Weekly Green: December 7, 2012

In recent news:

• CLCV celebrates 40th birthday and honors environment champions;
• Report says California needs a department of energy
• New no-drilling ocean preserve off Sonoma coast pushed;
• Fracking will drive oil boom, federal report says;
• California ski industry feels chill from climate change;
• And much more!

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Top of the Ticket

Report: California Needs A Department Of Energy
As California struggles to meet its challenge to shift to renewable energy, an independent state oversight agency has released a report lambasting the state's renewable energy policy as incoherent and potentially costly.
http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/government/report-california-needs-a-department-of-energy.html
 
Obama can tackle climate in his second term, and he doesn't need Congress to do it
It is still possible for Barack Obama to secure an honorable climate legacy. He can dramatically reduce U.S. carbon emissions in his second term. And he can do it without help from Congress. He doesn't even need a crafty new plan – the Natural Resources Defense Council has come up with one for him, based on a provision in the Clean Air Act (CAA). All he needs is political courage.
http://grist.org/climate-energy/obama-can-tackle-carbon-and-doesnt-need-congress
 
New no-drilling ocean preserve off Sonoma coast pushed by California Democratic lawmakers
California lawmakers are quietly mounting a campaign to persuade President Barack Obama to protect a 50-mile stretch of California coast along Sonoma and Mendocino counties by the end of this month – a move that would permanently ban offshore oil drilling there and create California's largest ocean preserve in 20 years.
http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_22130618/california-democratic-lawmakers-pushing-president-barack-obama-create
 
Flame Retardants Spark Health Concerns
Two new studies are fanning the flames of an ongoing debate over the use of fire-retardant chemicals in furniture. We'll examine the new research and look at efforts in California to phase out use of the chemicals, which may pose health risks.
http://www.kqed.org/a/forum/R201212050930
 
» Sign our petition! Urge the Governor to stop the pervasive use of flame retardant chemicals: http://ecovote.org/toxic

CLCV Southern California Environmental Leadership Awards

Last night, CLCV celebrated our 40th anniversary and honored four outstanding champions for California's environment. Learned more about each of our inspiring honorees:

Dayna Bochco
http://www.ecovote.org/blog/clcv-honors-dayna-bochco-environmental-leadership-awards
 
Paramount Pictures
http://www.ecovote.org/blog/environment-paramount-shines-brightly-its-stars
 
John Chiang
http://www.ecovote.org/blog/california-chief-fiscal-officer-protecting-environment-makes-cents
 
Anne Shen Smith
http://www.ecovote.org/blog/clcv-honors-environmental-champion-anne-shen-smith

California Environmental News

Mountain View joins plastic bag ban club; ordinance goes into effect on Earth Day
Mountain View joined a growing list of Peninsula cities Tuesday night that plan to ban single-use, carry-out bags beginning in April.
http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsula/ci_22128006/mountain-view-joins-plastic-bag-ban-club-ordinance
 
Fracking will drive oil boom, federal report says
As oil regulators draft rules for hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," in California, a new federal report underscores the critical role the controversial procedure will play in what energy authorities predict will be a national oil boom.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2012/12/fracking-will-drive-oil-boom-federal-report-says.html
 
San Diego hits clean-air milestone
As a result, the region will soon be declared in compliance with 1997 federal ozone standards for the first time, heading off any threats of sanctions. Cleaner cars and cleaner fuels are receiving most of the credit.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/dec/04/san-diego-hits-clean-air-milestone/
 
California ski industry feels chill from climate change
A warming climate is melting California's winter tourism dollars.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/12/07/5037582/state-ski-industry-feels-chill.html
 
GOP leader suggests pulling the plug on California's high-speed rail
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield), the third-highest-ranking Republican in Congress, suggested on Thursday that the federal government should "cut its losses" and not provide any more money for the state's high-speed rail program.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2012/12/gop-leader-suggests-pulling-the-plug-on-californias-high-speed-rail.html
 
Los Angeles signs long-term solar contracts
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa signed two contracts Thursday that will expand the city's use of solar energy – enough to power nearly 200,000 homes – and help it close down a coal plant.
http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_22141938/los-angeles-signs-long-term-solar-contracts
 
L.A. County asking property owners to support stormwater runoff tax
The Los Angeles County Flood Control District mailed notices to 2.2 million property owners this week, proposing putting a "Clean Water, Clean Beaches" measure on a ballot that could be mailed out as early as spring 2013.
http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_22143118/l-county-asking-property-owners-support-stormwater-runoff
 
Conservancy deal would add Camp Pollock site to American River Parkway
In what could mark a turnaround for a troubled section of the American River Parkway, a nonprofit group is poised to take over a former Boy Scout camp across the river from downtown – with plans to transform it into a major recreation spot.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/12/06/5034726/conservancy-deal-would-add-camp.html
 
James Hansen blasts cap and trade
Many environmentalists were thrilled last month when California launched its cap-and-trade system to rein in greenhouse gases. But not James Hansen.
http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/James-Hansen-blasts-cap-and-trade-4094663.php
 
Arnold racks up climate change TV series, award
Two years after leaving office, former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's climate-change work continues – and continues collecting accolades.
http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2012/12/03/arnold-racks-up-climate-change-tv-series-award/
 
What can L.A. do about climate change? UCLA report lays out plan
Fast forward to the year 2021. Due to global warming, Los Angeles neighborhoods are a few degrees warmer. In the hills, the risk of wildfires is up because of higher temperatures, and the water supply is less reliable.
http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_22118522/what-can-l-do-about-climate-change-ucla
 
Do California's Deserts Help Control Climate Change?
Living ecosystems in the Western United States sequester a substantial amount of carbon, meaning that preserving those intact landscapes may prove crucial in mitigating the effects of greenhouse gas-driven climate change.
http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/science/do-californias-deserts-help-control-climate-change.html

National & International News

U.N. climate conference contentious
The U.N. climate conference here has settled into its typical doldrums, with most major questions unresolved as a Friday evening deadline for concluding the talks approaches. One of the thorniest issues is money, which has often bedeviled these affairs.
http://www.sfgate.com/world/article/U-N-climate-conference-contentious-4095166.php
 
Arctic climate change's un-glacial pace
The Arctic's sea ice is shrinking, Greenland's ice cover is melting faster, areas of once-frozen tundra in Alaska are alive with plant growth, and wildfires during Southern summer heat waves are carrying soot to darken northern snowfields and speed the melting.
http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Arctic-climate-change-s-un-glacial-pace-4095158.php
 
How to cut American oil use in half in 20 years
The Union of Concerned Scientists has figured out how Americans can cut their oil consumption in half within 20 years.
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-american-oil-use-20121206,0,410427.story
 
Energy development on public lands generated $12 billion in 2012
Energy development on public lands and waters pumped more than $12 billion into federal coffers in 2012, $1 billion more than the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior.
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-20121206-energy-income,0,4832619.story
 
Life expectancy rises as fine particle air pollution drops
The study, led by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health, is described as the largest to date to find public health benefits from ongoing reductions in U.S. air pollution levels.
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-fine-particle-pollution-20121204,0,7857285.story
 
World's heat-trapping pollution rises 3%
The amount of heat-trapping pollution the world spewed rose again last year by 3 percent. Scientists say it's now unlikely that global warming can be limited to 2 degrees, which is an international goal.
http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/World-s-heat-trapping-pollution-rises-3-4085870.php

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