Focus
FERC orders draining of Santa Clara County’s biggest reservoir due to risk of earthquake collapse
The Mercury News – February 25
In a dramatic decision that could significantly impact Silicon Valley’s water supply, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on Thursday ordered that Anderson Reservoir, the largest reservoir in Santa Clara County, be completely drained starting October 1. The 240-foot earthen dam, built in 1950 and owned by the Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD), poses too great a risk of collapse during a major earthquake, FERC has concluded. When full, the reservoir holds 89,278 acre feet of water — more than all other nine dams operated by the SCVWD combined. The SCVWD chief executive officer observed that draining the reservoir will likely impact groundwater basins that are replenished with water released from the reservoir, and kill wildlife including endangered steelhead trout, amphibians, and reptiles.
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News
California court tosses blanket approval for 72,000 new Kern County oil wells
The Desert Sun – February 25
The Fifth District Court of Appeals on Tuesday invalidated a Kern County ordinance that allowed major oil producers to rely on a single, blanket environmental approval for the drilling of 72,000 new oil wells, instead of requiring an assessment of each new project’s potential impact on air quality, drinking water, wildlife, and other concerns. The court held that the County’s 2015 environmental impact report violated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by failing to disclose threats to public health from particulate soot and impacts to drinking and agricultural water supplies, among other deficiencies. The appellate panel set aside the ordinance until the County demonstrates compliance with CEQA, and ordered the County to cease issuing permits under the ordinance within 30 days.
Bay Area group sues Coke, Pepsi, and other food giants over ocean plastic pollution
San Francisco Chronicle – February 26
The Earth Island Institute, a Bay Area environmental group, on Wednesday sued ten of the world’s biggest beverage and product manufacturers, including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestle, and Clorox, accusing them of polluting the world’s oceans and waterways with millions of tons of plastic while falsely claiming the packaging material they produce will be recycled. The complaint, filed in San Mateo Superior Court, accuses the companies of negligence, creating a public nuisance, breaching their warranties, and failing to warn consumers about the dangers of plastics. It is the first attempt in the United States to hold the world’s largest consumer products businesses liable for ocean plastics pollution.
New DOI rule would limit which scientific studies agency can consider
The Hill – February 26
The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) is pushing ahead with a controversial proposal that would prohibit it and its subsidiary agencies from considering scientific studies that do not make all of their underlying data public. Critics argue that the move, described by DOI as an effort to increase transparency, would sideline landmark scientific research, particularly in cases where revealing such data would result in privacy violations. DOI’s effort first surfaced as an order in October 2018, but the department is now attempting to enshrine it as a rule, forwarding a proposal in mid-February to the White House Office of Management and Budget.
Carson refinery fire extinguished, but worries about air quality linger
Los Angeles Times – February 26
The Los Angeles County Fire Department has extinguished a blaze that erupted at the Marathon Petroleum refinery in Carson late Tuesday. Hazardous materials teams will continue to monitor air quality in the area, but no public health threat has been detected, the department said. Inspectors from the South Coast Air Quality Management District collected samples during the fire that will be analyzed for toxic gases. Monitors installed around the facility’s perimeter show no elevated levels of such substances, according to the agency. The district is investigating 13 complaints received from the neighboring community and “will evaluate whether any regulatory violations occurred.”
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