News
Environmental group sues East Bay foundry, air regulators over cancer-causing emissions
San Francisco Chronicle – October 25
Environmentalists who accused AB&I Foundry, an East Oakland iron pipe company, in December of emitting cancer-causing chemicals into the air in surrounding low-income neighborhoods filed a new lawsuit on October 25 in Alameda County Superior Court against the same company for creating a public nuisance due to the emissions. The plaintiffs also allege that the Bay Area Air Quality Management District worsened conditions in part by giving the foundry six more years to comply with clean air standards it was originally supposed to meet by the end of 2022. Attorney General Rob Bonta sued the company in February for allegedly exceeding legal standards for emissions of hexavalent chromium, a carcinogenic chemical linked to various health ailments. The latest suit does not seek damages, only court orders that require AB&I and the air district to follow the law and to close the plant immediately unless it complies with emissions standards. The foundry is already scheduled to close in January and move its operations to Texas.
Salton Sea cleanup at risk in fight for Colorado River water
Los Angeles Times – October 27
California communities exposed to hazardous dust by a drying lake bed have found themselves at the center of tensions between Arizona and California over how to conserve water along the overtaxed Colorado River. U.S. Senator Mark Kelly (D - Ariz.) is asking the federal government to withhold money for environmental cleanup at the Salton Sea until California agrees to use less of its share of the river. Much attention is on California, the largest holder of the river’s water and the last to lose in times of shortage. The state’s users said recently they would cut use up to 9% contingent on federal money and a plan to clean up toxic dust around the Salton Sea.
Researchers find benzene and other dangers in natural gas piped to California homes
The New York Times – October 20
The natural gas that is piped into millions of California homes contains hazardous air pollutants including benzene, a chemical linked to cancer, a new study found. The researchers estimated that each year California natural gas appliances and infrastructure leak the same amount of benzene as is emitted by nearly 60,000 cars, but these leaks are unaccounted for in the state’s records. The study, published on October 20 in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, adds to a growing debate over proposals to limit the use of natural gas in homes because of its impact on climate change and public health. That issue has surfaced most notably in California, where in 2019 Berkeley became the first city to ban natural gas hookups in most new homes and buildings.
Federal government steps in to plug idle oil well in Kern County
The Bakersfield Californian – October 23
The federal government is preparing to monitor and then plug the 12,000-foot deep Sevier Well in Kern County. The well has sat idle for eight years following its owner’s bankruptcy in 2017. The work adds to growing momentum in California to properly plug and abandon orphan oil and gas wells for the sake of the climate, groundwater, and endangered species. California regulators last month introduced a proposal for prioritizing inspections and repairs of suspected leaking oil and gas wells. The state has dedicated $100 million to the effort, to be supplemented by up to $165 million in federal money.
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