Weekly Green: August 6, 2013

This week's environmental headlines include:

• Chevron to Pay $2 Million for Richmond Refinery Fire;
• Fracking off California coast draws call for greater regulation;
• Poll finds Californians back climate change fight;
• Powerful Calif. water district backs tunnel plan;
• ... and much more!

» Welcome to another 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

Top News

Chevron to Pay $2 Million for 2012 Refinery Fire in Richmond, CA; 200 Arrested at Protest
On Monday, Chevron pleaded no contest to six criminal charges related to the fire and agreed to submit to additional oversight over the next few years and pay $2 million in fines and restitution as part of a plea deal with state and county prosecutors. On Saturday, thousands of people marched to condemn safety issues at Chevron’s plant and to call for renewable alternatives to fossil fuels.
http://bit.ly/155HdC1

Big protest at Chevron Richmond refinery is latest example of climate activists stepping up rallies and marches
It represents the latest example of a fast-growing movement by environmentalists across the United States to organize rallies, marches and civil disobedience for more action to reduce greenhouse emissions.
http://bit.ly/1eqhCtb

Fracking off California coast draws call for greater regulation
Companies prospecting for oil off California's coast have used hydraulic fracturing on at least a dozen occasions to force open cracks beneath the seabed, and now regulators are investigating whether the practice should require a separate permit and be subject to stricter environmental review.
http://bit.ly/13KqbtZ

Federal Bureau of Land Management to study risks of fracking in California
Federal land managers will launch two new studies about the risks of using hydraulic fracturing to produce oil and gas in California.
http://bit.ly/16sev18

Making Headlines: PPIC's "Californians and the Environment"

Public Policy Institute of California's Press Release
In PPIC's 13th annual survey on the environment, 65 percent of Californians say the government should act right away to cut emissions — up 9 points since 2012.
http://bit.ly/16K1Oyv

Poll finds Californians back climate change fight, skeptical on fracking
An overwhelming majority of Californians believe the state should act to curtail greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new poll, while residents narrowly oppose hydraulic fracturing and support construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.
http://bit.ly/15GkdzR

Report: Climate change and California's rising sea levels
More Californians than ever say the state should take action immediately on climate change, according to a new poll from the Public Policy Institute of California.
http://bit.ly/172cc54

Wildfires top Californians' climate-change fears, survey shows
California residents' No. 1 fear about climate change is that it will cause more severe wildfires, according to a survey released Wednesday, July 31.
http://bit.ly/17vHvEi

Poll: Majority Of Californians Oppose Fracking
While more than half of respondents oppose fracking, 35 percent support the controversial technique and 14 percent just aren’t sure.
http://bit.ly/1c8dMJB

Californians "Like" PPIC Survey Results
An illustration CLCV staff posted on Facebook has proven popular. It portrays the poll's finding that record-high majority of Californians say the state should act now on Global Warming.
http://on.fb.me/13DJw3D

More Environmental News

Powerful Calif. water district backs tunnel plan
Westlands has fought for years to get more resources from the delta for the farms it represents, making its presence known in the state's water wars with numerous lawsuits against environmental regulations that have cut into their supplies.
http://bit.ly/12Y1qj0

New Hinkley plume map shows growth on western edge
This town's's contaminated groundwater plume has expanded on its western boundaries, reinforcing water regulators' fears that Pacific Gas & Electric Co.'s efforts to create a barrier are floundering, a map made public Wednesday shows.
http://bit.ly/1886RtT

New plan to save Salton Sea fading
San Diego regional water officials may be forced to abandon their long-stalled proposal to revive a rapidly deteriorating Salton Sea.
http://bit.ly/15Labed

Sac Bee Opinion: Environment is going to pot
In a state that prides itself on its environmentalist sensibilities, emboldened marijuana growers have ripped out ponderosa pines and bulldozed deep terraces into steep slopes above Lake Oroville, all so their crops can receive full sun.
http://bit.ly/13Kqnt3

Politics & Government

Assembly is Baa-aaack
Lawmakers make final push
The Assembly returns from its summer recess today to face a full plate of issues for the final six weeks of the legislative year.
http://bit.ly/16xxU2P

Crunch time: Deals loom as clock ticks
You name it, it's on the table. The final weeks of the 2013 legislative session begin Monday. May God have mercy.
http://bit.ly/19Ll43V

Billionaire environmentalist going big in Virginia governor's race
Tom Steyer, the environmentalist billionaire who has mounted a national campaign opposing the Keystone XL pipeline, has directed his political operation to spend heavily in the Virginia governor's race in support of Democrat Terry McAuliffe, POLITICO has learned.
http://politi.co/1cGL14u

BART official 'confident' deal can be reached in labor dispute
BART trains carry an estimated 400,000 passengers each day, so any interruption in service has a huge impact. Emergency measures, such as additional bus and ferry service and increased reliance on casual carpooling, did little to cut the sting of a 4.5-day strike that severely hampered the region in early July.
http://lat.ms/13ZmUGe

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