Weekly Green: June 22, 2012

Hello and good afternoon all. In today’s headlines:

• Governor makes a move on toxic flame retardant chemicals;
• Saving state parks;
• Ocean levels on West Coast will rise 6 inches by 2030;
• New report looks at fracking;
• And much more.

Leading Off

CLCV Environmental Leadership Awards on June 28th will honor Tom Adams, Martha Guzman-Aceves, Tom Steyer and Tom Werner; learn more: http://www.ecovote.org/awards

California makes a move on toxic flame retardants
But it ain't over 'til it's over. Next week, on June 26th, there will be an oversight hearing by the California State Assembly Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials (ESTM) on California’s furniture flammability requirements.
http://www.ecovote.org/blog/california-makes-move-toxic-flame-retardants

Saving Calif. State Parks: The End Of Public Funding?
On July 1, 15 California state parks are slated to be closed permanently to the public — the first such closures in the state's history. They're the victim of budget cuts in a state with a $16 billion shortfall.
http://www.npr.org/2012/06/20/155005410/saving-calif-state-parks-the-end-of-public-funding?ft=1&f=1091

California faces more serious risk of sea level rise than other areas
As the world continues to warm from climate change, oceans will rise up to 8 inches in the next 20 years, 19 inches by 2050, and up to 4 feet by 2100, causing increasing threats from flooding, according to a new study released Friday from the National Academy of Sciences.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_20917929/california-faces-more-serious-risk-sea-level-rise

CA Media Editorialize on Flame Retardants

Sac Bee: Gov. Brown takes needed action on toxic flame retardants
For years, the chemical industry has fought to stop statewide bans on certain toxic chemicals, arguing that such decisions are best left to federal authorities, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/06/19/4571721/gov-brown-takes-needed-action.html

Bakersfield Californian: Case of industry gone amok in retardant affair
California can change its flammability standards, but to truly protect consumers from chemicals so rampant in our lives today, the state and federal government must do more to take back the reins from industry.
http://www.bakersfield.com/opinion/x1408651476/Case-of-industry-gone-amok-in-retardant-affair

San Jose Mercury News: Californians should be doing a slow burn on toxic flame retardants
Smoke should be pouring out of Californians' ears since the recent, damning revelations about flame retardants that the chemical industry uses in sofas and easy chairs. Reputable scientists say the concoctions are highly toxic and dangerous to people, especially children.
http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_20900415/mercury-news-editorial-californians-should-be-doing-slow

California Environmental News

Environmental Champion Brownley places in "Clean House Challenge"
Congratulations to California Congressional candidate Julia Brownley, one of three winners in the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund's "Clean House Challenge."
http://www.ecovote.org/blog/environmental-champ-brownley-places-clean-house-challenge

Brown backs away from bullet train fight
Gov. Jerry Brown backed away from a fight with environmentalists yesterday, abandoning a plan to exempt the $68 billion California bullet train project from environmental laws
http://www.baycitizen.org/transportation/story/brown-backs-away-bullet-train-fight/

HWMA passes single-use bag ban; member agencies will now weigh in on model ordinance
The Humboldt Waste Management Authority's member agencies are one step closer to being able to weigh in on an ordinance that would ban single-use plastic and paper bags.
http://www.dailybreeze.com/california/ci_20881578/hwma-passes-single-use-bag-ban-member-agencies

Zooming in on L.A.’s Warming Climate
The City and County of Los Angeles now have customized climate predictions, thanks to a new UCLA study that took global climate science and made it local.
http://blogs.kqed.org/climatewatch/2012/06/21/zooming-in-on-l-a-s-warming-climate/

As lawmakers pursue fracking bills, report looks at water effects
A new report on hydraulic fracturing has taken stock of the controversial procedure's effect on water supplies in Colorado, echoing concerns of California lawmakers as they seek to regulate "fracking" here.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2012/06/as-california-lawmakers-pursue-fracking-bills-a-new-report-looks-at-water-impacts.html

Tesla's new sedan will make or break the company
The company's first mass-market, five-seat sedan will be delivered Friday.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/06/21/4579824/teslas-new-sedan-will-make-or.html

Hydropower With a Shrinking Snowpack
While much is uncertain about California’s warming climate, there is little doubt that it’s already changing the fundamentals of how most of us get our water. In fact, the Bureau of Reclamation has estimated that the Sierra snowpack could be reduced by half as soon as a decade from now.
http://blogs.kqed.org/climatewatch/2012/06/17/hydropower-with-a-shrinking-snowpack/

State health officials say Kettleman birth-defect rate has dropped
An alarming increase of birth defects in the farmworker community of Kettleman City appears to be reversing, state health leaders said Tuesday.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/06/19/2880009/state-health-officials-say-kettleman.html

Searing questions on massive solar experiment in Mojave Desert
As one of the world's largest sun-powered plants takes shape, observers debate the risk to birds, planes and drivers.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-solar-heat-plume-20120621,0,917543.story

Project tracks tiny germ that's killing mighty oaks
The most comprehensive map ever put together detailing the spread of the pathogen known as sudden oak death shows the tree-killing microbe moving down from the forested hills into residential areas all over the Bay Area.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/06/21/MNPG1OV52T.DTL

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