Focus
Governor Newsom signs legislation requiring additional studies of Cadiz water transfer project
Los Angeles Times – August 1
Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday signed legislation that requires Cadiz, Inc., one of the largest private landowners near the Mojave National Preserve, to obtain a finding by the State Lands Commission that its plan to pump desert groundwater from beneath the Mojave Desert would have no adverse effect on groundwater resources, habitat, and natural resources. Cadiz has proposed pumping enough groundwater from beneath its lands to supply 100,000 Southern California homes per year. Although environmental groups cheered the new law, Cadiz management is confident the company will ultimately be able to move forward.
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News
California water systems must notify residents about presence of PFAS
The Sacramento Bee – August 1
Governor Newsom on Wednesday signed a new law that will require California water systems to notify residents if their water sources contain potentially toxic levels of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS. The new law, AB 756, will take effect in 2020, and will expand state regulators’ ability to test for PFAS, which have been linked to certain types of cancer and birth defects. The compounds, which can be found in everyday plastics and products like Teflon, were key ingredients in firefighting foam used at military and commercial airfields for decades. Stormwater runoff carrying PFAS from these foams often seeped into groundwater and contaminated nearby water supply wells.
EPA vetoes proposal to restrict Pebble Mine development in salmon-rich Bristol Bay region
The Seattle Times – July 30
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Tuesday vetoed proposed development restrictions on an open-pit mine in the headwaters of Alaska’s Bristol Bay region, which sustains the largest sockeye salmon runs in the world. The move by Chris Hladick, the EPA’s Seattle-based regional administrator, is part of a broader federal push to proceed with a permitting review for the Pebble Mine, a world-class deposit of gold, molybdenum, and copper that, due to its sensitive location, is among the most contested mineral-development projects in Alaska history. The restrictions, imposed in 2014, would have sharply limited the amount of wetlands and salmon streams that could be damaged by disposal of mine wastes.
Recycling firm to pay $1.2 million to settle hazardous waste violations in Sacramento
The Sacramento Bee – August 1
A glass recycling company will pay $1.2 million in a settlement made with the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) over allegations of illegal waste disposal at its Sacramento site. Strategic Materials Inc. settled with the state regulator after DTSC alleged the company had illegally disposed of more than 500,000 pounds of discarded batteries. The company allegedly mismanaged batteries, which were mixed in with glass in curbside recycling bins, sending them to a landfill instead of treating them as hazardous waste.
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