Weekly Green: September 10, 2012

Environmental news & opinions from the past week:

• U.S. to auction state shale for drilling;
• AB 1542 would plant the seeds for greener farms;
• The New York Times reports on criticisms of CEQA;
• Few environmental bills make it out of the state legislature;
• Air Board runs practice cap & trade auction, and much more.

California Environmental News

Few environmental bills make it out of the California Legislature
Environmental groups and their supporters hoping for a new wave of green laws from the Legislature this year ended up with barely a ripple. From a statewide effort to ban plastic bags, to limits on foam food packaging, most of the top environmental bills of the 2012 session died. Environmental groups did score a few wins.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/politics-government/ci_21468132/few-environmental-bills-make-it-out-california-legislature

Editor's note: Read CLCV's legislative wrapup here: http://www.ecovote.org/blog/2012-legislative-wrap

Critics Say California Law Hurts Effort to Add Jobs
Environmentalists in this greenest of places call the California Environmental Quality Act the state’s most powerful environmental protection... [b]ut the landmark law passed in 1970 has also been increasingly abused.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/05/us/to-add-jobs-many-in-california-look-to-alter-green-law.html

California hopes practice makes perfect for cap-and-trade; real carbon auction set for November
Last week the California Air Resources Board ran a practice for November's big day: the auction that will set in motion a market for carbon emissions in California.... For three hours on the last Thursday in August, participants pretended to take part in bidding for "allowances" to emit greenhouse gases in California.
http://www.scpr.org/blogs/environment/2012/09/06/9742/california-hopes-practice-makes-perfect-cap-and-tr/

U.S. to auction state shale for drilling
A nearly 18,000-acre stretch of land extending from California's Central Coast to the San Joaquin Valley is the setting for a brewing debate over an oil-extraction method that has little governmental oversight. The land, which spans Monterey, San Benito and Fresno counties, rests on a large chunk of the Monterey Shale, a formation of underground minerals long eyed by the energy industry for its potential to yield billions of barrels of oil. In December, the federal government - which owns below-surface rights to the mostly private land - is scheduled to hold an auction to lease out parcels to oil and gas companies.
http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/U-S-to-auction-state-shale-for-drilling-3850852.php

Planting the Seeds for "Greener" Farms
Just as the state’s last legislative session was drawing to a close, Assembly Bill 1532 passed by a vote of 51-28, sending to the governor’s desk a system for allocating cap-and-trade auction revenues, which are expected to reach into the billions of dollars by the end of next year. AB 1532, authored by Assembly Speaker John Pérez, lays out an approach for ensuring that all proceeds from the sale of permits be used to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Among the eligible activities identified in the bill are farming and ranching practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and sequester carbon.
http://blogs.kqed.org/climatewatch/2012/09/07/planting-the-seeds-for-greener-farms/

Land buy "huge puzzle piece" for trails
A sweeping panorama of oak-studded hills and valleys that conservationists see as the key to establishing a corridor of open space stretching from the East Bay to Clear Lake will be opened to the public, preservationists said Wednesday. The Solano Land Trust paid $13.5 million to preserve 1,500 acres of former Indian hunting grounds and villages known as Rockville Trails, just west of Fairfield.
http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Land-buy-huge-puzzle-piece-for-trails-3843372.php

ENVIRONMENT: Scientists weigh effects of climate change
Rising oceans coinciding with high tides and storm surges could wreak havoc on coastal communities and threaten major water supplies, experts said at an international workshop on sea level rise, held at UC San Diego last week.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/sdcounty/environment-scientists-weigh-effects-of-climate-change/article_23f3a84c-e9bd-5a75-9c18-6644fce6b0c1.html

California ISO marks 1,000-megawatt solar milestone
California surpassed a major milestone during a recent heat wave, hitting more than 1,000 megawatts of solar power generation. That's equal to the output of two large, gas-fired power plants.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/05/4790076/california-iso-marks-1000-megawatt.html

Treasure Island: A Radioactive Isle
A growing number of former residents have cancer, and sources involved in cleaning up the former military base say the Navy has deceived the people who live there now.
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/ebx/treasure-island-a-radioactive-isle/Content?oid=3328952

Review exemption for L.A. project goes to governor
A gut-and-amend bill to exempt a multimillion-dollar Los Angeles law enforcement communications project from environmental review was sent to the governor Friday night. AB 1486, by Assemblyman Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, is touted as a way to expedite construction of an $80 million voice and data communications system for the region's 34,000 first responders.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/02/4779808/review-exemption-for-la-project.html

Long-awaited federal plan for Giant Sequoia monument limits tree-cutting
The federal government's long-awaited plan for managing the health of the largest forest of giant sequoias on earth limits logging and emphasizes fire as the primary means to restore the forest's health. The U.S. Forest Service's plan for the Giant Sequoia National Monument in the Sierra Nevada was released Tuesday, and initial readings have environmental groups cheering that logging would be a method of last resort.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/09/04/2977212/plan-for-giant-sequoia-monument.html

Hinkley residents offered clean-up options
Hinkley residents have another big decision this year. As part of a nearly 900-page draft environmental impact report, the water board wants to hear resident preferences among four clean-up options, which will reduce the chromium in Hinkley's nearly 6-mile long plume.
http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_21456203

The Legislature

Skelton: California Legislature's new era may mean more productive Capitol
Next Legislature will be working under a tweaked set of rules, such as a term-limit change, that could result in less stalemate in Sacramento. The new system — the product of voter-approved reforms — hopefully will produce more pragmatic, less ideological legislators committed to negotiating long-term fixes to California's problems.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cap-legislature-20120903,0,7318242.column

Presidential Politics

Climate change: why it could be a hot topic on the campaign trail
Climate change had been virtually absent from the campaign until Mitt Romney and President Obama traded jabs at their conventions. Some polls say it could be a vote-getter for Democrats.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Elections/President/2012/0907/Climate-change-why-it-could-be-a-hot-topic-on-the-campaign-trail

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