Tag Archive for: California

The Toxic Legacy of Old Oil Wells: California’s Multibillion-Dollar Problem

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Mark Olalde and Ryan Menezes

Across much of California, fossil fuel companies are leaving thousands of oil and gas wells unplugged and idle, potentially threatening the health of people living nearby and handing taxpayers a multibillion-dollar bill for the environmental cleanup.

From Kern County to Los Angeles, companies haven’t set aside anywhere near enough money to ensure these drilling sites are cleaned up and made safe for future generations, according to a months-long data analysis and investigation by the Los Angeles Times and the Center for Public Integrity.

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New Treatment System to Bring Clean Drinking Water to Rural Community in California

/in /by /California Water News Daily

Hillview Water in Raymond, California will begin delivering clean drinking water with the installment of a Microvi MNE nitrate treatment system by Microvi Biotech. Hillview Water serves a rural community that has been plagued with high levels of nitrate contamination for years.

Nitrate is one of the most widespread contaminants in groundwater globally and can have significant human health impacts.

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Trump’s Regional EPA Chief in California is Suddenly Removed From His Job

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Susanne Rust

The Environmental Protection Agency’s top official in California was abruptly removed from office Wednesday.

No reason has yet been given for Mike Stoker’s dismissal.

In an email sent to staff members of the environment agency’s Pacific Southwest regional office, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler wrote, “I would like to thank Mike Stoker for his service to the EPA.”

He then added, “I wish him and his family the best in their future endeavors.”

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California Can Be Carbon Neutral in 25 Years-With Drastic Action

/in , /by /Scientific Americanby Anne C. Mulkern

California can hit its goal of going carbon neutral by 2045 if it pulls emissions out of the air and slashes greenhouse gases from farming, landfills and other sources, according to a federal study released yesterday. The nation’s most populous state needs to remove 125 million tons of carbon emissions per year from the atmosphere, roughly equivalent of removing 26 million cars from its roads annually, said an analysis by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

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Dry, Sunny Days in January Have Taken a Toll on California’s Snowpack

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Hannah Fry

All of those dry January days have taken a toll on California’s snowpack, but officials say it’s too early to worry about drought conditions.

Surveyors with the California Department of Water Resources trekked through a snow-covered field Thursday at the department’s Phillips station, above Lake Tahoe, to take the second seasonal measurement that serves as an important marker for the state’s water supply.

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Most Major California Dams Lack Emergency Plans. ‘High-Risk Issue,’ State Auditor Says

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler

The vast majority of California’s major dams aren’t adequately prepared for an emergency.

Three years after the near-disaster at Oroville Dam, only 22 state-regulated dams have finalized emergency plans — out of 650 major dams that are required by law to have plans in place — according to a report issued Thursday by State Auditor Elaine Howle.

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Trump Administration Unveils New Clean Water Act Rules. California Could See Big Impact

/in , , /by /Desert Sun (Palm Springs, Calif.)by Mark Olalde

The Trump administration on Thursday revealed an overhaul of the Clean Water Act that could remove federal protections for waterways around the country, including as many as two-thirds of those in California.

The arid West, where intermittent rainfall often flows through arroyos and washes, could be especially impacted by the rollback of federal jurisdiction, as the new “Navigable Waters Protection Rule” will remove federal oversight from ephemeral waterways created by rain or snow.

About 66% of California’s waterways are ephemeral or intermittent, according to the government’s own reports that were used in formulating earlier Clean Water Act rules. That number rises to 81%  around the entire Southwest, including 94% of Arizona’s watercourses.

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Don’t Fall for This Old Hoax About Showering and Doing Laundry in California

/in , , /by /PolitiFact (Washington)by Bill McCarthy

The police won’t come knocking for Californians who shower and do laundry on the same day, despite what some social media users would have you believe.

An old hoax about California’s water conservation laws recently resurfaced after a guest on a Los Angeles TV station shared misinformation on air.

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California Will be Hit Hard as Trump Administration Weakens Clean Water Protections

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Anna M. Phillips

Defying environmentalists and public health advocates, the Trump administration on Thursday will announce the replacement of Obama-era water protections with a significantly weaker set of regulations that lifts limits on how much pollution can be dumped into small streams and wetlands.

The changes to the Clean Water Act’s protections are expected to hit California and other Western states especially hard.

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Bonds on the Ballot: Will Billions of Dollars Help California Cope With Climate Change?

/in , , /by /CalMatters (Sacramento, Calif.)by Julie Cart

Given California’s international leadership in addressing climate change, it isn’t surprising that voters will be asked this November to approve billions of dollars in bonds to help the state become more resilient.

But why settle for one ballot proposal when you can have three?

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