Weekly Green: April 22, 2013

Happy Earth Day! Headlines of the past week include:

• Bag ban moves forward in Capitol;
• Colorado River tops 2013 endangered waterways list;
• California leads U.S. in solar jobs;
• Lawmakers blast PUC, and much, much more!

» Welcome to the Earth Day edition of the Weekly Green, a 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

Earth Day

April 22, 1970: NBC interview with Rep. Pete McCloskey & Denis Hayes on the first Earth Day
http://www.hulu.com/watch/67637

It's Earth Day! Here are 7 ways to honor the planet
It's been 43 years since Wisconsin Sen. Gaylord Nelson celebrated the very first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. Here are seven things you might not have known about Earth Day (and the spirit of environmentalism it represents).
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-earth-day-facts-celebrate-20130422,0,5220787.story

SF marks Earth Day in do-it-yourself style
Crowds of people seemed happy to enjoy the warm spring weather a couple of days early as they strolled among the booths of recycled jewelry and organic T-shirts, plus countless organic and vegan food options.
http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/SF-marks-Earth-Day-in-do-it-yourself-style-4450391.php

Scauzillo: Make Earth Day relevant again
From celebrity fundraisers, to corporate tie-ins staged by oil and chemical companies, the spirit of Earth Day - if not the original intent - has been camouflaged by soft PR events and even Astroturf environmentalism.
http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_23072104/steve-scauzillo-make-earth-day-relevant-again

AM Alert: California lawmakers celebrate Earth Day
Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, and former Gov. Jerry Brown adviser Michael Picker, now with SMUD, are using the occasion to showcase programs reducing energy consumption at the Capitol building and the Legislative Office Building.
http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/04/am-alert-california-lawmakers-celebrate-earth-day.html

CLCV Blog: The Assembly "Surf Caucus"
Three leaders share their passion for protecting our ocean and coast in this inspiring video.
http://www.ecovote.org/blog/assembly-surf-caucus

Watch the video: http://youtu.be/OBKklGePk7g

Top Environmental News

California Senate looks at statewide plastic bag ban
A drive to ban most stores from handing out single-use plastic bags got an important boost Monday when the California Grocers Assn. announced its support for a bill. The measure, SB 405, by state Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) would prohibit the bags in grocery stores and pharmacies beginning on Jan. 1, 2015.
http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-senate-looks-at-statewide-plastic-bag-ban-20130415,0,6464630.story

Sen. Padilla pushes plastic bag ban, says business on board
Stores across California would need to ditch single-use plastic bags under legislation authored by Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Los Angeles, that has drawn some interest from a key business lobby.
http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/04/sen-padilla-pushes-plastic-bag-ban.html

Plastic carry-out bags will become extinct in 12 San Mateo County cities on Monday
Stores in a dozen cities and the county's unincorporated areas will stop providing the plastic bags on that date -- Earth Day -- when new ordinances modeled after one approved by the Board of Supervisors in October takes effect.
http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsula/ci_23049393/plastic-carry-out-bags-will-become-extinct-20

Bill to bar apartment smoking goes down in flames at Capitol
Assembly Bill 746 would have made California the first state to venture into personal bedrooms and living rooms with smoking restrictions. It targeted condominiums, duplexes and apartments.
http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/04/california-bill-to-bar-apartment-smoking-goes-down-in-flames-at-capitol.html

Key state Senate committee backs mattress recycling bill
The Senate Environmental Quality Committee has blessed a compromise among bedding manufacturers, environmentalists and local governments about how best to keep about 2 million used mattresses a year from being dumped on California streets or into landfills.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-mattress-recycle-bill-20130418,0,2244377.story

Jerry Brown starts push to revamp California's environmental law
The governor is restrained in his expectations, however, acknowledging that the appetite for such change 'is bigger outside the state Capitol than it is inside.'
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-brown-environment-20130418,0,1001577.story

State Senate leader said revamp of environmental law is on track
A day after Gov. Jerry Brown said overhauling California’s environmental laws was unlikely this year, the leader of the state Senate said Wednesday the effort is very much alive in the Legislature and he thinks it can be accomplished by year's end.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/political/la-me-pc-environment-bill-20130417,0,2753775.story

Settlement reached in Calif. bullet train lawsuit
The California agency overseeing the state's effort to build the nation's first high-speed rail line received a boost Thursday when a judge approved a settlement in a major lawsuit that sought to block the project. However, the rail authority also faced a setback that could delay work and add to the project's soaring costs.
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_23055179/apnewsbreak-calif-bullet-train-settlement-reached

Climate

EPA: U.S. greenhouse gases drop 1.6% from 2010 to 2011
The decrease continued an overall decline in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, down 6.9% since 2005. The EPA said the drop from 2010 to 2011 is driven mostly by power plants switching from coal to natural gas, which emits less carbon dioxide when burned.
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-us-greenhouse-gases-decrease-20130415,0,1545296.story

Second group sues to stop California's cap and trade carbon auction
A second group filed suit today challenging California's cap and trade carbon auction, calling it a giant tax that wasn't properly approved by the Legislature. The lawsuit was filed by the Pacific Legal Foundation, a conservative organization based in Sacramento, on behalf of a group of businesses. An affiliate of the California Chamber of Commerce filed a similar lawsuit last fall.
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/16/5346589/second-group-sues-to-stop-californias.html

Air Quality

Air quality across Southern California better, but challenges remain
Air quality statewide has improved over the last 12 years, but the agency that works to control pollution in Southern California wants tougher restrictions on wood burning in open pits and fireplaces as well as cleaner ports and railroads, according to a report released Wednesday.
http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_23048393/air-quality-across-southern-california-better-but-challenges

Freeway air pollution travels farther in early morning
In the early morning, concentrated plumes of air pollution from freeways can travel more than a mile downwind, exposing more residents than previously thought to harmful pollution levels.
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-freeway-air-pollution-20130417,0,536917.story

Water

Colorado River tops 2013 endangered waterways list
Drought and demand are pushing the Colorado River beyond its limits - with the needs of more than 40 million people in seven Western states projected to outstrip dwindling supply over the next 50 years, according to an endangered rivers list released Wednesday.
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/16/5347708/colorado-river-tops-2013-endangered.html

Bill targets fracking industry's water use
A bill regulating water use by oil producers cleared its first legislative test Monday. Proposed by Assemblyman Mark Stone, D-Scotts Valley, the bill would require companies to disclose the source and amounts of water used in production, including fracking.
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_23039438/bill-targets-fracking-industrys-water-use

EPA slams California for not spending clean-water funds
California on Friday was declared to be out of compliance with the federal Safe Drinking Water Act because it is sitting on $455 million that should be spent to improve local drinking water systems.
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/20/5357172/epa-slams-california-for-not-spending.html

Politics and policy collide in fight over water
Isenberg is more optimistic than ever that the state is closer to a resolution of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, the project to move more water from Northern California through the Sacramento-San Joaquin river Delta to the south.
http://www.capitolweekly.net/article.php?xid=11degch0xqotcpe

Merced River water fight tests Tom McClintock
His brief bill would remove somewhat under a half mile of the Merced River from federal wild and scenic protection. Currently, about 122 miles of the river are designated under the federal wild and scenic law. By removing roughly 1,800 feet of the river from federal designation, Merced Irrigation District officials could consider the option of raising the New Exchequer Dam by up to 10 feet.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/04/20/3266847/merced-river-water-fight-to-test.html

New Tests for Beach Bacteria
Just in time for summer, federal researchers are touting a faster, more accurate water-quality test to keep beaches open and people healthy. But it's expensive, and most of the nation's cash-strapped cities and counties can't afford it.
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/new-tests-for-beach-bacteria/Content?oid=3524825

Energy

Solar energy industry shining bright, but clouds lurk
Still, despite solar's jump to legitimacy, 2013 will be a bellwether year for solar. The training wheels provided by the 2007 California Solar Initiative's financial incentives are coming off, leaving renewable energy companies to ride on their own or fade into the sunset.
http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_23071148/solar-energy-industry-shining-bright-but-clouds-lurk

California leads U.S. in solar-related jobs
California ranks first in the United States with 43,700 solar energy-related jobs, or nearly 37 percent of the national total, according to a new report by the Solar Foundation, a nonprofit solar research and education organization.
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/19/5354651/california-leads-us-in-solar-related.html

California Power Facing Biggest Test Since Enron: Energy Markets
The California Independent System Operator Corp. said last month that managing the state grid, especially in parts of Southern California, will prove "difficult" because the system will be operating without Edison International (EIX)’s San Onofre nuclear power plant and two natural gas-fired units, while hydroelectric output will be at a three-year low.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-19/california-power-facing-biggest-test-since-enron-energy-markets.html

Environmentalist Tom Steyer calls for new oil tax in California
Tom Steyer, the San Francisco billionaire who recently left his job as a hedge fund firm to focus on political and environmental activism, called the oil severance tax the one area of energy policy where California lags other states in the nation in a speech at the California Democratic Party convention.
http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/04/environmentalist-tom-steyer-calls-for-new-oil-tax-in-california-1.html

Feds: Chevron fire sign of weak oversight
The fire that destroyed part of Chevron's Richmond refinery happened because weak state regulations allowed the company to monitor rather than simply fix potential problems, federal investigators said Monday.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Feds-Chevron-fire-sign-of-weak-oversight-4436548.php

Chevron fire report shows troubled history
A string of unheeded warning signs, missteps and lost opportunities spanned the decade leading up to last summer's disastrous fire at Chevron's Richmond refinery, according to the company's own investigation into the blaze.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Chevron-fire-report-shows-troubled-history-4431349.php

Barbara Boxer Blasts San Onofre Nuclear Restart Proposal
Senator Barbara Boxer has slammed a preliminary ruling by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission backing a Southern California Edison (SCE) proposal to restart the shuttered San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station along the San Diego County coast. The Senator has called for a full investigation into the structural flaws that led to both remaining units of the ailing plant being shut down last year.
http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/nuclear/boxer-blasts-june-san-onofre-nuke-restart.html

DWP watchdog warns high cost comes with L.A.'s coal-free plan
DWP's ratepayer advocate says eliminating coal from the utility's power mix ahead of a state deadline is expected to cost more than $600 million.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-no-coal-costs-20130417,0,4877221.story

New leases reveal an oil land rush in Ventura County
Anticipating that new drilling techniques will make it possible to tap vast oil reserves thought to be unrecoverable, a Los Angeles-based oil company has been aggressively securing mineral rights beneath thousands of acres of Ventura County land.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/apr/20/new-leases-reveal-an-oil-land-rush-in-ventura/

California's Government

Lawmakers demand PUC leadership change
Lawmakers grilled the executive director of the California Public Utilities Commission on Wednesday, saying they see no progress on safety issues since the deadly San Bruno blast, and called for a change in leadership at the agency.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Lawmakers-demand-PUC-leadership-change-4442644.php

California legislators blast Public Utilities Commission
Two and a half years after the rupture of a PG&E gas line killed eight people and destroyed 38 homes in San Bruno, state legislators Wednesday blasted officials at the Public Utilities Commission for fostering a culture that downplays safety and is steeped in cozy relations with the utilities they are supposed to regulate.
http://www.mercurynews.com/california-budget/ci_23048161/california-legislators-blast-public-utilities-commission

Bill Lockyer Shows the Problem of Term Limits
For those Californians who remain convinced that term limits represent the solution to all the state’s problems, may I present state Treasurer Bill Lockyer.
http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/2013/04/bill-lockyer-shows-the-problem-of-term-limits/

Legacy of Gov. Gray Davis' recall endures
Grassroots reforms inspired by removing Gov. Gray Davis are still transforming California politics a decade later
http://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/Legacy-of-Gov-Gray-Davis-recall-endures-4432913.php?t=8ed8209822972bc8cd

Wilderness & Wildlife

California lawmakers call for expansion of Yosemite National Park
State lawmakers are supporting a proposal to expand Yosemite National Park by 1,600 acres, restoring land stripped of its protection by Congress in 1906. The state Senate approved a resolution this week that asks the federal government to approve the expansion.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/political/la-me-pc-yosemite-expansion-20130419,0,7494157.story

Feds Weigh in on Solar Power Tower Threat to Birds
The Fish and Wildlife Service has submitted a formal letter of concern to the California Energy Commission (CEC) on the threat to wildlife from power-tower-style concentrating solar facilities.
http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/solar/concentrating-solar/feds-weigh-in-on-solar-power-tower-threat-to-birds.html

Citizen-scientists to help map Sudden Oak Death fungus
Volunteers will be trained to identify and collect sickly leaves and record each location. Their samples will be tested in a campus lab, with results posted on a map.
http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_23014049/oak-disease

In ocean showdown, state appeals court upholds California's landmark marine reserves network
In a significant victory for environmentalists and biologists who support the "no-fishing zones" designed to restore declining ocean species, the Fourth District Court of Appeal late Monday turned back a challenge by the Coastside Fishing Club, based in Martinez.
http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_23040034/ocean-showdown-state-appeals-court-upholds-californias-landmark

Chu, Schiff question the National Park Service study on San Gabriel wilderness
Rep. Judy Chu, the champion of a controversial proposal to carve a National Recreation Area out of the Angeles National Forest, the Puente Hills and the San Gabriel and Rio Hondo rivers expressed concerns over a final study that reduced the scope of the project, excluded the area's most precious resource and awkwardly links the region to the westside of Los Angeles.
http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_23024257/chu-schiff-question-national-park-service-study-san

New Frontiers in Transportation

DMV ponders how to regulate driverless cars
The Department of Motor Vehicles held a workshop Friday in Sacramento to seek public input on possible regulations, and a number of motorists are warming to the idea of the George Jetson age of automated travel.
http://www.mercurynews.com/politics-government/ci_23065855/dmv-ponders-how-regulate-driverless-cars

Sun-powered plane completes California test flight
A solar-powered plane that has wowed aviation fans in Europe took to the skies Friday over the San Francisco Bay area in a successful test flight.
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/19/5356043/sun-powered-plane-completes-california.html

National and International

States, cities, environmental groups demand EPA emission rules
A dozen states and cities and three major environmental groups have notified the Environmental Protection Agency that they plan to sue the regulator unless it issues final rules limiting greenhouse gas emissions from new power plants. The EPA confirmed that it had missed an April 13 deadline to issue final rules.
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-epa-emission-rules-demand-20130417,0,7927668.story

Europe's cap-and-trade program is in trouble. Can it be fixed?
The European Union has long prided itself on taking the lead in tackling climate change. But, this week, the continent's flagship program -- a cap-and-trade program for carbon-dioxide emissions -- ran into serious trouble after a big reform effort failed.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/04/20/europes-cap-and-trade-program-is-in-trouble-can-it-be-fixed/

IAEA: Japan nuke cleanup may take more than 40 yrs
A U.N. nuclear watchdog team said Japan may need longer than the projected 40 years to decommission its tsunami-crippled nuclear plant and urged its operator to improve plant stability.
http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/IAEA-Japan-nuke-cleanup-may-take-more-than-40-yrs-4452595.php

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