is Broadening: Idaho & the Wider Reality of Water Supply and Water Waste
They say that travel is broadening. The recent experience of this Californian in the wilds of Idaho attests to the wisdom of that axiom. Earlier this month, I had to journey to Idaho to attend a conference and give a talk. While there, I listened with interest as a former Idaho Supreme Court justice and …
Continue reading “Travel is Broadening: Idaho & the Wider Reality of Water Supply and Water Waste”
CONTINUE READING