Weekly Green: February 10, 2014

Good afternoon, all. In the past week's headlines:

• Final barrier to state shark fin sales ban lifted;
• High-speed rail: Brown willing it to happen, state Republicans opposed;
• No shortage of drought coverage, opinion;
• 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

California Environmental News

California shark fin sales ban will go forward
Great news: California's landmark ban on buying and selling shark fins will go forward! Last summer, soon after the state law (AB 376) went into effect, a federal rule change threatened to preempt the law and provide cover for shark fin hunters. Thousands of CLCV supporters and many others spoke up and submitted public comments to the federal agency proposing the change, telling the agency not to undermine California's effort to end our state's role in the destructive practice of shark finning.
http://www.ecovote.org/blog/california-shark-fin-sales-ban-will-go-forward

Californians urged to conserve on electricity use
Normally it's hot weather and a spike in air-conditioner use that cause problems along California's electricity grid. On Thursday, it was a cold snap in much of the rest of the country.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/02/06/6135054/californians-urged-to-conserve.html

He Thinks He Can
But there is one project Brown has decided not to save for the future, his Great Pyramid of Giza: building the nation's first high-speed rail line, one of the largest infrastructure projects in U.S. history, with an estimated price tag of $68 billion—if not higher.
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/02/jerry-brown-california-high-speed-train-103266.html

Latest Calif. high-speed rail plan predicts slight dip in cost, more ridership
The authority released a new draft business plan that also forecasts more riders but lower ticket revenue than its previous plan, while continuing to predict that the system can at least break even and operate without a subsidy.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/02/07/3756311/stable-costs-predicted-in-new.html

GOP lawmakers want bullet train derailed
California Republicans, long opposed to the $68 billion high-speed rail plan backed by Gov. Brown, say it's time to dump the bullet train and spend money instead on critical transportation infrastructure.
http://capitolweekly.net/gop-lawmakers-want-bullet-train-derailed/

New Study Finds Worrisome Pattern of Birth Defects in Fracking Communities
The researchers found that babies whose mothers lived in close proximity to multiple oil and gas wells were 30% more likely to be born with defects in their heart than babies born to mothers who did not live close to oil and gas wells.
http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/site/new-study-finds-worrisome-pattern-birth-defects-fracking-communities

Banned Scotchgard chemical still contaminating San Francisco seals
In a shallow arm of the bay, where Pacific tides cause hardly a ripple, hundreds of harbor seals lounge, mate and bear young. With placid expressions on bewhiskered faces and bulky bodies reclining on shorelines, the seals belie a disturbing burden they carry.
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2014/jan/bay-seals-and-pfos

Firm seeks to harness Wyoming's wind energy for California
Anschutz Corp., known for the Staples Center, looks to set up the largest wind generation facility in the nation -- in a state that wouldn't use a kilowatt of it.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-wyoming-wind-20140209,0,3366359.story

California Politics

Brown remains coy about running again for governor
When Gov. Jerry Brown delivered his State of the State address to the Legislature last month, he made an unscripted remark that sounded a lot like a campaign slogan. "There's no substitute for experience," he said with a sly smile.
http://www.dailynews.com/article/20140208/NEWS/140209455

Skelton: Top-two system could force voters to work
Voters' brains in state general elections are programmed to choose between a Democrat and a Republican. Therefore, many Californians may be befuddled in November.
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-cap-democrats-20140210,0,7048983.column

Retiring House Members Hold $10 Million in Accounts
Seventeen members of the House of Representatives, who have announced their retirement at the end of this Congress, are holding a total of over$10 million in campaign and leadership PAC accounts as of the end of the year.
http://blogs.rollcall.com/moneyline/retiring-house-members-hold-10-million-in-accounts/

California's Drought

California lawmakers preparing $644 million drought relief bill
California's senate leader is preparing a $644 million emergency drought relief bill designed to quickly fund shovel-ready projects to combat the state's severe water shortage, according to a draft of the bill.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/05/us-california-drought-bill-idUSBREA1405320140205

House passes California drought bill and political floodgates open
A bitterly divided House approved a sweeping California water bill Wednesday that puts the Senate on the spot and splits the drought-ridden state into several competing camps.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/02/05/217091/house-passes-california-drought.html

Epic California Drought and Groundwater: Where Do We Go From Here?
Yesterday our team at the UC Center for Hydrologic Modeling released a report on the California drought. The report describes the birds-eye view of statewide water resources that we see from the NASA GRACE satellite mission.
http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2014/02/04/epic-california-drought-and-groundwater-where-do-we-go-from-here

Will SoCal water rescue the north?
The Metropolitan Water District finds itself in the politically awkward position of being flush with reserves while the rest of California faces economy-crippling water shortages.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/feb/09/will-socal-water-rescue-the-north/

Making the desert bloom
California water officials announced Jan. 31 that for the first time in its 54-year history the State Water Project will not be able to deliver any water under its state contracts. Once again we are reminded that California's lifeblood is the delivery of water, made possible by two massive delivery systems that made California the state it is today.
http://www.capitolmr.com/article/?desert-bloom

Walters: Drought complicates already dicey water politics
A crisis, it's been said, is a terrible thing to waste. Economist Paul Romer originated the aphorism a decade ago, but it's since entered the political lexicon.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/02/04/6125710/dan-walters-drought-complicates.html

Washington Post Editorial: House Republicans muddy California's water crisis
California saw a bit of relief from its extreme drought this past weekend, when big storms dumped rain on the parched state. But it appears that California won't be spared from another threat — Washington politicians talking foolishly about the water crisis or, worse, meddling in the state's efforts to cope.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/house-republicans-muddy-californias-water-crisis/2014/02/09/f1479380-8fb6-11e3-b46a-5a3d0d2130da_story.html

Los Angeles Times Editorial: California needs a water measure that works
With the economy recovering, California needs a bond on this year's ballot that's stripped of obvious pork and nice but superfluous extras, such as museums and visitor centers, but with enough funding for projects that meet our statewide water needs.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-water-bond-califonria-drought-20140209,0,7962035.story

San Francisco Chronicle Editorial: Drought should make state rethink water policy
We need to change state law. Surface water is managed as a public benefit; groundwater is treated as a private good. Yet water above and below the ground is all part of the same water system. The Legislature must pass a comprehensive statewide groundwater law.
http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/editorials/article/Drought-should-make-state-rethink-water-policy-5215327.php

California Drought: Water use varies widely around the state
A little-known state database that measures water use in every community shows huge -- sometimes shocking -- differences between California's water sippers and guzzlers.
http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_25090363/california-drought-water-use-varies-widely-around-state

California Water Officials Made the Drought Worse
There's strong evidence that the state shipped extra water in 2013 -- enough for about four million people -- despite the threat of a third year of little to no rain.
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/california-water-officials-made-the-drought-worse/Content?oid=3830041

Wildermuth: Politics Trumps Reality in State Water Wars
Well, the water bill by Hanford GOP Rep. David Valadao that just passed the House may not ease the drought, but it did wonders to warm up the state's political climate.
http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/2014/02/politics-trumps-reality-state-water-wars/

Total California Water Storage Near Decade Low
The Sacramento and San Joaquin River Basins are experiencing the steepest drop in water storage in nearly a decade. A new study looked at all water storage in the basins, including snow, surface water, soil moisture and groundwater.
http://www.capradio.org/17858

State government wringing water from operations
This is California's state government in drought mode: Drier grass around state grounds. Dirtier windows on state buildings. Grimier fire engines sent out to fight fires. Decorative fountains? Shut off. Landscaping projects? Largely canceled.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/02/06/6135945/state-government-wringing-water.html

Drought: Mendocino targets water-stealing pot farmers
As California residents and businesses face the new reality of dwindling reservoirs and water restrictions, police in one California county are getting serious about water thieves — especially those who need the sweet stuff to feed illegal marijuana growing operations.
http://blog.sfgate.com/crime/2014/02/05/drought-mendocino-targets-water-stealing-pot-farmers/

Los Angeles prepared for drought, DWP officials say
Department of Water and Power officials said Wednesday the utility is in better shape than other water agencies in coping with the drought thanks to several years of a second-level water conservation effort.
http://www.dailynews.com/article/20140205/NEWS/140209667

California's Thirsty Almonds
How the water-intensive crop is helping drive the governor's $25 billion plan to ship water to the desert.
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/californias-thirsty-almonds/Content?oid=3830095

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