Weekly Green: March 11, 2014

Good afternoon, all. In recent headlines:

• Fracking rally to happen in Sacramento Saturday 3/15;
• Beautiful stretch of California coast designated a national monument;
• Report: Pollution burden higher for state's Latinos and blacks;
• Drought news: Salmon to hire moving trucks?
• ... and much more!

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Above the Fold

Don't Frack California!
On Saturday, March 15, Californians from across the state will flood the streets of Sacramento to send Governor Brown a clear message: Don't frack California. This will be the largest anti-fracking mobilization in our state's history. Details:
http://www.ecovote.org/blog/dont-frack-california

More California Environmental News

Fracking exposes rift between Jerry Brown, Democrats
The fracking issue threatens to split Democrats just as Brown, who's seeking a fourth term in office, wants to craft a legacy that balances environmental protection with economic growth.
http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Fracking-exposes-rift-between-Jerr...

Jerry Brown protested by environmentalists, calls for 'crusade' on climate
Gov. Jerry Brown called on California Democrats on Saturday to join him on a "crusade" against climate change, even as a rift between Brown and environmental activists over hydraulic fracturing gained heightened attention. Environmentalists frustrated with Brown's permissiveness of the controversial form of oil extraction
http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2014/03/vieo-jerry-brown-prot...

Tom Steyer calls for public votes on California fracking
Hours after Gov. Jerry Brown drew protests from environmental activists over his permissiveness on hydraulic fracturing, billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer called Saturday for legislation requiring a two-thirds vote of the electorate in any county before the controversial form of oil extraction can go forward in that area.
http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2014/03/steyer-laydown.html

Beautiful Stretch of California Coast Designated a National Monument
More of California's majestic coast will become part of a national monument, thanks to President Obama, Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, and Congressman Jared Huffman, among other wilderness and coastal advocates.
http://www.ecovote.org/blog/beautiful-stretch-california-coast-designate...

Obama to designate monument in Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands in California
In July, the House unanimously approved a measure by Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) to add the area to the California Coastal National Monument, a 1,100-mile marine preserve adjacent to the site that President Clinton declared in 2000. While the project received $2 million in the recently passed omnibus budget bill, a measure authored by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) has not yet passed the Senate. The sponsors of the measure in both chambers have urged Obama to use his authority under the Antiquities Act of 1906 to protect the area.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-to-designate-preserve-at-po...

Senate Dems stage climate all-nighter
At least 28 Senate Democrats are pulling an all-nighter on Monday to wake up "stubborn" climate change deniers in Congress. With substantial climate change legislation all but dead in Congress, the senators involved in Monday's climate-fest just want to get to a point where lawmakers can agree that climate change is a scientific fact.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/200263-climate-change-all-night...

Barbara Boxer to join all-nighter on climate change
The action is part of a strategy that Boxer outlined earlier this year to push back against climate-change deniers and raise public visibility of the issue in hopes of forcing Congress to pass legislation aimed at reducing carbon-dioxide emissions.
http://blog.sfgate.com/nov05election/2014/03/10/barbara-boxer-to-join-al...

California drought: More than 255,000 homes and businesses still don't have water meters statewide
Despite urgent calls for water conservation amid one of California's worst droughts, more than 255,000 homeowners and businesses across the state can still use all the water they want without paying higher bills. And nobody even knows how much water they are using.
http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_25303957/california-drought-more-t...

In severe drought plan, California salmon may be moved by truck
Starting next month, millions of young California salmon could be migrating to the ocean in tanker trucks instead of swimming downstream in the Sacramento River.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/03/10/6226163/in-severe-drought-plan-californ...

How dry I am
As a general matter, far too few journalists around the country pay attention to water. Whereas major papers like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal throw multiple reporters at energy, the water beat doesn’t really exist, except at a handful of publications, and often as a forlorn subset of environmental or government coverage. It’s strange.
http://www.cjr.org/feature/how_dry_i_am.php

State officials: Don’t water your lawn
State officials are telling Californians not to water their lawns, saying every drop saved now will ensure there’s more water for everyone when warmer months arrive.
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/03/07/6218045/state-officials-dont-water-your...

Water fight pits farmer against farmer
Forget farmers vs. fishermen -- or south state vs. north state. California's current water war is being waged most intensely by farmers against fellow farmers. It's a Central Valley civil war. And within that vast food-producing region -- Bakersfield to Redding -- it's the San Joaquin Valley vs. the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-cap-drought-20140310,0,5765786.column...

Why Distant Dust Storms Matter to California Rainfall
Scientists are trying to understand why some storms unload lots of rain and snow in California and others don’t. They’re finding it could be linked to dust storms thousands of miles away.
http://blogs.kqed.org/science/audio/drought-distant-dust-storms-matter-t...

Where local drought money goes
North County avocado farmers irrigating their groves with all recycled water. Residents of the southeast San Diego working-class neighborhood of Encanto enjoying a revitalized Chollas Creek, a respite in a sea of concrete. And dozens of homeowners cashing rebate checks in return for tearing out thirsty lawns.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/mar/09/where-local-drought-money-goes/

Pollution burden higher for state's Latinos and blacks, report finds
Latinos and African Americans make up a disproportionately high percentage of the population of California ZIP Codes most burdened by pollution, according to a report released Friday by state environmental officials. Latinos account for nearly two-thirds of residents in the top 10% most polluted ZIP Codes despite making up only 38% of the state’s population, the analysis by the California Environmental Protection Agency shows.
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-latinos-blacks-pollu...

State Sen. Noreen Evans faces uphill battle on oil tax
It has been killed repeatedly in the state Legislature or at the ballot box, but the backers of an oil severance tax hope 2014 is the year to get it done. History is not on their side.
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20140309/articles/140309580

As doubts cloud California high-speed rail, plans in other states gain support
When California Gov. Jerry Brown last week announced his bid for re-election, he renewed his push to build “the nation’s only high speed rail system.”
http://www.sacbee.com/2014/03/07/6218617/as-doubts-cloud-california-high...

Gas prices may jump from California emissions law
California's greenhouse gas reduction law already has shaken up the state's industrial sector, costing it more than $1.5 billion in pollution permit fees. It's now poised to hit the pocketbooks of everyday Californians.
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Gas-prices-may-jump-from-Californi...

Phillips 66 fined for air-quality violations at Rodeo refinery
Bay Area officials levied a $230,900 fine against Phillips 66 Co. on Monday for air-quality violations at the company's Rodeo refinery.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Phillips-66-fined-for-air-quality-...

At night, the ocean cleanses smoggy air, study suggests
The ocean doesn’t just moderate temperatures and influence weather in some of the world’s biggest cities; it also has the power to cleanse the air, new research suggests.
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-ocean-smog-nitrogen-...

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