Weekly Green: February 22, 2013

In recent headlines:

• BREAKING NEWS: State Sen. Michael Rubio resigns, will take job with Chevron;
• Democrats Lose Supermajority in California Senate;
• Considering Rubio's Departure, What About CEQA?
• The Revolving Door in Sacramento;
• ... and much more!

» Welcome to another jam-packed 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

BREAKING NEWS: Rubio Resignation

State Sen. Michael Rubio Resigns, Joins Chevron
State Sen. Michael Rubio announced today that he is resigning from the state Legislature and taking a job directing California governmental affairs for Chevron Corporation.
http://bit.ly/X1xspF

Democrats Lose Supermajority in California Senate
KQED takes a look at the implications for Democrats, comments from notables on Twitter, and more.
http://bit.ly/15BCE6w

What About CEQA?
"Rubio said reform of the California Environmental Quality Act is 'still being discussed' at the Capitol, but that others would have to carry it forward."
http://lat.ms/12Yokpd

The Revolving Door in Sacramento
The abrupt resignation of state Sen. Michael J. Rubio (D–Shafter)  to accept a government affairs job with Chevron Corp. sparked renewed complaints by some ethics watchdogs about the revolving door between the public and private sector in Sacramento.
http://lat.ms/13beuAn

This is a Game Changer
Here at the California League of Conservation Voters, we're watching this situation closely. The impact of Sen. Rubio's resignation on environmental legislation and the future of CEQA will be significant, to say the least. As this development continues to unfold, we hope you'll keep in mind that donating to CLCV is the best way to support the political arm of California's environmental movement.
This is a game changer. Help us gear up: http://ecovote.org/GearUp

National News

Just Released: National Environmental Scorecard from LCV
The California delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives earned a slightly higher environmental score than the national average, but that's nothing to brag about. "The best thing that can be said about this session of the 112th Congress is that it's over," said LCV President Gene Karpinski.
http://scorecard.lcv.org/

National Parks on a Precipice
Unless Congress can reach a budget agreement by March 1, the country's national parks will be hit by a $110 million budget cut, resulting in shuttered campgrounds, shorter seasons, road closings and reduced emergency services.
http://nyti.ms/XHwBca

The New Oil Landscape
This month's cover story in National Geographic takes a look at fracking in North Dakota: "If the Bakken oil boom is a classic Greek drama, the second act is starting now, and the prairie chorus is once again issuing a warning."
http://bit.ly/W8lFr4

Election Opponents Team Up on Panel to Fix Voting System
Robert Bauer and Ben Ginsberg, two of the nation's pre-eminent election lawyers, have long been on opposing sides of legal arguments. But for the next six months they will be working side by side on a new presidential commission, surveying election officials and customer service specialists — possibly from theme parks and other crowded places — to find ways to streamline how Americans cast their ballots and reduce the long lines that kept hundreds of thousands of people from voting in November.
http://nyti.ms/YrLXyL

50,000 Protesters at Forward On Climate Rally
One great outcome from last weekend's "Forward on Climate" rally in Washington, D.C., was the tremendous amount of media attention it generated. Here is a roundup of articles and mentions from rally sponsor 350.org:
http://bit.ly/120mJQ9

U.S. Quadruples Pipeline Tax Break Cost to $7 Billion
A tax break used by oil and gas pipeline companies will cost the U.S. government $7 billion through 2016, about four times more than previously estimated, Congress's tax scorekeepers said this month.
http://bloom.bg/YiawAl

Possible EPA, Energy Department Nominees Named by Source
President Barack Obama intends to nominate air quality expert Gina McCarthy to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and nuclear physicist Ernest Moniz to head the Department of Energy as early as this week, according to a source familiar with the process.
http://reut.rs/YibQmM

Climate Change Nod in Secretary of State John Kerry's First Address
Secretary of State John Kerry, the man ostensibly charged with yaying or naying the Keystone XL pipeline permit, gave his first major speech in his new position Wednesday morning at the University of Virginia.
http://bit.ly/XqyRFP

Unlocking the Conspiracy Mind-Set
Survey results suggested that people who rejected climate science were more likely than other respondents to reject other scientific or official findings and buy into assorted fringe theories: that NASA faked the moon landing, that the Central Intelligence Agency killed Martin Luther King Jr., that the AIDS virus was unleashed by the government, and so forth.
http://nyti.ms/Zy44tq

California News

Criminal Review of Parks Department
Officials at the California attorney general's office say they have reversed course and begun a deeper examination of the accounting scandal at the state parks department that could result in criminal charges.
http://lat.ms/WfNKY5

Talks over Delta Calm Roiling Waters
With no deadline looming, warriors on opposite sides of the debate over water supply and environment discover a civil dialogue can work.
http://bit.ly/YIPv1B

Ban on Lead Bullets Pushed for all Hunting in California
The Humane Society, Audubon California and Defenders of Wildlife are behind a major push to make California the first state to ban lead ammunition for all types of hunting, setting the stage for a showdown with some hunters and adding another layer to the heated gun control debate.
http://bit.ly/YIPKd5

UC Davis Study Says it Found Source of Air Pollutants
The research, announced Monday by the California Air Resources Board and the Electric Power Research Institute, holds the potential to better regulate sources of air pollution – an issue of great import to the asthma-plagued Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys.
http://bit.ly/YIQ5w5

Cooking Up Toxic Air Pollution
When UC Davis scientists collected air pollution particles in Fresno and then exposed laboratory mice to them, they found that one of the most toxic sources was the backyard grill.
http://lat.ms/YIT6N8

Californians Might Weigh in on Citizens United
Assemblyman Bob Wieckowski, D-Fremont, wants Californians to vote on whether the state's congressional delegation should push for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would allow new limits on political contributions and spending.
http://bit.ly/YIQzT7

Ruben Barrales heading Republican Latino Effort
“My approach is going to be to focus on the basics,” said Barrales, who on Thursday was unveiled as the first-ever president of GROW Elect. “What we need in California is develop a cadre of leaders at the local level and then nurture that group.”
http://bit.ly/YIQOxq

Biking in L.A.?
A transplanted Midwesterner learns that, with a little care and a lot of luck, it can be done. And it sure beats sitting in traffic.
http://lat.ms/YIRWRB

California Analyst Rejects Gov. Jerry Brown's Clean Energy Plan
The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office has so many complaints with Gov. Jerry Brown's plan for spending new clean energy money that it produced a separate 12-page pamphlet today to detail the problems.
http://bit.ly/YISveo

Flame Retardant-Free Furniture Rare, Costly
First there was organic food, then organic clothing. Now, there's furniture with stuffing, upholstery fibers and wood that are certified as free of flame retardants, formaldehyde and other common chemicals.
http://bit.ly/YISFlK

Lawmaker Proposes Banning Plastic Grocery Bags in California
Sixty cities including Los Angeles, Santa Monica and Pasadena already have acted to ban single-use plastic bags at store checkout lines, and now a lawmaker says it is time for the rest of the state to follow suit.
http://lat.ms/YISln6

Californians Divided over State's Direction, Field Poll Finds
Californians' optimism about the state's future is down slightly since September, but is still higher than it has been for most of the past decade, according to a new Field Poll.
http://lat.ms/YIQkY6

Seen & Shared

» Get the latest environmental news, viral videos, infographics and more! Visit and "Like" CLCV on Facebook today: http://facebook.com/ecovote

Watch Highlights from Forward On Climate Rally
Protesters, speech excerpts, and candid moments were captured on camera at the largest climate rally in history on Sunday in Washington, D.C.
VIDEO: http://bit.ly/W8IUB5

What is Fracking?
This introduction to fracking (drilling with hydraulic fracturing) by National Geographic includes animated computer modeling of an actual North Dakota oil well.
VIDEO: http://youtu.be/6qKadxyMOYY

Interactive Environmental Scorecard
The website for the National Environmental Scorecard by the League of Conservation Voters features an interactive map, charts, and archived scores to help you understand the environmental decisions our elected officials made during the 112th Congress.
MAP & GRAPHS: http://scorecard.lcv.org/

Rare Octopus Breeding in Alameda Bedroom
Inside a spare bedroom in Richard Ross' Alameda home sits a massive aquarium system that holds what might be a future exhibit at the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park.
PHOTOS: http://bit.ly/YIR2EO

Capitol Connection –"Survey Says"
This week's Capitol Connection podcast takes a look at a surprisingly good poll for Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative Democrats, as well as some of the bills we're watching as the 2013 bill deadline approaches in the state Capitol.
LISTEN: http://on.news10.net/YISeIp

New (Accidental) Invention: Biodegradable Batteries
Ric Kaner set out to find a new way to make graphene, the thinnest and strongest material on earth. What he found was a new way to power the world.
VIDEO: http://bit.ly/YITwTx

» Thanks for reading the Weekly Green from the California League of Conservation Voters. If you're not a regular subscriber, don't forget to sign up today! Get your free subscription here: http://ecovote.org/wg
 

• Next Weekly Green
•  
• Previous Weekly Green