Focus
Major automakers back compromise on U.S. vehicle emissions rules, urge deal
Reuters – June 6
In a letter to California Governor Gavin Newsom, a group of 17 major automakers, including General Motors Co, Toyota Motor Corp, and Volkswagen AG, on Thursday urged a compromise “midway” between Obama-era regulations that require annual decreases of about 5 percent in vehicle emissions and the Trump administration’s proposal that would freeze vehicle emissions requirements at 2020 levels through 2026. In a separate letter to President Donald Trump on Thursday, they urged “both the federal government and California to resume discussions and to remain open to regulatory adjustments.” Eighteen states, including California, have vowed to sue the administration if it finalizes the freeze.
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News
California says coffee doesn't have to be labeled as carcinogenic under Proposition 65
ABC News – June 3
The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), which implements Proposition 65, has declared that coffee does not pose a "significant" cancer risk due to its acrylamide content. Acrylamide is a listed carcinogen. The official determination, proposed a year ago and confirmed on Monday, was issued in the wake of a decision by a Los Angeles County Superior Court that Starbucks and other companies failed to show that benefits from drinking coffee outweighed risks from acrylamide, a byproduct of the roasting process. As a result of OEHHA's determination, industry members avoid both the specter of large civil penalties and the obligation to post Proposition 65 cancer-risk warnings at their retail establishments or develop a process for avoiding formation of acrylamide.
FDA study finds PFAS compounds in certain foods
Associated Press - June 3
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration found substantial levels of per- and polyfluoroalykyl substances, or PFAS, a class of nonstick, stain-resistant industrial compounds, in some grocery store meats and seafood and in off-the-shelf chocolate cake. The PFAS levels in nearly half of the meat and fish tested were two or more times over the only currently existing federal advisory level for any PFAS compound—which relates to levels in drinking water—and the levels in the chocolate cake were 250 times higher. A 2018 federal toxicology report cited links between high levels of the compounds in people’s blood and health problems, but said it was not certain PFAS were the cause. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency established a nonbinding health threshold of 70 parts per trillion for two phased-out forms of PFAS in drinking water, and said it would consider setting mandatory limits in part due to contamination found in various drinking water systems. The chemicals have been a topic of congressional hearings and intense federal and state scrutiny, with several states moving to regulate the chemicals on their own.
San Diego votes to terminate relationship with downtown planning agency
San Diego Union-Tribune - June 4
The City of San Diego on Tuesday decided to end the city’s controversial relationship with Civic San Diego, which has operated as a city-owned nonprofit overseeing downtown planning and project entitlement services since 2012. The City Council members voted to implement a settlement agreement that separates the two entities, effectively returning downtown land use decisions to the city and leaving Civic San Diego to stand alone as a non-governmental public benefit entity with a focus on community investment programs.
Humboldt County supervisors take another step toward Potter Valley involvement
Times-Standard – June 4
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors this Tuesday unanimously affirmed support for a coalition seeking to license the Potter Valley Project, a hydropower facility on the Eel and Russian Rivers. The coalition is seeking a two-basin solution that would curb the effects of the Scott Dam on the Eel River’s fish populations while protecting the Russian River’s water supply. The coalition's objective is to take over the Potter Valley Project from Pacific Gas and Electric Co., its current owner. The other coalition members, which include Cal Trout and water agencies in Mendocino and Sonoma Counties, must still approve the addition of Humboldt County as a stakeholder.
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