Geology
300: Physical Geology
Geology
301: Physical Geology Lab
Geology
305: Earth Science
Geology
306: Earth Science Lab
Instructor: Arthur Reed
October 2017 Earth Sciences topics/events making news…
...with emphasis on California news
Remember the principles of the scientific method when evaluating
news stories!
·
(link to 2018 news articles)
·
(link to 2016
news articles)
·
(link to 2015
news articles)
·
(link to 2014
news articles)
·
(link to 2013
news articles)
·
(link to 2012
news articles)
·
(link to 2011
news articles)
·
(link to 2010
news articles)
·
(link to 2009
& older news articles)
Private
option on debris cleanup approved by Sonoma County for destroyed homes
Sonoma County
fire victims who don’t want to sign up for the government’s free
program to clear the remains of their destroyed homes will now be able to
follow an alternative debris removal process authorized Tuesday by the Board of
the Supervisors.
Press Democrat, 10-31-17
CLIMATE CHANGE
Edison
says California needs one-quarter of its vehicles to be electric to meet
climate change goals
Saying it was
committed to slowing global climate change, Southern California Edison doubled
down Tuesday on its goal for escalating the state’s share of renewable
power.
Los Angeles Newspaper Group, 10-31-17
Study
Finds Elevated Levels of Dangerous Chemicals in Porter Ranch Residents
An independent
health study released earlier this month showed elevated levels of carcinogens
in residents living near Aliso Canyon, the site of the massive 2015 natural gas
blowout in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley.
Capital & Main, 10-31-17
West
Coast Dems lead call to fund early warning system for earthquakes
A group of
Democrats representing western states has sent a letter to White
House budget chief Mick
Mulvaney urging
the Trump administration to include funding for an earthquake early-warning
system in the fiscal 2018 budget.
The Hill, 10-31-17
Exxon
settles pollution case with US, will upgrade 8 plants
Exxon Mobil settled
violations of the clean-air law with the Trump administration by agreeing to
pay a $2.5 million civil penalty and spend $300 million on pollution-control
technology at plants along the Gulf Coast.
KUSI San Diego TV, 11-1-17
WATER
Could a Simpler Delta Tunnel Solve Years
of California Water Conflict?
California’s ambitious plan to build two giant water tunnels under
the West’s largest estuary has been deemed too expensive by some of the
water utilities that would have to pay for it. As a result, attention is
turning back to a cheaper option: One tunnel instead of two.
Water Deeply,
10-31-17
CLIMATE CHANGE
Edison
says California needs one-quarter of its vehicles to be electric to meet
climate change goals
Saying it was
committed to slowing global climate change, Southern California Edison doubled
down Tuesday on its goal for escalating the state’s share of renewable
power.
The Orange County Register, 10-31-17
Can
the Bay Area Design Its Way Out Of Sea Level Rise?
Last month, as
Hurricane Irma was bearing down on Florida, a crowd of international designers,
scientists, and policy-makers gathered at a warehouse-turned-winery at the Port
of Richmond.
Bay Nature, 10-30-17
How
well have climate models projected global warming?
Climate models,
driven by atmospheric physics and biogeochemistry, play an important role in
our understanding of the Earth’s climate and how it will likely change in
the future.
Yale Climate Connections, 10-31-17
ALISO CANYON
Lawsuits, costs continue to mount in gas
leak
Two years after a natural gas well blew open near Porter Ranch, the cost
of the nation’s largest-ever accidental gas leak continues to mount. So
do the number of lawsuits it's triggered, according to Southern
California Gas Company's third quarter report, released this week.
Southern
California Public Radio, 10-31-17
Sonoma
County supervisors considering temporary housing on farmland due to wildfires
Sonoma County
supervisors are set today to continue their efforts to speed up the
region’s recovery from the devastating wildfires, considering plans to
provide more emergency housing options, regulate cleanup and create a new fund
to pay for some of the disaster response.
Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 10-30-17
Sloshing of Earth’s core may spike
major earthquakes
The world doesn’t stop spinning. But every so often, it slows down.
For decades, scientists have charted tiny fluctuations in the length of
Earth’s day: Gain a millisecond here, lose a millisecond there. Last week
at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America here, two
geophysicists argued that these minute changes could be enough to influence the
timing of major earthquakes—and potentially help forecast them.
Science.com,
10-30-17
WATER
In the Delta region,
the twin tunnels always have been considered double trouble. If you take the
“twin” out, you’ve still got trouble.
Stockton Record, 10-29-17
How cities are defending themselves
against sea level rise
Superstorm Sandy and a series of lesser coastal storms since that 2012
disaster compelled some coastal communities to defend themselves by elevating
homes and critical infrastructure, building sand dunes, widening beaches and
erecting or raising sea walls.
Associated
Press, 10-27-17
CLIMATE CHANGE
San
Francisco bolsters flood resilience in face of climate change
With last
week’s heat wave done and gone, replaced by cooler temperatures and rain
in the forecast for later this week, the San Francisco Public Utilities
Commission is making the winter rainy season a top-of-mind issue.
San Francisco Chronicle, 10-30-17
Del
Mar takes stand against Trump’s vision for offshore drilling
Del Mar is
taking a stand against President Donald Trump’s efforts to loosen restrictions
on offshore drilling and energy exploration in federal waters — the first
city south of Los Angeles County to do so.
San Diego Union Tribune, 10-26-17
South LA: Sick and Scared Residents
Demand End to Urban Oil Drilling … City Hall Shrugs!
At a site known simply as Jefferson, 36 oil wells are pumping closely
– too closely, residents say — to occupied multi-unit apartment
buildings at a drilling site on Jefferson Boulevard, just west of the
University of Southern California.
Los Angeles City Watch, 10-26-17
Natural gas
leak shuts down portion of Fresno State
Repairs on a
natural gas leak discovered Thursday at Fresno State will shut down gas service
to several areas of the campus on Friday.
Fresno Bee, 10-26-17
Our
View: What’s up with the state’s public utility commission?
We don’t
make a habit of complaining about state agencies. First, we admit that if
we’re anything on this Forum page, we’re too Pollyannaish. Second,
we stick to local stuff as much as possible, so if we were going to take off on
a state agency it has to be over some local interaction.
Marysville Appeal-Democrat, 10-22-17
Fifth
through eighth graders learn about the oil industry
On October 26,
2017 and October 27, 2017 fifth through eighth graders will get the opportunity
to take part in STEM learning activities in the Taft College Library.
23ABC News Bakersfield, 10-26-17
California
Focus: Candidates need to answer crony question
The
well-documented corruption in various wings of California state government
shows few signs of abating soon:
Sonoma Index-Tribune, 10-19-17
ALISO CANYON
Protesters
return to Aliso Canyon
Dozens of
protesters gathered this week at the entrance to the Aliso Canyon natural gas
storage facility near Porter Ranch again calling for a permanent closure of the
facility that was the site of the largest methane leak in U.S. history.
OurWeekly,
10-26-17
Broad
Beach Sand Project Costs Jump to $55-60 Million Per Decade
The Broad Beach
Geologic Hazard Abatement District (GHAD) is now contending with another set of
lawsuits over a project originally estimated to cost about $20 million, which
is now estimated to cost $55 to $60 million every 10 years. The project will
involve bringing in megatons of sand every few years to restore the
disappearing beach and dunes in front of a pricey mile of real estate that
includes 131 properties.
The Malibu Times, 10-26-17
Neighborhood
coalition hits SLO and Avila Ranch with lawsuit
San Luis Obispo
residents upset by SLO's recent approval of Avila Ranch, a 720-home housing
development near the county airport, have mobilized and filed a lawsuit,
claiming the city failed to address several of the project's environmental
impacts.
New Times San Luis Obispo, 10-26-17
Santa
Ynez Valley Landowner Asks Court To Halt Santa Barbara County, Chumash Camp 4
Agreement
A landowner near
the Camp 4 Santa Ynez Valley property filed a lawsuit this week to stop Santa Barbara County from entering
into an agreement with the Santa
Ynez Band of Chumash Indians regarding development of the land.
Noozhawk, 10-26-17
4.3-magnitude earthquake strikes Santa
Barbara County area
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.3 struck 16.2 miles southwest
of Lompoc in Santa Barbara County on Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
KABC-TV (Los
Angeles), 10-26-17
America’s
most famous fault line, the San Andreas Fault, is known for its frequent
earthquakes, but one part of the system, the San Jacinto Fault zone in inland
Southern California, has been surprisingly quiet for the last 200 years. Now,
new research has detected small tremors deep under the fault system, suggesting
it’s not as calm as we once thought and may be ready to release a massive
earthquake sometime soon.
Newsweek, 10-26-17
TX
Earthquake Monitoring System Up and Running
Texas–the
new California? An increasing number of earthquakes recorded across the Lone
Star State in recent years may have some thinking exactly that.
KTSA (San Antonio, Texas radio), 10-26-17
Earthquake Measuring 4.3 Rattles Santa
Barbara County
An earthquake centered in the ocean west of Pt. Conception occurred
Thursday afternoon, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Santa Barbara
Noozhawk, 10-26-17
Cappello Challenges Camp 4 Annexation
Hanging in the offices of prominent Santa Barbara attorney Barry Cappello
are dozens of paintings of Native American tribes that were created in the 19th
and 20th centuries.
Santa Barbara
Independent, 10-26-17
State
hears opinions on expanded aquifer use in Sespe Oil Field near Fillmore
Ventura County
environmentalists and the city of Fillmore are fighting an oil company’s
request for permits to discharge more of its wastewater into the ground a few
miles north of Fillmore.
Ventura County Star, 10-25-17
Measure
Z exemption ordinance development continues at Monterey County Board of
Supervisors
Nearly a year
after voters approved Measure Z, establishing some of the nation’s
toughest oil and gas restrictions, county supervisors continued molding a
critical ordinance that would establish a process for considering exemptions
from the local regulations for oil and gas operators as well as royalty
holders.
Monterey County Herald, 10-24-17
ALISO CANYON
Could the worst gas leak in U.S. history
be causing health problems?
Two years after the largest methane blowout in U.S. history, residents in
the Porter Ranch neighborhood of Los Angeles are still in the dark about its
long-term effects on their health.
Vice News, 10-24-17
Celebrate
Bat Week With 13 Awesome Facts About Bats
Called
creepy, scary and spooky, bats often get a bad rap. They’re an important
species that impact our daily lives in ways we might not even realize. From
pollinating our favorite fruits to eating pesky insects to inspiring medical
marvels, bats are heroes of the night.
Sierra Sun Times, 10-26-17
Ag
exports, economy and farm bill top discussions at Rural Economic Outlook
Conference
“People
definitely want to see some changes in the dairy program and definitely want to
see some changes in the cotton program,” Westhoff said. “Those are
both cases where people feel the current provisions are not providing enough
support to those commodities.
Western Farm Press, 10-26-17
Study:
More evidence links earthquakes to energy waste wells
Scientists say
they have more evidence that an increase in earthquakes on the Colorado-New
Mexico border since 2001 has been caused by wells that inject wastewater from
oil and gas production back underground, similar to human-caused quakes in
Oklahoma and other states.
Associated Press, 10-25-17
UK
engineers develop device for earthquake-proofing buildings
UK developed
structural engineering technology could protect buildings from the impact of
earthquakes or blasts, preventing collapse and reducing the damage caused.
The Engineer, 10-25-17
Low-pitched,
rumbling rocks could help predict when earthquakes strike, research says
Rocks under
increasing pressure before earthquakes strike send out low-pitched rumbling
sounds that the human ear cannot detect but could be used to predict when a
tremor will strike, scientists said Monday.
Reuters, 10-24-17
WATER
Backers Get Scare Before Federal
Clarification Of Position On Water Tunnel Project
The prospects
for Gov. Jerry Brown’s push to build two massive tunnels to pipe water from
the Delta to Southern California lurched from murky to bleak—then back to
murky Wednesday.
Capital Public Radio, 10-25-17
Interior
Department clarifies that it remains behind proposed delta tunnels
Bewildering both
opponents and supporters of Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to build two giant
water tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the federal
Interior Department said late Wednesday that the Trump administration had not
pulled its support for the project as reported earlier.
San Francisco Chronicle, 10-26-17
California
makes critical repairs in century-old levee system
The state spent
$80 million this summer repairing 30 of the state’s 40 most critically
impaired levees, but the century-old levee system is in need of many more
upgrades.
Capital Ag Press, 10-24-17
National
Sustainable Agriculture Coalition outlines Farm Bill priorities
Coalition calls
for modernization of crop insurance, investment in public plant breeding,
advancing land stewardship and increasing opportunity for beginning farmers and
ranchers.
Western Farm Press, 10-24-17
Watch
Lucy Jones discuss what a catastrophic earthquake could do to the South Bay
Lucy Jones,
Southern California’s go-to earthquake expert, will speak in Manhattan
Beach next month at an event encouraging residents prepare for the Big One.
Daily Breeze, 10-24-17
Goodbye
golf course, hello olive groves! New Palm Springs enclave to become an
‘agri-hood’
The olive
– that familiar little fruit lolling around in your martini – is
about to make a splash in the Southern California real estate market.
The Orange County Register, 10-22-17
ALISO CANYON
Truck
driver, 18 Aliso Canyon gas protesters arrested
Police arrested
19 people at the front gate of the Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Storage Facility
near Porter Ranch on Monday. Eighteen were blocking the entrance to the gas
field as a protest on the second anniversary of the nation’s largest
natural gas leak.
Southern California Public Radio 89.3,
10-23-17
LAPD
arrests 18 in day-long Aliso Canyon ‘shut it down’ protest near
Porter Ranch
Wearing hazmat
suits and carrying tombstones, about 100 protesters gathered in Porter Ranch on
a windy Monday to demand that Gov. Jerry Brown close the Aliso Canyon gas
fields down once and for all because they say it is an ongoing public
health risk.
Los Angeles Daily News, 10-23-17
What
we’ve learned from largest methane gas leak in the U.S.
Invisible
disaster: Infrared images from the Environmental Defense Fund show a huge plume
spewing from the ground.
Orange County Register, 10-23-17
Crews
respond to fire at Greka oil facility near Orcutt
The Santa
Barbara County Fire Department responded to a fire reported on the Greka
oil facility property Monday morning.
KEYT Santa Barbara TV, 10-23-17
Fiber
optic lines can double as earthquake detectors
You might not
need an extensive sensor network or a host of volunteers to detect earthquakes in the future
-- in fact, the lines supplying your internet access might do the trick.
Researchers have developed technology that detects seismic activity
through jiggling in fiber optic lines. Laser interrogators watch for
disturbances in the fiber and send information about the magnitude and
direction of tremors. The system can not only detect different types of seismic
waves (and thus determine the seriousness of the threat), but spot very minor
or localized quakes that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Yahoo News, 10-21-17
4.0
earthquake strikes off Catalina Island
A 4.0 magnitude
earthquake struck off the coast of Catalina Island early Tuesday.
Los Angeles Times, 10-24-17
WATER
It
may be back to the drawing board for Jerry Brown’s delta tunnels
Despite a
personal push from Gov. Jerry Brown, the Santa Clara Valley Water
District’s Board of Directors gave a resounding “no” the
other day to helping to pay for his plan for two 35-mile tunnels under the
Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to help deliver water to the Central Valley
and Southern California.
San Francisco Chronicle, 10-23-17
CLIMATE CHANGE
Editorial :
The beginning of the end of big, climate-changing power plants in California
lans to build a
new natural-gas-fueled power plant on the Ventura County coast had been in the
works for years, and the project seemed like an all-but-done deal just a few short
weeks ago. The Puente Energy Project, to be built and operated by NRG Energy,
had obtained most of the necessary approvals and was preparing for the final
go-ahead from the California Energy Commission. It was a project similar to
other recently approved plants in Huntington Beach and Carlsbad.
Los Angeles Times, 10-24-17
California
Focus: Could state reach 100 percent renewable?
Back in 2002,
when California set its first statewide renewable energy goals, the petroleum
industry and others said it would be impossible for 20 percent of all electricity
to come from solar, wind, hydro power and other forms of green energy by 2017
– now.
Sonoma Index-Trbune, 10-23-17
(OPINION) Marin
IJ Editorial: Measure D continues Novato’s growth boundaries
Split votes on
the Novato City Council are not uncommon these days, but one issue that has won
the council’s unanimous backing is Measure D, extending the “Urban
Growth Boundary” along the city limits for another 25 years.
Marin Journal, 10-19-17
ALISO CANYON
Resident
says activists should ‘educate themselves’ on Aliso Canyon gas
field improvements
Porter Ranch
resident Nancy Starczyk smelled the leaking gas a handful of times but
couldn’t understand the fuss over what became one the worst methane gas
leaks in the country.
Los Angeles Newspaper Group, 10-23-17
2
years after the gas leak above Porter Ranch, here’s what’s changed
— and what hasn’t
Thousands fled
their homes after a massive gas leak sprung at the Southern
California Gas Co.’s Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility,
ultimately spewing more than 100,000 metric tons of climate-altering methane
into the atmosphere.
Los Angeles Newspaper Group, 10-21-17
Encino
woman says Aliso Canyon gas leak has been ‘the invisible monster’
Kelly Browne, an
author who lives in Encino, said when the gas leak occurred, her mom, Peggy,
became very ill. In December of 2015, her parents put their longtime Porter
Ranch home up for sale. It didn’t sell until September of 2016.
Los Angeles Newspaper Group, 10-23-17
Two years after
a massive gas leak was detected at the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage
facility, Doreen Freeman is still fighting for tens of thousands of dollars in
relocation expenses. It’s money she argues Southern California Gas Co.
owes her.
Los Angeles Newspaper Group, 10-23-17
2
years after massive gas leak, Porter Ranch residents wonder what’s next
for Aliso Canyon field
Perhaps some
day, every well up in Aliso Canyon will sit empty and dry, with no trace—
not one molecule— of natural gas left in the hills above Porter Ranch.
But a shadow of doubt and worry would likely still linger among the residents
who live below.
Los Angeles Newspaper Group, 10-23-17
Porter
Ranch business owner took a hit from gas leak, but emerged
‘stronger’
Larry S. Parsons
did everything he could so that his paint-your-own pottery business, Color Me
Mine in Porter Ranch, could stay afloat in late 2015.
Los Angeles Newspaper Group, 10-23-17
Timeline:
The Aliso Canyon gas leak and its impact on Porter Ranch
Two years after
the largest atmospheric gas leak in U.S. history, we look back on how the
disaster unfolded and the effects it had — and continues to have —
in Porter Ranch and the rest of the San Fernando Valley.
Los Angeles Newspaper Group, 10-23-17
2 years after blowout, future of gas field
remains unclear
Monday marks two years since a gas well near Porter Ranch was discovered
to be leaking methane and other chemicals, growing to become a four-month
blowout and the nation’s largest known accidental release of natural gas.
Southern California
Public Radio, 10-23-17
COULD
SAN FRANCISCO GET THE OIL INDUSTRY TO PAY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE?
WHEN A
RAINDROP falls in San Francisco, it has two choices: flow east into the
San Francisco Bay, or west into the Pacific Ocean. A ridgeline divides the city
into two, slicing through the Presidio, hugging the eastern edge of Golden Gate
Park, and skirting Twin Peaks. As the land drops off in either direction, the
elevation difference doesn’t just drive raindrops downhill—it also
moves human waste. San Francisco, unlike any other coastal city in California,
has just one set of pipes for its storm runoff and sewage. First engineered more
than a hundred years ago, the system still functions on the same basic
principle as it did in 1890: Let gravity do the work.
Wired, 10-19-17
Public gets chance to weigh in on Sespe
oil field exemption
The public will get a chance to weigh in this week on a proposal to
expand where oil production wastewater can be pumped back into the ground north
of Fillmore.
Ventura County
Star, 10-22-17
California City Councils Choose Wildlife
Deaths Over Fracking
The San Luis Obispo, Goleta, Berkeley, and Arcata city councils passed
resolutions this past month opposing oil and natural gas production through
hydraulic fracturing (fracking). By taking this action, the California city
councils are choosing to support an environmental catastrophe in the name of
opposing oil and natural gas.
Forbes,
10-20-17
US
rig count declines by 15 this week to 913; Texas loses 8
The number of
rigs exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. declined by 15 this week to
913.
Associated Press, 10-20-17
US
shale outlook seen at risk from more intensive fracking
US shale oil
production is unlikely to peak before the middle of next decade, but current
fracking techniques may be risking the prospect of faster decline rates from
tight oil than many are forecasting, a top oil industry event was told this
week.
Platts, 10-20-17
`Everything Changed’: San Francisco
Firefighter Remembers 6.9 Magnitude Earthquake Rescue
This week marks the 28-year anniversary of the Loma Prieta Earthquake
that killed over 60 people and injured thousands in the Bay Area.
KPIX-TV (San
Francisco), 10-21-17
3.1
magnitude earthquake reported off of Isla Vista coast
A 3.1 magnitude
earthquake was reported off the coast of Isla Vista Saturday morning.
KEYT-TV, 10-21-17
Grass Valley sinkhole’s impacts on
creek will remain
Mounds of dirt that were pushed into Little Wolf Creek when a 100-foot
deep sinkhole opened up on Freeman Lane in Grass Valley this winter will remain
in the creekbed, according to city officials.
Grass Valley
Union, 10-20-17
Magnitude
3.1 quake strikes near Goleta
A shallow
magnitude 3.1 earthquake was reported Saturday morning just offshore near
Goleta, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor occurred at 11:33
a.m. Pacific time at a depth of 0 miles.
Los Angeles Times, 10-21-17
3
things NorCal crews are doing to prevent mudslides, flooding
Mountain towns,
the foothills and Sacramento Valley will experience the first widespread rain
and snow event of the season Thursday night and Friday morning.
KCRA, 10-19-17
Recovery,
reconstruction go slowly after Mexico earthquake
Wearing a hard
hat, Rodrigo Diaz Mejia steps onto the hood of a crushed car and then gingerly
into an apartment cracked open by the Sept. 19 earthquake. Inside he spots a
photo of two young boys hanging on a wall spider-webbed with deep cracks. He
puts it under his arm to carry it out for the family.
SFGate 10-19-17
GENERAL
A
13.5-mile tunnel will make or break California's bullet train
When the
first California bullet train pulls out of San Jose one day, a
crucial part of the journey will be a 13.5-mile tunnel beneath the winding
peaks and valleys of Pacheco Pass.
Los Angeles Times, 10-21-17
ALISO CANYON
Two years
after Aliso Canyon disaster, hundreds say they’re still sick
We’re just
a few days from the two-year anniversary of the largest known natural gas
eruption in United States history, and people say they are still suffering from
related exposures.
Inewssource.org, 10-19-17
Despite Chevron's announcement this week that it would reassign or lay
off roughly 300 employees in the coming months, energy insiders say they do not
expect, even amid waning petroleum prices, further cuts in the Kern County
oil patch.
Bakersfield
Californian, 10-20-17
How to
Trigger a Massive Earthquake
A Los Angeles
Times article published on 11 June 1952 tells of a successful new oil well
at Wheeler Ridge in Kern County in California. The well operated for 98 days,
but then, on 21 July at 4:52 a.m. local time, a 7.5-magnitude earthquake let
loose beneath the well along the White Wolf fault.
EOS.org, 10-19-17
When
a big earthquake hits, your first instinct can mean life or death
What should be
done when an earthquake hits? Run outside? Or drop, cover and hold on?
Los Angeles Times, 10-19-17
Magnitude
3.6 earthquake strikes near Greenfield, California
The United
States Geological Survey reports a preliminary magnitude 3.6 earthquake struck
near Greenfield, California on Thursday.
San Francisco Chronicle, 10-19-17
Massive
mudslide crashes into home, forces dozens to evacuate
A massive
mudslide crashed into a home in Washington state, causing a gas leak and
forcing at least 40 people to evacuate.
KCRA, 10-19-17
More
Regulations For Unsafe Oil Drilling Site in South L.A.
South Los
Angeles environmental activists and advocates are celebrating after the City
Planning Department mandated stronger protections for oil drilling sites in
their community.
Los Angeles Sentinel, 10-19-17
Why
Does Green California Pump the Dirtiest Oil in the U.S.?
On New
Year’s Day, 1909, a grocer named Julius Fried and his novice drilling
crew, the Lakeview Oil Company, spudded a well in the desert valley scrub in
the Midway-Sunset oil field, 110 miles north of Los Angeles. For the first
1,655 feet, the well yielded only dust, and then Lakeview ran out of money.
Yale Environment 360, 10-19-17
New
spray could help buildings withstand powerful earthquake
It's a possible
game-changer for earthquake safety: A new spray that could help buildings stand
up to a powerful quake.
KGW-TV (Portland, Ore.), 10-17-17
A Rosetta Stone for Earthquakes
Istanbul, a city of 14 million people and a crossroads of cultural
exchange dating back millennia, may also be where Turkey’s next major
earthquake strikes.
Harvard
Magazine, 10-18-17
Project
to protect Lake Perris dam during quake nearing end
Work to strengthen
the Lake Perris dam so it can withstand a large earthquake is nearing
completion and state officials could begin raising the water
level next year.
Riverside Press-Enterprise, 10-17-17
Small
earthquake hits Julian area for second straight day
For the
second straight day, a small earthquake struck near Julian, causing shaking
that was felt in Alpine, Valley Center, Lakeside, Ramona, Ranchita and Santa
Ysabel, the US Geological Survey said.
San Diego Union Tribune, 10-18-17
Magnitude 3.6 earthquake rattles nerves
near Julian
A magnitude-3.6 earthquake rattled the rural towns of Santa Ysabel and
Julian in eastern San Diego County Wednesday morning, striking the same
location where a slightly smaller tremor was reported the day before.
KFMB-TV (San
Diego), 10-18-17
San
Francisco sues PG&E over work it claims led to destructive landslide
San Francisco
City Attorney Dennis Herrera filed a lawsuit against Pacific Gas and Electric
Co. on Wednesday accusing the utility of causing a January 2016 landslide that
destroyed or damaged six homes near Mount Davidson and has cost the city nearly
$8 million.
San Francisco Chronicle, 10-18-17
Chevron announces it will cut its local
workforce by 26 percent
Reacting to depressed crude oil prices that dropped by half in 2014 and
have still not recovered, Chevron will reassign or lay off 26 percent of its
Central California workforce — about 300 employees — the company
announced Wednesday.
Bakersfield
Californian, 10-18-17
Impact
Of Ranching On Point Reyes National Seashore Being Reviewed By National Park
Service
A 30-day comment
period has opened to provide the National Park Service with thoughts, ideas,
and opinions on the question of dairy and beef ranching on Point Reyes National
Seashore and a portion of Golden Gate National Recreation Area, as well as the
future of Tule elk on the seashore.
National Parks Traveler, 10-17-17
NorCal farmers assessing effects of wildfires
on crops
Steve Dutton, president of the Sonoma County Farm Bureau, looks over
damage to a vineyard he manages in Santa Rosa. To the south of the vineyard is
the Coffey Park neighborhood, which fell victim to the fast-moving Tubbs Fire a
week ago.
Ag Alert,
10-17-17
CLIMATE CHANGE
Ignore climate change at your own peril
President Trump might want to play ostrich about climate change and place
his head in the sand near his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida whenever the subject
comes up.
Ventura County
Star syndicated column, 10-17-17
Geoengineering is not a quick fix for
climate change, experts warn Trump
Leading climate scientists have warned that geoengineering research could
be hijacked by climate change deniers as an excuse not to reduce CO2 emissions,
citing the US administration under Donald Trump as a major threat to their
work.
The Guardian
(U.K.), 10-14-17
WATER
New
federal forecast: What the coming La Niña means for California rains
After enduring
the driest stretch of years in our history, and then logging the wettest spell
on record this past winter, befuddled Californians have one question on their
minds these days: What’s next? In two words: La Niña.
Bay Area News Group, 10-19-17
ALISO CANYON
Porter
Ranch doctor reveals gas leak health concerns
A new study by a
local doctor revealed serious health concerns for residents living near the
Aliso Canyon natural gas leak.
ABC Eyewitness News Channel 7, 10-18-17
LA
leader demands more information on chemicals detected in Porter Ranch health study
An independent
health study of the effects of the Aliso Canyon gas leak that detected several
chemicals in the bodies of nearby residents has prompted a Los Angeles leader
to call for a closer look.
Los Angeles Newspaper Group, 10-17-17
Aliso
Canyon Leak’s Root Cause A Waiting Game
A three-part
study into the root cause of the well failure that resulted in the largest
methane leak ever at the Aliso Canyon underground storage facility
continues to move slowly on separate tracks and with little public attention.
NGI Shale Gas Daily, 10-17-17
3.2
quake strikes near Santa Ysabel
A shallow
magnitude 3.2 earthquake was reported Tuesday morning two miles from Santa
Ysabel, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor occurred
at 5:05 a.m. PDT near the surface.
Los Angeles Times, 10-17-17
Sinton
family preserves 12,000-acre ranch near Pozo
A Pozo-area
family recently negotiated an easement to preserve more than 12,000 acres of
rangeland in eastern San Luis Obispo County.
The Tribune, 10-17-17
WATER
Brown administration says it’s willing to
consider one-tunnel approach to Delta project
Silicon Valley’s water district Wednesday rejected Gov. Jerry
Brown’s plan to build twin tunnels beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin
Delta but said it would support a smaller, less expensive project. A top state
official said the Brown administration is willing to consider such an approach.
Sacramento
Bee, 10-17-17
Santa
Clara Valley Water District rejects Jerry Brown’s twin Delta tunnels plan
In a landmark
vote closely watched across California, Silicon Valley’s largest water
agency on Tuesday rejected Gov. Jerry Brown’s $17 billion plan to build
two giant tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
Bay Area News Group, 10-17-17
GENERAL
(OPINION)
Corporate America's latest trick: The reverse Public Records Act
When it comes to
evading accountability, corporate America is endlessly inventive. Recently,
private government contractors have been fighting disclosure of crucial
information in virtually every context nationwide, including with a sneaky
maneuver called a “reverse Public Records Act.” A case in Los
Angeles is the latest example.
Los Angeles Times, 10-18-17
CLIMATE CHANGE
Will Northern California Soon Have
Southern California's Climate?
The deadliest and most destructive spate of fires in California’s
modern history continues to burn. The string of massive fires in the Napa and
Sonoma Valleys have little precedent: They have killed 40 people, destroyed
more than 5,700 structures, and incinerated more than 200,000 acres of land.
The Atlantic,
10-17-17
Battling
rising seas, Louisiana ‘gets on with it’—minus
California-style climate talk
Pat Brister sits
at a conference table and ponders the subject that preoccupies her professional
life: water.
CalMatters, 10-17-17
Rising
Seas: What you need to know about the danger lapping at California’s
shores
As glaciers melt
and oceans warm, experts say the Pacific waters surrounding California are now
rising 30 to 40 times faster than in the last century. The
surge—driven by global climate change—will gobble up beachfront and
overwhelm coastal cities.
CalMatters, 10-17-17
ALISO CANYON
The Puzzle to
Plugging the Worst Natural Gas Release in History
By the time
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) scientists Barry Freifeld
and Curt Oldenburg visited the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility in
December 2015, the SS-25 well blowout had been leaking natural gas into the air
for more than six weeks.
Berkeley Lab, 10-17-17
Big
ag bank commits to sustainability program
Rabobank and the
United Nations Environment Program announce $1 billion global program to help
build food production while preserving resources.
Western Farm Press, 10-16-17
WATER
When it comes to
water policy, all environmental groups are not the same.
Los Angeles Newspaper Group, 10-15-17
As Water Agencies Cast Votes, Future of
Delta Tunnels Remains Unclear
On Oct. 10, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California voted
to endorse the Delta tunnels, the $17 billion project that aims to reboot
California’s main water supply system. Two days later, the Kern County
Water Agency offered its own bid – albeit it a hesitant one –
of support.
Water Deeply,
10-16-17
WaterFix
is Santa Clara County’s best solution
Many people in
Santa Clara County don’t realize that over half the water they use is
imported. Even with local dams and percolation ponds to keep groundwater at
sustainable levels, the county must import 55 percent of its water to meet the
needs of residents, businesses and growers.
Bay Area News Group (Sec. Laird
commentary), 10-14-17
Trust
is dubious in the Delta tunnels project
Trust. That is
the essence of the $17 billion Delta tunnels project.
Stockton Record editorial, 10-13-17
CLIMATE CHANGE
Gov.
Brown vetoes bill that would have closed loophole in the California
Environmental Quality Act
Gov. Jerry Brown
has vetoed a bill from a Riverside assemblyman inspired by a massive warehouse
complex planned for Moreno Valley.
Riverside Press-Enterprise, 10-16-17
California
will build greener under legislation signed by Gov. Jerry Brown
Gov. Jerry Brown
on Sunday signed legislation that will require state officials to consider
greenhouse gas emissions when choosing construction materials.
Los Angeles Times, 10-16-17
Yellowstone
Supervolcano May Erupt Sooner Than Anticipated
About 630,000
years ago, a powerful eruption took place in what is now Wyoming. This
explosion spewed 240 cubic miles of rock and ash, creating the Yellowstone
caldera—a volcanic depression spanning most of the national park
Nova Next, 1-12-17
Urban
Agricultural Incentive Zones Act Extended
On September 27,
2017, California Governor Jerry Brown signed an extension of the Urban
Agricultural Incentive Zones Act. Rather than sunsetting on January 1, 2019,
the Act now extends until January 1, 2029.
JD Supra, 10-12-17
WATER
Kern
County agency votes to help fund delta water delivery system
In a small step
forward for California
WaterFix, a major San Joaquin Valley irrigation district on Thursday
tentatively endorsed a partial investment in the water-delivery project.
Los Angeles Times, 10-12-17
How
the End of the Drought Likely Exacerbated the Deadly California Wildfires
Wildfires have
been raging in California wine country since Sunday night, with 17 blazes
quickly claiming more than 100,000 acres of land, some 2,000 buildings, and at
least 15 lives.
Slate, 10-10-17
Neighborhood fears renewed oil drilling at
site leased from LA Archdiocese
The potential reboot of operations at a dormant oil facility leased on
land owned by the Los Angeles Archdiocese has sparked new concern among
neighbors of the well who fear a restart in drilling will resurface health
issues they hoped were in the past.
National
Catholic Reporter, 10-12-17
What California Needs To Learn From The
Mexico Earthquakes
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported a 7.1 magnitude
earthquake with an epicenter around 100 miles from the Mexican capital at 1:14
p.m. on Sept. 19, 2017.
Forbes,
10-11-17
Magnitude
3.0 quake strikes near Salton Sea
A shallow
magnitude 3.0 earthquake was reported Tuesday afternoon one mile from Brawley,
Calif., south of the Salton Sea in Imperial County, according to the U.S.
Geological Survey. The temblor occurred at 2:28 p.m. Pacific time at a depth of
6.2 miles.
Los Angeles Times, 10-10-17
WATER
Coachella Valley water agency supports
Jerry Brown's controversial $17 billion water project
The Coachella Valley's largest water agency voiced support for
California’s proposed $17.1 billion plan to build two water tunnels
beneath the Delta, even as key questions about the project remain unanswered
— including how much customers would end up paying.
Palm Springs
Desert Sun, 10-10-17
CLIMATE CHANGE
New EPA document reveals sharply lower
estimate of the cost of climate change
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday released a detailed 198-page proposed analysis of
the costs and benefits of its move to repeal the Clean Power Plan, suggesting
the administration plans to greatly decrease the government’s estimates
of the cost of climate change.
Washington
Post, 10-11-17
GENERAL
What
natural disaster can teach us
A friend living
in St. Thomas recently marked herself “safe” on Facebook for the
second time in two weeks. She was safe in only the most critical and cursory
sense, which is to say she was alive. Her home and her business had been
reduced to rubble.
Los Angeles Times commentary, 10-11-17
Editorial: A solid step to cleaning up a
coastal mess
One of the more important functions of government is to clean up messes
left by companies that no longer exist, especially when our health, safety or security
are at risk. It’s one reason why we have the federal Pension Benefit
Guaranty Corp., the EPA’s Superfund program and now — after Gov.
Jerry Brown’s signature Tuesday — the state Coastal Oil Well Clean
Up and Remediation Act.
Ventura County Star, 10-11-17
No
more offshore oil drilling, SLO council says in wake of Trump order
The San Luis
Obispo City Council has resolved to oppose any new oil and gas drilling off the
California Coast, in response to an executive order signed in April by President Donald
Trump that could open the door to offshore leases.
San Luis Obispo Tribune, 10-10-17
WATER
Big water tunnels project OK'd by Southern
California agency
The powerful Metropolitan Water District has voted to pay its share of
the $16 billion project to build two massive tunnels to pipe water from
Northern California to Southern California cities.
Associated
Press, 10-10-17
Sorry,
my fellow environmentalists, we have to build the delta tunnels
Environmentalists
are adamant in their objections to moving water from Northern California south.
They took a stand against the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta peripheral canal
project in 1982, and they are against the delta tunnels project (the California
WaterFix) now.
Los Angeles Times commentary, 10-9-17
Los Angeles mayor on Jerry Brown’s
tunnels plan: Just build one
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti came out Tuesday against Gov. Jerry
Brown’s twin Delta tunnels project to carry water southward, saying he preferred
just one tunnel.
Sacramento
Bee, 10-10-17
CLIMATE CHANGE
U.N.: Cheaper to invest in climate change
fight than to rebuild after a disaster
Investments necessary to reduce climate change risks may be less than
what's needed to rebuild after related disasters, U.N. leaders said from
Tehran.
United Press
International, 10-10-17
A
key change to a major state environmental law again misses a deadline
California
lawmakers keep passing bills to ease the burden of environmental lawsuits
against big developments. And they keep ignoring the fact that the deadline
they set for the end of the litigation is
never met.
Los Angeles Times, 10-10-17
Broken
valve on Aliso Canyon oil storage tank caused natural gas leak
A malfunctioning
valve on an oil storage tank in Aliso Canyon caused a “minor release of
natural gas,” but repairs have been made, according to a statement by the
Southern California Gas Co. The memo to residents who live near Aliso Canyon
was sent late Sunday, after crews stopped the gas leak and completed repairs at
9:50 p.m.
Los Angeles
Newspaper Group, 10-9-17
Magnitude
6.3 earthquake shakes northern Chile
The U.S.
Geological Survey says a magnitude 6.3 earthquake has struck northern Chile.
Bakersfield Now,
10-10-17
4.4
magnitude earthquake strikes San Jose
A 4.4 magnitude earthquake
struck San Jose Monday evening, according to the United States
Geological Survey.
KRON Channel 4
Bay Area News, 10-10-17
4.1
earthquake shakes San Francisco Bay Area
A 4.1 earthquake
shook the San Jose area Monday night.
ABC Channel 10
Bay Area News , 10-10-17
3.2
quake strikes near Petrolia
A shallow
magnitude 3.2 earthquake was reported Monday morning two miles from Petrolia,
Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor occurred at 2:10
a.m. PDT at a depth of 10.6 miles.
Los Angeles
Times, 10-9-17
3.2
quake strikes near Bryn Mawr
A shallow
magnitude 3.2 earthquake was reported Sunday evening near Bryn Mawr, Calif.,
according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor occurred at 11:39 p.m. PDT
at a depth of 10.6 miles.
Los Angeles
Times, 10-9-17
WATER
Water
in Larkfield area north of Santa Rosa may not be drinkable for days amid Tubbs
Fire
Residents in the
Larkfield area north of Santa Rosa were urged not to drink tap water there for
the foreseeable future, as the devastating Tubbs fire ravaging the region has damaged
storage tanks and a pumping station, officials said Monday.
Press Democrat,
9-9-17
Op-Ed
Sorry, my fellow environmentalists, we have to build the delta tunnels
Environmentalists
are adamant in their objections to moving water from Northern California south.
They took a stand against the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta peripheral canal
project in 1982, and they are against the delta tunnels project (the California
WaterFix) now. I count myself an environmentalist but my position has long been
less a stand than a crouch. I think the tunnels (or some form of them) are
necessary but for years have preferred to let the Metropolitan Water District
of Southern California take the heat for promoting them.
Los Angeles
Times, 10-9-17
Southern
California needs water. Stop waffling over the delta tunnels and dig
Twentieth
century Southern California quenched its thirst with a series of ingenious
projects, from the aqueducts that bring snowmelt from the Eastern Sierra to Los
Angeles, and the dams along the Colorado River that impound water from the
Rockies, to the State Water Project that directs the flow of the distant
Feather River through the Sacramento River, the Sacramento-San Joaquin River
Delta, down the California Aqueduct and over the Tehachapis.
Los Angeles
Times editorial, 10-7-17
Why Gov.
Brown’s water tunnels plan may be doomed
Gov. Jerry
Brown’s bold $17 billion plan to build two gigantic 35-mile, 40-foot-wide
tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to make it easier to move water
from Northern California to Southern California and to stabilize the
state’s water distribution system always seemed like a tough sell.
San Diego Union
Tribune editorial, 10-6-17
No one should
have been surprised when the giant Westlands Water District voted Sept. 19
against joining the state’s equally imposing $17-billion water
infrastructure project.
Los Angeles
Times column, 10-6-17
Scientists
foresee major change in rainfall patterns across California
Unprecedented
amounts of rain fell across Northern California last winter, ending a damaging
drought that reached to the southern edges of San Diego County.
San Diego Union
Tribune, 10-9-17
CLIMATE CHANGE
EPA Admin Pruitt says White House will
withdraw from Clean Power Plan
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt says the Trump administration will withdraw
from Obama-era Clean Power Plan to slow global warming.
CBS and Associated Press, 10-9-17
Solving global warming and more
Last week in this space I expounded on the long ago advice I’d
received about writing. “Write what you know.” I did that. Last week.
Marin
Independent Journal commentary, 10-7-17
On September
27th, Marty Nelson, safety and environmental compliance officer at Southwest
Fisheries in La Jolla, gathered his staff, along with faculty from adjacent
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, to try out a magnitude 7.2 in the Big
Shaker mobile earthquake simulator.
San Diego Reader, 10-8-17
California farm exports help agriculture,
but at what cost?
I’ve been told it’s impolite to criticize farmers with your
mouth full, and I agree. Food production is one of the most important, yet
under-appreciated, professions. However, not all farming is created equal.
Sacramento Bee
commentary, 10-5-17
WATER
This project will supply farmers with treated
water from kitchen and bathroom drains
Work is well under way on a project that will provide West Side farmers
with highly treated water from sewage treatment plants in Modesto and Turlock.
Modesto Bee,
10-8-17
Southern California holds the key to the
Delta tunnels project
In 1960, the water barons of Los Angeles stood between Gov. Pat Brown and
his dream of building a network of dams and canals to make the southern half of
California bloom. He beat them – just barely, after weeks of public
arm-twisting – and the State Water Project was born.
Sacramento
Bee, 10-9-17
Editorial:
California audit shows twin-tunnel WaterFix is broken beyond repair
When it comes to
solving California’s water challenge, Gov. Jerry Brown has been as inept
as Republicans trying to offer up a health care solution. A devastating
report released Thursday by state auditor Elaine Howell makes that clear.
Bay Area News Group, 10-5-17
Increasing
chance of La Niña and meteorologists don't know what that means for
NorCal winter
The chances of a
weak La Niña are increasing for the rainy season, and scientists are
trying to figure out what that means, especially after a year when the
meteorology profession was thrown for a loop by unexpected monsoon-like
conditions.
San Francisco Chronicle, 10-6-17
Gov. Brown visits L.A. to lobby for the $17-billion delta water
project
With two key
California WaterFix
votes looming, Gov. Jerry Brown expressed confidence Thursday that water
agencies will commit to enough funding to sustain the massive project.
Los Angeles Times, 10-5-17
CLIMATE CHANGE
Earth Matters: Looking at higher tides on
the Monterey Bay
This last week, Monterey Bay played host to two Climate Change adaptation
workshops. At Moss Landing Marine Labs, staff from the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (yes FEMA) coordinated a workshop focused on helping local
communities plan for sea level rise and climate change.
Santa Cruz
Sentinel commentary, 10-5-17
Marin thinkers join effort to tackle
sea-level rise
Architects, urban planners, environmentalists and others gathered
Thursday afternoon at Tiscornia Marsh in San Rafael’s Canal neighborhood
to look at the undulating waves in the bay and contemplate ways to keep those
forces from overrunning land as sea-level rise takes hold.
Marin
Independent Journal, 10-5-17
Plate tectonics: When we discovered how the Earth
really works
What would you put on your list of the great scientific breakthroughs of
the 20th Century? General relativity? Quantum mechanics? Something to do with
genetics, perhaps?
BBC News,
10-2-17
Risk
of human-triggered earthquakes laid out in biggest-ever database
From mining
projects to oil and gas operations, human activity has set off earthquakes
around the world and in many geological settings. Research now highlights how
big these quakes can get — and how little scientists agree on which ones
are caused by people.
Nature, 10-2-17
Mexico
City prosecutors open criminal inquiries into buildings damaged in the deadly
earthquake
It hit the headlines as Ground Zero of a
catastrophe, but the Enrique Rebsamen school soon became a global focus of hope
amid the devastation of last month’s 7.1 magnitude earthquake.
Los Angeles Times, 10-5-17
NASA
Pinpoints California’s Largest Ongoing Methane Sources: Agriculture and
Waste Industries
With help from
the U.S. space program, California agencies are pinpointing major methane hot
spots, most of which are not connected to oil and natural gas operations,
according to Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas).
NGI Shale Gas Daily, 10-5-17
WATER
Gov. Jerry
Brown’s $17 billion proposal to build two massive tunnels through the
Delta to make it easier to move water from north to south was hit with another
setback Thursday as a state audit found it was suffering from
“significant cost increases and delays.”
Bay Area News Group, 10-5-17
Audit of Delta tunnels faults state for
lack of economic analysis, hiring of unqualified contractor
California’s state auditor criticized planners of the Delta tunnels
Thursday for paying millions of dollars to an unqualified consultant and not
completing a cost-benefit analysis of the $17.1 billion project.
Sacramento
Bee, 10-5-17
Editorial:
Don’t cave to Big Ag; veto wasteful water rights bill
Assemblyman Adam
Gray, D-Merced, wants to hand over more power in that arena to Big Ag by
changing how water rights cases are enforced. Gov. Jerry Brown should veto
Gray’s AB 313 and keep those issues where they belong — in the
hands of the State Water Resources Control Board.
Bay Area News Group, 10-5-17
Gov.
Brown visits L.A. to lobby for the $17-billion delta water project
With two
key California WaterFix votes looming, Gov. Jerry Brown expressed
confidence Thursday that water agencies will commit to enough funding to
sustain the massive project.
Los Angeles Times, 10-5-17
CLIMATE CHANGE
48 Environmental Rules on the Way Out
Under Trump
Since taking office in January, President Trump has made eliminating
federal regulations a priority.
New York
Times, 10-5-17
Trump Takes a First Step Toward Scrapping
Obama’s Global Warming Policy
The Trump administration will repeal the Clean Power Plan, the
centerpiece of President Barack Obama’s effort to fight climate change,
and will ask the public to recommend ways it could be replaced, according to an
internal Environmental Protection Agency document.
New York
Times, 10-4-17
GENERAL
New
nanomaterial can extract hydrogen fuel from seawater
It's possible to
produce hydrogen to power fuel cells by extracting the gas from seawater, but
the electricity required to do it makes the process costly. UCF researcher Yang
Yang has come up with a new hybrid nanomaterial that harnesses solar energy and
uses it to generate hydrogen from seawater more cheaply and efficiently than
current materials.
Phys.org, 10-4-17
When the Big One
hits California – and seismologists say it’s not if, but when –
there might not be blaring sirens or vibrating phones giving people a precious
few seconds to prepare.
Orange County Register, 10-4-17
Earthquake
Swarm At Yellowstone Supervolcano Now One Of The Longest Ever Recorded
The ongoing
earthquake swarm at the Yellowstone National Park supervolcano is now one of
the longest ever recorded, having started on June 12. Over the past three
and a half months, almost 2,500 earthquakes have been recorded in the western
part of the national park. This puts it on a par with the biggest swarm ever
recorded, where more than 3,000 earthquakes took place over three months.
Newsweek, 10-4-17
New
Big Sur bridge on Highway 1 to open soon, but iconic roadway remains shut
farther south
The e
long-awaited replacement for Highway 1’s Pfeiffer Creek Bridge in Big Sur
is slated to open Oct. 13, according to a Caltrans news release. It’s
good news for travelers who will be able to drive from Carmel to Big Sur and
beyond on Highway 1. However, California’s iconic coastal route remains
blocked by a landslide near the town of Gorda, about 57 miles south of Big Sur.
Los Angeles Times, 10-4-17
Sacramento
County agriculture values reach record high
Sacramento
County agriculture was worth more than $507 million last year, the highest
total in recorded history, according to the 2016 Crop & Livestock Report released last week.
Sacramento Bee, 10-3-17
WATER
Supervisors
call Twin Tunnels another high- speed rail money drain
With the
California high-speed rail project now forecasting large cost overruns of 27% above
its original estimate, San Joaquin County Supervisors are certain that a
similar fate will occur with California WaterFix, Governor Brown’s
proposal to divert water away from the fragile Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
will produce little additional water to resolve current water issues
Manteca Bulletin, 10-4-17
CLIMATE CHANGE
Poll:
Most Americans want government to fight climate change
More than 6
in 10 Americans believe that climate change is a problem that the federal
government needs to address, according to a new poll.
The Hill, 10-2-17
The Most Powerful Evidence Climate
Scientists Have of Global Warming
Earth's temperature is rising, and it isn't just in the air around us.
More than 90 percent of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gas emissions has
been absorbed into the oceans that cover two-thirds of the planet's surface.
Their temperature is rising, too, and it tells a story of how humans are
changing the planet.
Inside Climate
News, 10-3-17
Trump's
pick as EPA air pollution chief won't pledge to maintain California's authority
When California
defied Washington a decade ago by launching aggressive action on climate
change, one official at the Environmental Protection Agency emerged as a
nemesis for state leaders time and again.
Los Angeles Times, 10-4-17
Federal judge reinstates Obama-era rule on
methane emissions
Rebuffing the Trump administration, a federal judge on Wednesday ordered
the Interior Department to reinstate an Obama-era regulation aimed at
restricting harmful methane emissions from oil and gas production on federal
lands.
Associated
Press, 10-4-17
Yosemite
scientists probe why rocks fell — and where it will happen next
As the giant
granite El Capitan briefly slumbers, scientists are racing to identify any
areas of dangerous new instability on a popular but restless climbing route
that last week released enough rubble to fill 750 dump trucks.
Mercury News, 10-2-17
Former
head of South Korean seismology center is sentenced to prison for money
laundering
The former head
of South Korea's earthquake research center was sentenced Monday to 14 months
behind bars for laundering more than $1 million in bribes from two seismological
companies, including one based in Pasadena, that paid him in exchange for
insider information.
City News Service, 10-2-17
Yosemite
scientists probe why rocks fell — and where it will happen next
As the giant
granite El Capitan briefly slumbers, scientists are racing to identify any
areas of dangerous new instability on a popular but restless climbing route
that last week released enough rubble to fill 750 dump trucks.
Bay Area News Group, 10-2-17
Few
Californians have earthquake insurance, but interest has jumped since the Mexico
quakes
Bill and Liz
Barlak have carried earthquake insurance on their three-bedroom house in
Burbank since the couple bought the property 30 years ago
Los Angeles Times, 10-2-17
Editorial:
Should the Bay Area expect the Puerto Rico treatment when The Big One hits?
The vegetation
is lush, the ocean warm, the architecture, what’s left of it, distinctly
island. But otherwise, seeing the devastation of Puerto Rico today in the wake
of Hurricane Maria, the Bay Area could well be looking into a distant mirror.
San Jose
Mercury News, 10-1-17
The Oil Industry Needs Taxpayers To Prop
Up Nearly Half Of Its New U.S. Drilling
The U.S. oil industry remains heavily dependent on state and federal
subsidies to make drilling profitable, particularly as the price of crude stays
at historical lows, a new study found.
Huffington Post, 10-2-17
NASA
helped locate over 300 methane hot spots across California
Last week the
California Air Resources Board (CARB) and California Energy Commission (CEC)
released interim results from a NASA study that offers the most clear-eyed
assessment yet of California’s largest individual sources of methane
pollution.
Environmental Defense Fund Energy Exchange
blog, 10-2-17
U.S. Concrete, Polaris Materials Tie-Up
Looks Like A Winner
On Sept. 29th, Polaris Materials announced it had entered into a new
agreement with U.S. Concrete (USCR) to be acquired for C$3.40/share in cash,
implying a purchase price of C$309mm.
Seeking Alpha, 10-2-17
WATER
In 1939, the feds made a Central Valley water
deal. It may doom the Delta tunnels.
Dam builders from President Franklin Roosevelt’s administration
wanted to bring water to the parched eastern half of the San Joaquin Valley,
but first they had to deal with a cluster of landowners whose ancestors had
been there since the 1800s.
Sacramento
Bee, 10-2-17
California
is obligated to fix delta water delivery system
The Bay Area
imports most of its water and relies on the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta
and its tributaries for about 70 percent of its supply. Those supplies face an
uncertain future as a changing climate shrinks the Sierra snowpack and raises
sea levels, and a declining ecosystem results in further restrictions —
all while the Bay Area’s population and economy continue to grow.
San Francisco Chronicle commentary,
10-2-17
Opinion:
Delta farmers, not WaterFix tunnels, are our best climate change defense
California’s
wetlands function as the state’s environmental liver. Without them, the
planet has no natural defense system against greenhouse gas emissions.
San Jose Mercury News commentary, 10-1-17
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