Weekly Green: August 24, 2012

In this week's headlines:

• Saving CEQA;
• Endangered whales invade coastal waters;
• Online voter registration coming soon;
• Battered EPA takes a hit;
• And much more.

Top of the Ticket: Saving CEQA

Enough of Groundhog Day: Save CEQA
The threat to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) was so eminent that the Los Angeles Times warned: "Major change to one of California's most important laws could happen literally in the dark of night." In response, CLCV launched a campaign to Save CEQA, and along with groups including the Planning and Conservation League, Sierra Club California, and the Natural Resources Defense Council, successfully fought back against the attempt to gut the law.
http://www.ecovote.org/blog/enough-groundhog-day-save-ceqa

(Editor's note: Join the campaign at http://SaveCEQA.com)

Bid to overhaul California Environmental Quality Act falls short
A late-hour bid to overhaul the California Environmental Quality Act fell apart Thursday, with Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg saying the upper house will not take up the measure before the legislative session ends next week.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/24/4753169/bid-to-overhaul-california-environmental.html

LA Times: Don't rush changes to the California Environmental Quality Act
Lawmakers want to change the California Environmental Quality Act in their session's final days. But it's too late for careful language or public vetting.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-ceqa-reform-20120821,0,4593358.story

Ocean News

Endangered whales invade California coastal waters
Grab your camera and binoculars: There's rarely been a better time to go whale-watching off the California coast.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/21/4743453/endangered-whales-invade-california.htm

NOAA proposes to expand Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary to Golden Gate Bridge
Twenty years after President George H.W. Bush created the largest national marine sanctuary in the continental United States, banning offshore oil drilling along 276 miles of California coast from the Marin Headlands to Hearst Castle, the Obama administration is trying to fill in the missing piece.
http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_21374994/noaa-proposes-expand-monterey-bay-national-marine-sanctuary

Oceana targets fishy labeling practices
Oceana, a group dedicated to preserving the ocean ecosystem, is testing fish nationwide to find out whether seafood fraud is as widespread as some people think it is.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Oceana-targets-fishy-labeling-practices-3811735.php#photo-3361788

Sea otter numbers up, but so are deaths
The California sea otter, whose luscious coat was so coveted by fur traders that the species was nearly wiped out, is holding steady in its west coast sanctum despite a record number of deaths, including an alarming uptick in shark attacks.
http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Sea-otter-numbers-up-but-so-are-deaths-3805278.php

More Environment & State Politics

For first time, Californians will be able to register to vote online
Beginning next month, Californians for the first time will be able to use the Internet to register to vote, giving them about six weeks of online access to register in time to participate in the Nov. 6 presidential election.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/aug/23/for-first-time-californians-will-be-able-to-to/

Proposition 37 in California: A high-stakes food fight
If Proposition 37 passes, California would become the first state in the nation to require new labels on a host of food products commonly found on grocery store shelves, from breakfast cereals to sodas to tofu.
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_21391702/proposition-37-california-high-stakes-food-fight

Senate votes to overturn Solano County garbage limit
Legislation to overturn a Solano County ballot measure that limited garbage shipments into the county was approved Thursday by the state Senate.
http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2012/08/senate-votes-to-overturn-solano-county-garbage-limit.html

California Powers Up Plan for Waste-to-Watts
A wood-burning power plant in Northern California. In 2007, "biomass" energy accounted for roughly 2.1 percent of California energy production. A new state bioenergy plan seeks to substantially increase that percentage.
http://blogs.kqed.org/climatewatch/2012/08/23/california-throws-the-switch-on-waste-to-watts/

California bill would outlaw hunting of bears, bobcats with dogs
SB 1221 by Sen. Ted Lieu has passed the Senate and is headed for the Assembly, but hunters say a centuries-old tradition is being threatened.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-hound-dog-20120819,0,7927413.story

New groundwater tests concern Valley farmers
More than 400 farmers and agriculture industry leaders packed a state water board meeting Tuesday to air their concerns over a plan to protect the region's groundwater from contamination.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/08/21/2960375/new-groundwater-tests-concern.html

Calif. weighs tougher heat rules for farmworkers
With temperatures in the Central Valley recently surpassing 110 degrees and state regulators investigating two possible heat-related deaths in the fields, the California legislature is considering new laws that would strengthen rules for protecting farmworkers from heat.
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_21350002/calif-weighs-tougher-heat-rules-farmworkers

National News

Battered EPA takes a hit
A court decision tossing out a major Obama administration pollution initiative is a setback for the White House, but the ruling hardly ends the need for tougher rules to control smokestack emissions that harm health and poison the landscape.
http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/editorials/article/Battered-EPA-takes-a-hit-3808399.php#ixzz24VJyOagB

Why Wildfires Are Burning Bigger and Hotter
A century of fire suppression means there are more trees to burn, and they burn more dramatically.
http://blogs.kqed.org/climatewatch/2012/08/23/why-wildfires-are-burning-bigger-and-hotter/
 

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