Weekly Green: July 19, 2012

Good afternoon all. In this week’s headlines:

• The good and bad news about FDA’s ban on BPA in baby bottles;
• EPA to hold hearing on soot regulations today;
• Final fracking workshop next week;
• Jerry Brown signs rail bill;
• GOP budget "death knell" for conservation;
• And much more.

Top of the Ticket

FDA Bans Toxic BPA in Baby Bottles
And now for the bad news: The FDA went out of its way to explain that its decision was not based on the mounting scientific evidence of BPA's risk to our most vulnerable citizens -- babies and toddlers -- but was actually in response to a request by the chemical industry to ban the product.
http://www.ecovote.org/blog/fda-bans-toxic-bpa-baby-bottles

EPA to hold hearing on soot regulations today in Sacramento
A national fight over clean air standards is coming to Sacramento today. The federal Environmental Protection Agency will hold a hearing today in Sacramento – one of two in the nation – on proposed revisions to its air quality rules.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/07/19/4641135/epa-to-hold-hearing-on-soot-regulations.html

CLCV Makes it Rain
But while we can’t control the weather, we can and do help level the political playing field against polluter interests that threaten every Californian’s right to clean water and clean air. In fact, California Watch recently ranked CLCV as the 50th top political donor in California from 2001-2011 in their report "The Rainmakers."
http://www.ecovote.org/blog/clcv-makes-it-rain

Sacramento to host California's final fracking workshop
California environmental officials will host a public meeting on hydraulic fracturing in Sacramento next week, capping a months-long series of workshops aimed at shaping regulations for the controversial method of oil extraction.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2012/07/sacramento-to-host-californias-final-fracking-workshop.html

CA Environmental News

California Dreaming? Selling Congress on Low-Carbon Fuel
Proponents of California’s low-carbon fuel standard (LCFS) hope problems with the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) could spell an opportunity to promote the state’s groundbreaking alternative approach at the national level.
http://blogs.kqed.org/climatewatch/2012/07/19/selling-congress-on-low-carbon-fuel/

Bay Area Landscape Likely to Come Up Short on Water
We hear a lot about how climate change will affect rainfall in California, but climate scientists are increasingly looking at a new indicator: water deficit.
http://blogs.kqed.org/climatewatch/2012/07/18/bay-area-landscape-likely-to-come-up-short-on-water/

PERCHLORATE: State officials back tentative cleanup deal
With some officials urging a tougher line, state water authorities voiced support Tuesday for a tentative settlement that would end the years-long legal fight over who should pay to clean up groundwater contamination in Rialto and Colton.
http://www.pe.com/local-news/politics/politics-headlines-index/20120717-perchlorate-state-officials-back-tentative-cleanup-deal.ece

Study finds tainted groundwater in Inland Empire
A federal study has found high levels of nitrate and perchlorate in groundwater basins that supply much of the Inland Empire region.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Study-finds-tainted-groundwater-in-Inland-Empire-3716858.php

Governor Brown signs California high-speed rail bill, calls critics 'NIMBYs,' 'fearful men'
With his most public cheerleading yet for California's bullet train, Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday signed the $8 billion bill to kick off high-speed rail construction and showed no sign he was worried about voters' increasing skepticism for the rail line.
http://www.mercurynews.com/california-high-speed-rail/ci_21102930/governor-brown-signs-california-high-speed-rail-bill

Rail authority says revised report won’t slow construction
The California High-Speed Rail Authority says it's still on track to start construction in early 2013 on the first stretch of its proposed line in the Fresno area -- even though it essentially reset a major portion of its approval process.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/07/18/2913480/rail-authority-says-revised-report.html

Satellites Helping Save Water on California Farms
Using this information with the satellite images that are updated about once a week, the researchers have come up with a formula that can estimate how much water a field might need. Farmers will soon be able to access estimates for their fields online and eventually they’ll be able to use their cell phones.
http://blogs.kqed.org/climatewatch/2012/07/17/satellites-helping-save-water-on-california-farms/

LADWP Hits Milestone in Solar Feed-In Tariff Program
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) announced Tuesday that it was assessing 26 bids for solar power production under the utility's fledgling Feed-In Tariff (FIT) program.
http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/utilities/ladwp-hits-milestone-in-feed-in-tariff-program.html

Rat poison in remote pot gardens linked to rare wildlife deaths
Toxic chemicals used to rid rodents from illicit marijuana gardens in the Sierra Nevada range and elsewhere in California may have inadvertently poisoned dozens of vulnerable weasel-like mammals called fishers, according to a new study released today.
http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/rat-poison-remote-pot-gardens-linked-rare-wildlife-deaths-17079

Bee fans try to get Los Angeles to allow hives in residential areas
McFarland and his wife, Chelsea, became interested in beekeeping but discovered that Los Angeles does not allow hives in residential zones. So, the McFarlands decided to launch an unusual grass-roots drive to change the city's law by first winning support from at least 10 of L.A.'s 95 neighborhood councils.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bees-20120715,0,6622264.story

National News

Salazar: GOP budget 'death knell' for conservation
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Wednesday that budget proposals by congressional Republicans could amount to "a death knell" for conservation programs nationwide.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Salazar-GOP-budget-death-knell-for-conservation-3715062.php

Stanford researchers estimate more deaths from Fukushima fallout
According to a team of Stanford University researchers, most of these deaths will likely occur in Japan, but there could be as many as 30 casualties from radiation exposure in North America.
http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/stanford-researchers-estimate-more-deaths-fukushima-fallout-17146

Sen. Merkley, citing climate fears, wants big study of coal export plans
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) is pressuring the Obama administration to conduct a sweeping environmental review of proposals for coal export facilities in Washington and Oregon.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/239013-sen-merkley-citing-climate-fears-wants-big-study-of-coal-export-plans

Widespread drought threatens U.S. crops
As drought grips 80% of the country, the devastation to corn and other breadbasket crops this year could surpass last year's record claims for weather-related crop losses.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-drought-20120717,0,2272014.story

House GOP renews attack on Obama’s drilling policies
House Republicans renewed their attack on President Obama’s energy policies on Wednesday, advancing legislation that would require the administration to offer up more areas for drilling off America’s coasts.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/238725-house-gop-renews-attack-on-obamas-drilling-policies

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