Weekly Green: June 24, 2013

Good day, all. In the news in the past week:

• President Obama to lay out climate change plan in speech on Tuesday;
• CLCV to hold environmental leadership awards Thursday;
• Campbell, Richmond, and Los Angeles become the latest California cities to pass bag bans;
• Air quality near LAX within state standards, 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

Above the Fold

CLCV to hold Northern California Environmental Leadership Awards
The event will be held at the Julia Morgan Ballroom in San Francisco on the evening of Thursday, June 27th. Honorees will be Steve Blank and Alison Elliott, Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins and Green For All, and Jim and Becky Morgan.
http://www.ecovote.org/awards/honorees/

Obama to lay out climate change plan in speech on Tuesday
President Barack Obama said on Saturday that he will outline a climate change plan on Tuesday centered around reducing pollution from carbon emissions as he attempts to make good on a pledge for his second term.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/23/usa-climate-obama-idUSL2N0EZ06520130623
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/22/obama-to-unveil-climate-plan-on-tuesday/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-to-take-sweeping-action-on-climate/2013/06/22/d28de366-db77-11e2-a9f2-42ee3912ae0e_story.html
http://www.whitehouse.gov/climate-change

Obama is announcing major new climate plans Tuesday. This chart explains why.
To put this all in context, take a look at this chart from the most recent Economic Report of the President, which shows the United States is nowhere near on pace to meet its short-term climate targets by 2020.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/06/23/obama-is-announcing-new-climate-actions-tuesday-this-chart-explains-why/

California Environmental News

California House members convene on Bay-Delta water plan
Water brought California lawmakers together on Tuesday. Or, at least, it got a bunch of them in the same room.
http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2013/06/california-house-members-convene-on-bay-delta-water-plan.html

Tunnel Vision Part Two: Rivers in Peril
How Jerry Brown's plan to build two giant water tunnels, along with legislation in Congress, could ultimately spoil the last of Northern California's wild and scenic rivers.
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/rivers-in-peril/Content?oid=3594241

California senators want more information on oil well 'acid jobs'
California state legislators on Tuesday told regulators and oil industry lobbyists they wanted more information about the use of acid to increase flows in wells in a technique that is used more often in the state than the controversial fracking method.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/19/us-california-oil-acidjobs-idUSBRE95I04320130619

Richmond becomes first city in Contra Costa County to ban plastic bags at retail outlets
It's a city that loves firsts, and on Tuesday, Richmond added to its resume by becoming the first in Contra Costa County to ban plastic bags in grocery and retail stores.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/west-county-times/ci_23492804/richmond-becomes-first-city-contra-costa-county-ban

Campbell becomes latest Bay Area city to ban single-use plastic bags
The Campbell City Council has voted to ban single-use plastic bags, making Campbell the latest Bay Area city to join in on what is becoming an almost inevitable decision by city councils across the state.
http://www.mercurynews.com/campbell/ci_23497414/campbell-becomes-latest-bay-area-city-ban-single

Sonoma County supervisors support plastic bag ban
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday gave its formal support to an ordinance that would ban carryout plastic bags at checkout lines countywide and add a 10-cent fee for each paper bag.
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20130618/articles/130619561

L.A. plastic bag ban catches some shoppers off guard
L.A. on Tuesday became the newest and by far the largest city to back a ban on plastic grocery bags, approving an ordinance that applies not just to food stores and mini-marts but also big retail chains with their own groceries, such as Target and Wal-Mart.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-la-plastic-bag-ban-catches-some-shoppers-off-guard-20130618,0,6148189.story

Has Solar Power in California Reached a Tipping Point?
A leading state rebate program for rooftop solar is nearly out of money, and the amount of money it's paying out has declined steeply. Yet Californians keep installing more solar.
http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/solar/a-tipping-point-for-california-solar.html

Air quality near LAX within state standards, airport study says
Air quality near Los Angeles International Airport falls within national and California standards for pollutants, according to the results of a study released this week by the airport.
http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_23496929/air-quality-near-lax-within-state-standards-airport

Recycled tires help the environment
It may be hard to believe, but rubber roads and tire swings are reducing waste and helping the environment.
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/watsonville/ci_23519502/recycled-tires-help-environment

Board denies state bid to charge for beach parking
A proposal to add parking fees at state beaches along the Northern California coast got another thumbs down Tuesday when Sonoma County supervisors denied an appeal by the California Department of Parks and Recreation to install pay stations.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Board-denies-state-bid-to-charge-for-beach-parking-4608514.php

With Nuclear Plant Shut Down, Utility Pushes for Unpopular Gas Plant
Though the general consensus seems to be that Southern California will get through the summer just fine without the permanently closed San Onofre nuclear power plant, officials at San Diego Gas & Electric are pushing to make up what they say may be a shortfall by allowing the construction of an unpopular gas-fired plant near the Mexican border.
http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/natural-gas/with-san-onofre-shut-san-diego-utility-pushing-for-unpopular-gas-plant.html

EPA Relaxes Tahoe Rules
Tahoe area property owners could soon have an easier time redeveloping and remodeling under an action taken by the U-S Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday.
http://capradio.org/5365

Silicon Valley City to be Carbon-Neutral by 2017
The Silicon Valley city of Palo Alto, home to Stanford University and a frillion startups, says it will be run on entirely carbon-neutral electrical power by 2017.
http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/solar/palo-alto-to-be-carbon-neutral-by-2017.html

Massive Mojave Desert Solar Project Canceled
The developer of a huge proposed solar power project that was once slated to cover 12.5 square miles of still-intact desert habitat has walked away from the idea, according to documents released by the California Energy Commission.
http://www.kcet.org/news/rewire/solar/concentrating-solar/developer-abandons-calico-solar-project.html

At Netroots Nation in San Jose, liberal online activists plot victory
Just leave all that talk about bipartisanship and compromise at the door: Netroots Nation is all about winning. Or, more accurately, @Netroots_Nation #NN13 is all about #winning.
http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_23506140/at-netroots-nation-san-jose-liberal-online-activists

Odor eaters scrub bird poop
Bacterial odor eaters are cleaning the La Jolla cliffs, aiming to banish the bird poop stench that has plagued the coastal town.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/jun/21/la-jolla-bird-poop-cleanup/

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