News
California lays out plan to drastically cut fossil fuel use
Associated Press – May 10
New homes built in California starting in 2026 need to be powered by all-electric furnaces, stoves, and other appliances if California is to meet its ambitious climate change goals over the next two decades, according to a state pollution-reduction plan released by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) this Tuesday. The roadmap sets the state on a path to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. The plan, developed by CARB staff and criticized by both environmental groups and industry, recommends that the state cut the use of oil and gas by 91% by 2045 and use technology to capture and store carbon emissions from remaining sources. The staff’s plan is not final; CARB members will ultimately decide whether to adopt or modify it following a public comment process.
Coastal Commission unanimously rejects Southern California desalination project
Press Democrat – May 13
The California Coastal Commission on Thursday voted unanimously to deny a permit for Poseidon Water to build a desalination plant to produce 50 million gallons of water a day in Huntington Beach. Poseidon’s long-running proposal was supported by Governor Gavin Newsom but faced ardent opposition from environmentalists who said drawing in large amounts of ocean water and releasing salty discharge back into the ocean would kill billions of tiny marine organisms that make up the base of the food chain along a large swath of the coast. Other critics said the water would be too expensive and wasn’t urgently needed in the area where it would be built, which is less dependent on state and federal water due to an ample aquifer and water recycling program.
Critics slam state’s new deal to clean up radioactive Santa Susana Field Lab
Los Angeles Daily News – May 11
The state Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), which oversees cleanup of the polluted Santa Susana Field Lab near Simi Valley, on Monday announced a new agreement with The Boeing Company to clean up its portion of the former “Rocketdyne” site. A 2007 agreement DTSC entered into with Boeing required the restoration by 2017 of tainted water and soil at the site, where nuclear reactor accidents and rocket testing left significant contamination. But that agreement was never honored or enforced. Critics allege that this new agreement includes significantly weaker cleanup levels, which are less protective than the cleanup Boeing agreed to perform in 2007, but DTSC disputes that claim.
Biden administration to disperse more than $250 million in contamination clean-up funds
The Hill – May 12
The Biden administration on Thursday announced it will release $254.5 million to communities across the country to assess and clean up contaminated sites and position them for reuse. The funds will go to 265 communities through the EPA’s Brownfields program, including nine projects in California. An additional 56 awards for cleanup and redevelopment will be made through the Revolving Loan Fund; 50% of those funds are paid back to the government.
California desert water agencies win $100 million in U.S. funding for aging dams, canals
The Desert Sun – May 9
Southern California desert water districts with aging or failing infrastructure won big federal funding Monday, with more than $100 million allocated for major dam and irrigation canal upgrades that will benefit the Coachella Valley and Imperial County. The projects are part of $240 million awarded from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds by the U.S. Department of the Interior.
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