Weekly Green: April 19, 2012

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

• Study touts California's clean tech industry;
• But, federal spending on clean tech is “falling off a cliff”;
• State Senator Strickland attacks reusable bags;
• Assemblyman Wieckowski waters down fracking bill;
• Obama campaign ‘honored’ to have green groups' endorsement;
• And much more.

Leading Off

Study touts California's clean-tech industry
California's clean-technology industry is growing and supporting economic recovery in the state, according to a report released today by Next 10, a San Francisco nonprofit that promotes growth of California's clean economy.
Federal spending on cleantech is 'falling off a cliff'
The waning federal investment comes as clean technology market subsidies are being cut in Europe and as renewables face increasing competition from low-cost natural gas. Meanwhile, Wall Street has turned cool toward solar stocks.
Senator Tony Strickland's Attack on Reusable Bags
The bill and its ethically-challenged author are both laughable, but the intentions behind it -- to undermine the work of environmental champions like Assemblywoman Brownley and stop California's progress away from polluting plastic and towards consumer behavior that preserves our ocean ecology and protects our urban environments from plastic litter -- are deadly serious.
What Will Conservation Cost?
A new study in the journal Conservation Biology (abstract only) examines what it would cost to stick to the current approach and the same conservation goals in one area in California. And that number — again, for just one conservation area — is staggering.

Environmental News

California fracking bill would protect industry ‘trade secrets’
A California lawmaker working to pass the Golden State's first hydraulic fracturing rules has watered down his landmark legislation, hoping to overcome industry opposition to a measure that would force energy companies to disclose the mysterious mix of chemicals they inject into the ground to tap oil deposits.
EPA sets new rules for 'fracked' gas wells
Air pollution from thousands of natural gas wells that are "fracked" every year will be reduced under regulations that the Environmental Protection Agency issued Wednesday.
Stretch of Northern California coast to be permanently protected
A spectacular stretch of Northern California coastline that includes ocean-side bluffs, beaches, rolling hills and redwood groves will be permanently protected from development under a landmark deal approved by the state Coastal Commission.
L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa focuses on transportation in State of the City speech
Linking the city's struggling economy and its lack of mass transit, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa used his State of the City speech Wednesday to portray Los Angeles as a metropolis awaiting a promise of better public transportation.
Postpone bullet train funding, says new state report
A new report from the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office recommends lawmakers reject the governor's request to begin funding construction of the train system this year.
San Onofre Power Plant Still Leads the Nation in Safety Complaints
Despite progress in improving the safety culture of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, the plant still ranked highest in the nation last year for both substantiated and unsubstantiated safety complaints at nuclear plants, according to figures from federal regulators.
Citing contamination, FDA aims to shut down 2 state fish processors
So far, there have been no illnesses associated with the two plants. However, government inspectors detected the toxins that cause botulism and listeriosis on products tested at the plants.
Preserving our California landscapes
Conservation funding, matched with investments from the ranchers, is a long-term investment in agriculture and the ecosystem. There are few other tools to provide incentives to keep land as rangeland. Without adequate funding, our California landscapes will disappear.
Birds and Blades: Are Condors and Wind Turbines Compatible?
Wind is a growing industry in the Tehachapi Mountains in Southern California. Kern County welcomes new wind projects, and Google has gotten in on the action. But some environmentalists say that developers and officials are ignoring the elephant — or, in this case, the enormous bird — in the room.
2012 Goldman Environmental Prize winners
Established in 1989 by San Francisco philanthropists Richard N. Goldman and wife Rhoda H. Goldman, the annual Goldman Environmental Prizes are presented to individuals for "sustained and significant efforts to protect and enhance the natural environment, often at great personal risk."
Former Gulf oil spill commission gives Congress a ‘D’ on safety reforms
A presidential commission that investigated the Gulf oil spill blasted Congress for inaction Tuesday as it issued a report card on industry and government response to the massive BP oil spill.
House passes Keystone XL pipeline – again
House Republicans wrote a new chapter in the long-running debate over the Keystone XL pipeline Wednesday by approving it as part of a 90-day extension of surface transportation law.
Obama campaign ‘honored’ to have green groups' endorsement
“We’re honored to have the support of the Sierra Club, the League of Conservation Voters, and Clean Water Action and Environment America, and we look forward to working with them throughout the campaign,” campaign manager Jim Messina said in a statement.

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