Focus
Kern County sues Governor Newsom over oil and gas development permits
Courthouse News Service – September 13
Kern County, California’s largest oil and gas producing county, claims in a federal lawsuit filed on Monday that Governor Gavin Newsom and other state officials have been illegally delaying or blocking the issuance of permits for statutorily-authorized methods of oil and gas extraction, such as hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking. According to the complaint, the defendants improperly delayed the California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) from reviewing and issuing new oil and gas permits, while "unilaterally" deciding, without the authority to do so, that the threat posed by climate change warrants the "elimination of California’s oil and gas industry."
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News
Owner of Sonoma County quarry faces $4.5M fine for endangering salmon
CBS S.F. Bay Area – September 14
Water quality regulators informed the operator of Mark West Quarry in Sonoma County last week that it could face a $4.5 million fine for multiple alleged violations of the Clean Water Act that threaten the survival of endangered salmon populations in tributaries of the Russian River. The North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board alleges that BoDean Co. Inc. discharged highly turbid stormwater from its quarry operations into Porter Creek from September 2018 through May 2019.
California court ruling could lead to lower limits on use of agricultural pesticide
San Francisco Chronicle – September 10
A state appeals court has ruled that the California Department of Pesticide Regulation must consult with state health officials and accept public comments before determining usage limits for the agricultural pesticide 1,3-Dichloropropene, also known as 1,3-D. The First District Court of Appeal in San Francisco found that the agency had failed to consult with anyone other than the manufacturer, Dow AgroSciences, before setting and then loosening limits on the chemical, which California classifies as a carcinogen, and which is widely used by growers of strawberries, carrots, almonds, and other crops. The consultation and public comment process required by the ruling may result in a tightening of 1,3-D usage limits.
Los Angeles County votes to phase out oil and gas drilling
ABC News – September 15
Los Angeles County supervisors voted unanimously this Wednesday to phase out oil and gas drilling and to ban new drill sites in the unincorporated areas of the nation's most populous county. Over 1,600 active and idle oil and gas wells in the county could be shuttered after the 5-0 vote by the board of supervisors. A timetable for the phaseout will be decided after the county determines the fastest way to shut down the wells legally. Among the sites is the Inglewood Oil Field, one of the largest U.S. urban oil fields, which, according to its operator, has produced 2.5 to 3.1 million barrels of oil per year over the past decade.
California gets OK to boost gas power to maintain grid reliability
Reuters – September 10
The Biden administration last Friday issued an emergency order allowing some California natural gas power plants to operate without pollution restrictions in order to shore up the state’s tight electricity supplies, the U.S. Department of Energy said. California’s grid operator, the Independent System Operator, had sought the order earlier last week, saying it needed additional power supplies to be able to keep the lights on during extreme heat events. It was the second year in a row California sought and received such an order from the federal government. This year’s request was triggered in part by the drought, which has reduced hydroelectric power capacity, and by wildfires threatening transmission lines that bring power from neighboring states.
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