Weekly Green: April 27, 2012

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

• Federal court gives green light to low-carbon fuel standard rules;
• Video warning of green energy 'suicide pact' goes viral;
• Don’t frack with your neighbors;
• 'Garbage' chemical TCP threatens Valley water;
• And much more.

Leading Off

Thou Shalt Not Frack Thy Neighbor’s Land
Senate Bill 1054 (Pavley) would require oil and gas well operators to provide advance notice to the nearby property owners and occupants, water suppliers, and local government before they frack. This isn’t revolutionary. It’s being a good neighbor.
http://www.ecovote.org/blog/fracking-notice-sb-1054
 
Federal court gives green light to low-carbon fuel standard rules
The crafting of regulations critical to California’s landmark law curbing climate-changing carbon gas emissions will go forward temporarily while a federal appeals court decides whether they violate the commerce clause of the U.S. constitution.
http://www.capitolweekly.net/article.php?xid=10it2uqhfsb9lg2
 
Conservative Nonprofit Acts as a Stealth Business Lobbyist
Most of the attention has focused on ALEC’s role in creating model bills, drafted by lobbyists and lawmakers, that broadly advance a pro-business, socially conservative agenda. But a review of internal ALEC documents shows that this is only one facet of a sophisticated operation for shaping public policy at a state-by-state level.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/us/alec-a-tax-exempt-group-mixes-legislators-and-lobbyists.html
 
Video warning of green energy 'suicide pact' goes viral online
A free-market group has scored a hit with an ominous, gloomy video warning that environmental regulations and restrictions on fossil fuels are putting America on a path to ruin.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/223747-group-says-enviro-regulations-green-energy-will-cause-america-to-fail
 
Vermont Was Third. Will California Be Next?
Vermont today became the third state to call for a constitutional amendment to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision. Which state will be next? It could very well be California.
http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/site/comment/reply/10058

More Environmental News

Opinion: Potential of low carbon fuel will drive California forward
For the first time since the 1950s the United States is exporting more gasoline and diesel than it imports. To become energy secure, we need to invest in homegrown fuels, but also develop fuel-efficient vehicles that go farther on a gallon of gas, while producing as little pollution as possible. That's where California's low carbon fuel standard comes in.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/04/25/4439739/potential-of-low-carbon-fuel-will.html
 
Assembly OKs bill allowing clean-air autos in carpool lanes
The legislation, authored by Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield (D-Woodland Hills), would  allow cars with a Clean Air Vehicle Sticker free access to carpool lanes that are converted to High Occupancy Toll lanes.
http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-car-pool-permits-20120426,0,127701.story
 
Bay Area no longer among 25 most-polluted regions
The State of the Air report ranked regions across the United States on particle and ozone pollution, finding that three of the nine least smoggy counties in California are located in the Bay Area and that, with a few exceptions, the air in Northern California is safe to inhale.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/04/25/BAPC1O906Q.DTL
 
Bill to determine water plan's true cost clears
A Central Valley Republican wants to mandate that officials determine the total cost before constructing a canal or tunnel to move water around the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/04/25/BAA31O8HDT.DTL
 
'Garbage' chemical TCP threatens Valley water
A 1974 memo from Dow Chemical describes several chemicals in a widely used farm fumigant as "garbage." Today, one of those useless chemicals threatens drinking water for more than 1 million people across the San Joaquin Valley.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/04/21/2809366/garbage-chemical-taints-water.html
 
Solar power producers hesitate to embrace new DWP program
Storm clouds hovered over the San Fernando Valley, but businessman Jack Engel was smiling as he pointed to a row of solar inverters at one of two commercial warehouses he owns in Sun Valley. Power was being generated despite the weather, no problem.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-dwp-solar-20120423,0,7332999.story
 
Public split over elimination of U.S. energy subsidies, poll finds
The American public is divided about whether to eliminate federal subsidies for any form of energy and is giving less support to nuclear power and U.S. funding of renewable energy, a new poll has found.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-enviro-poll-20120426,0,5490023.story
 
San Onofre not expected to close for good, Edison says
The extended closure of the San Onofre nuclear plant due to safety concerns has led some to speculate — or hope — that the plant will be shuttered for good, but the chief nuclear officer for plant operator Southern California Edison said he doesn't believe the problems signal the plant's demise.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-san-onofre-20120424,0,2589141.story
 
Senate panel rejects bill seeking warnings on reusable bags
Sen. Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills, voted against the bill but said she would be "glad to support increased public awareness" of the need to wash cloth bags. In the meantime, she said, she plans to give away reusable bags at a weekend event to promote environmentally responsible behavior.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/apr/23/senate-panel-rejects-bill-seeking-warnings-on/
 
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta faces deadline for restoring fish habitat
Chipps Island is packed with stories. The 1,000-acre tract in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta has been the stage for a variety of human scheming and struggling.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/04/22/4432946/sacramento-san-joaquin-delta-faces.html
 
Camp in a California state park — while you can
Sadly, choices for campsites among California's popular state parks are steadily decreasing, making a carefree and inexpensive activity much more difficult. Budget-strapped California is slated to close 70 of its 278 state parks by July, for a savings of several million dollars a year.
http://www.mercurynews.com/travel/ci_20435295/camp-california-state-park-while-you-can

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