Newsitem List

Chlorpyrifos, a neurotoxic pesticide linked to IQ loss and autism, has been found in the air in Kern County in amounts far in excess of the level of concern established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for pregnant women, according to 2016 air monitoring data released Thursday by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR)....

Adam Scow, California Director of Food & Water Watch, shed light on why the oil industry was so intent on getting AB 398 passed; it gives loopholes and tax breaks to corporate polluters that could actually result in more, not less, emissions. “The bill, heavily influenced by the oil and gas industry, makes California’s flawed cap-and-trade system worse by allowing excessive allowances to pollute and preventing local regulation of greenhouse gases,” said Scow. “The climate crisis demands ...

Adam Scow, California Director of Food & Water Watch, said the certification “is very troubling, though hardly surprising, for Governor Brown to approve of building massive new tunnels that won’t fix any of California’s water problems.” “This project would waste $25 to $67 billion, with interest, of taxpayer money and devastate the San Francisco Bay ecosystem. It would unfairly burden Southern Californians with higher water bills at a time when we must repair the aging and crumbling pipes ...

The New York Times didn’t mention that “America's de facto leader on climate change” received $9.8 million from oil, gas and utility companies, often within days of winning big favors, since he ran for Governor, according to a report released by the the Santa Monica-based Consumer Watchdog last August: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/dirtyhands Photo: Governor Brown and President Xi of the People's Republic of China meet on Day 3, June 6, of Brown's trip to China. Photo courtesy of Govern...

June 16, 2017 - In this month’s issue of the Journal of Raptor Research, a peer-reviewed paper documents how local biologists from Ventana Wildlife Society (VWS) restored bald eagles to central California and how the birds have done over the last 25 years. For lead author and VWS Executive Director Kelly Sorenson, “Publishing this paper was a bucket list thing for me as I worked as a field biologist in the early 1990’s when we were releasing eagles to the wild. We only got around to writing t...

“The federal government has only released a biological opinion on the construction of the tunnels—the public will have to wait for future biological opinions on the intakes and operations of the project,” explained Bill Jennings, Executive Director of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA). “In essence, they’re asking contractors to commit to paying for construction without knowing how the projects will be operated and how much water can be exported.” Photo: Paul Souza, Pa...

On July 13, the California Coastal Commission will consider an agreement that would close the Cemex Lapis Sand Mine in Marina. The mine has been linked to severe coastal erosion in the southern Monterey Bay, which is losing more coastline than anywhere else in the state. Surfrider, Save our Shores, and all our partners in this fight are in support of the agreement. But the Coastal Commission needs to know that you support it too. This is the final public meeting on this issue and it is ...

According to Berkeleyside (a local source for business and real-estate news), Berkeley's new mayor Jesse Arreguin "is enthusiastic about the plans" to develop housing on People's Park. The mayor has been meeting in private with UC Berkeley's new chancellor Carol Christ. This is a crucial time to defend People's Park, through occupy tactics, and other methods of public support....

San Joaquin Air Pollution Control District Approved Most Permits in Secret, With No Real Scrutiny of Environmental Risks...

Below is my three-minute testimony before the Delta Stewardship Council before they voted to endorse the Delta Tunnels plan as part of their amendments to the Delta Plan at their June 22 meeting in Sacramento. They made the decision, with only one dissenting vote, in spite of a massive turnout and hours of testimony by tunnels opponents, including fishermen, conservationists, environmental justice advocates, family farmers, Delta residents and elected officials. For more information about th...