Focus
Bill targeting PFAS and PFOS chemicals reintroduced in House
Courthouse News Service – April 13
On Tuesday, the bipartisan PFAS Action Act was introduced for the second time in the U.S. House of Representatives, calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set enforceable standards for maximum levels of polyfluoroalkyl and perfluorooctanoic substances (PFAS and PFOS) in drinking water. Known as “forever chemicals” for their resistance to dissolution, these chemical compounds can be found in a wide range of personal and household products, including nonstick cookware, cosmetics, fast food wrappers, stain-resistant sprays, and a number of household cleaning products. They have been found at high levels in groundwater across the nation. Last January, the House passed the identical PFAS Act of 2019, which directed federal agencies to work at reducing groundwater levels of those chemicals after studying them for a year, but the bill did not make it through the Senate.
|
News
Bay environmental groups hail Redwood City salt ponds decision
The San Mateo Daily Journal – April 14
Bay Area environmental groups are celebrating a decision by Redwood City Plant Site, LLC, an affiliate of Cargill, to withdraw its appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals of a federal judge’s finding that Redwood City salt ponds are protected by the Clean Water Act (CWA). While letting the ruling stand will not prohibit development of the site, it will make it more difficult, as the CWA requires permits be issued before any dredging or filling of the ponds, a 1,365-acre area adjacent to the San Francisco Bay filled with tidal pools, marshland, and commercial salt mining operations. The decision to withdraw the appeal follows EPA’s February 26 decision to withdraw its appeal. In his October 2020 opinion, U.S. District Judge William Alsup determined that the EPA ignored its own interpretative regulations in 2019 and misinterpreted relevant case law when it decided the salt ponds were not part of the “waters of the United States” regulated by the CWA.
Epic drought means water crisis on Oregon-California border
ABC News – August 22
Hundreds of farmers who rely on a massive irrigation project that spans the Oregon-California border learned Wednesday from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation they will get a tiny fraction of the water they need amid the worst drought in decades, as federal regulators attempt to balance the needs of agriculture against federally threatened and endangered fish species that are central to the heritage of several tribes.
San Francisco Bay: Protection from costly disasters is being thrown away, scientists say
The Mercury News – April 13
Twice the amount of sediment excavated for the Panama Canal will be needed to build up the San Francisco Bay’s shoreline to protect communities from flooding and rising seas that could climb as much as six feet by the end of the century, researchers say in a new study released on Tuesday. The best source for that volume of fill is the mud and silt scooped up when the bay’s harbors and shipping channels are dredged every year. But currently, that material is being dumped into the ocean 60 miles off the Golden Gate, or sent to the bottom of the bay near Alcatraz Island. The report, authored by San Francisco Estuary Institute scientists with support from various universities and government agencies, calls for a radical change in those disposal practices.
Bill proposing ban on hydraulic fracturing fails to advance in California Legislature
KTLA – April 13
California lawmakers on Tuesday rejected a bill, authored by Democratic state senators Scott Wiener and Monique Limón, which would have banned hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, in the state. The bill was inspired in part by Governor Gavin Newsom, who last year announced the state would ban the sale of all new gas-powered cars by 2035. He also called on the state Legislature to ban new permits for fracking, a technique to extract oil and gas embedded in rock deep beneath the surface.
Court upholds state fees for air emissions imposed on large manufacturers of paint and insecticides
San Francisco Chronicle – April 13
After over a decade of legal and legislative proceedings, the Third District Court of Appeal in Sacramento on Monday upheld California’s fees on large manufacturers of paints and other products that emit air pollutants known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Sources of VOCs include consumer products such as detergents, hair sprays, and insecticides, as well as certain paints, stains, and lacquers. The state Air Resources Board imposed the fees in 2004 on manufacturers whose products emit at least 250 tons of the pollutants each year in California, which constitute 27 of the 178 companies that produce such products for sale in the state. The manufacturers immediately challenged the fees, arguing that it should apply to all manufacturers of these products.
Governor Newsom signs bill adding half a billion dollars to wildfire prevention
KPBS – April 13
Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bipartisan legislative deal on Tuesday that sets aside an additional $535 million for wildfire prevention this year. The legislative package comes after the state endured its worst wildfire season in modern history last year. The $535 million legislative package includes money for firebreaks, forest health, and hardening homes. The money comes in addition to nearly $500 million already set aside for firefighting in the state budget, including $80 million to hire an additional 1,400 firefighters.
|