Weekly Green: January 19, 2012

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Hello and good afternoon all. In this week’s news:

• President Obama rejects proposed Keystone pipeline;
• Governor’s State of the State: it’s the environment, stupid;
• Is the plan to close state parks all a political gimmick?
• High speed rail: California journalist reports from Spain;
• And much more.

Leading Off

State of the State: California's Future Depends on Environment  

Governor Jerry Brown may as well have just said it in his State of the State speech on January 18th. In answering the question, "How do we chart a bold, bright future for California?," Brown believes we get there by protecting the environment, reducing our dependence on dirty energy and building a clean energy future.

Rejected Pipeline Becomes Hot-Button Election Issue  

The oil industry and its allies are furious over the president's decision to block the pipeline. But those who oppose the project are celebrating.

New Gas Economy Rules Generate Wide Support  

The proposed new standards call for automakers to increase the average, unadjusted fuel-economy rating of their vehicles to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025, up from about 27 miles per gallon today... The Obama administration this month extended the public comment period for the proposal by two weeks, to Feb. 13, and expects to finalize the regulations this summer.

TAKE ACTION: Please click here to submit a public comment to the EPA and the Department of Transportation supporting strong fuel economy standards.

In the News

Jerry Brown Braves the Big Chill in Talking Climate

Showing none of the climate timidity that has overtaken national politics, Brown declared that, “fossil fuels, particularly foreign oil, create ever rising costs to our economy and to our health.”

Jerry Brown defends high-speed rail

Gov. Jerry Brown took ownership of California's controversial high-speed-rail project on Wednesday in his State of the State speech, forcefully defending the plan that has received blistering bipartisan criticism in recent weeks.

Spain’s high-speed rail system offers lessons for California

And there are lessons – from both successes and mistakes – that California can learn from Spain’s 20-year history with high-speed trains.

Is Brown's plan to close state parks all a political gimmick?

Seeing beloved beaches, campsites and redwood forests padlocked during the summer could help persuade recalcitrant California residents that the state's budget problems are real -- and make them more likely to vote for Brown's tax-hike initiative in November, political experts say.

Dirty freeway air puts Southern California health at risk, say activists

A growing body of science has confirmed common-sense instinct that dirty freeway air is seriously bad for health, and that research is now spurring Los Angeles activists and regulators to consider new ways of addressing pollution. Though air quality in Southern California has improved dramatically since the 1970s, more and more evidence shows that pollutants remain concentrated close to traffic corridors, and that these toxins cause a broad variety of health problems.

New flood control plan would change Sacramento's landscape

A massive plan to improve the Central Valley's flood control system proposes big changes for the landscape of the Sacramento region, from enlarging major floodways such as the Yolo Bypass to improving levees and bridges.

Editorial: California takes lead with battery charger rules

Once again, the California Energy Commission has taken an important step to cut wasteful electricity use. The commission voted unanimously to require that battery chargers sold in California shut off when not in use.

Opinion: Genetically engineered fish should be labeled

The Consumer Right to Know Act, AB88, introduced by Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, protects the public's right to know how their food is produced while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reviews the first proposed commercialization of salmon genetically engineered to mature more quickly.

Judge to rule on lawsuit challenging pesticide approval

The lawsuit over California's approval of a controversial pesticide might hinge on a seemingly straightforward question: Did regulators ever ask themselves what would happen if they didn't approve methyl iodide?

Collision course: Whales and ships in SoCal

These days, government agencies and nonprofit groups are working on several initiatives aimed at reducing whale-ship run-ins, which some now characterize as a major cause of death for certain species.

California could be model for 'super PAC' disclosure

Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, said she often cites California's Proposition 23 when trying to persuade Congress and the White House to enact reforms. The unsuccessful November 2010 measure, which would have rolled back the state's greenhouse-gas emissions law, was bankrolled mainly by oil companies -- a fact most Californians learned because it had to be included in the initiative's ads.

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