Geology
300: Physical Geology
Geology
301: Physical Geology Lab
Geology
305: Earth Science
Geology
306: Earth Science Lab
Instructor: Arthur Reed
April 2018 Earth Sciences topics/events making news…
...with emphasis on California news
Remember
the principles of the scientific method when evaluating 
news stories!
·
(link to 2017 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)
Climate
change, wildfires transforming biodiversity hotspot in Northern California
A region of
forest in northern California and southwestern Oregon known as the Klamath is
being transformed by droughts and frequent wildfires, new research confirms.
United Press
International, 4-30-18
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Is
the Bay Area ready for the next big earthquake?
The Bay Area is
certainly no stranger to earthquakes both big and small. From the 1906 Quake to
the Loma Prieta Quake in 1989, our region has seen its share. But how ready are
we for the next big quake?
KRON-TV (San
Francisco), 4-30-18
California
to Extend Low-Carbon Fuel Standard Through 2030
Oil companies,
automakers and alternative fuel producers are all finding something to like in
proposed changes to California’s low-carbon fuel standard.
Environment
& Energy Publishing, 4-30-17
3.3
magnitude earthquake strikes East Bay, follows series of quakes on Sunday
A 3.3
preliminary magnitude earthquake has struck 2.4 miles northeast of Alamo,
California this morning, according to the USGS. The earthquake struck at 4:55
a.m. There are no reports of injuries or damages.
KGO-TV (San
Francisco), 4-30-17
Highway
1 at Big Sur set to reopen in September
A seven-mile
length of Highway 1 along the southern Big Sur coastline that has been closed
for a year, forcing long detours, is expected to reopen in September, Caltrans
announced Monday.
San Francisco
Chronicle, 4-30-18
DIVISION OF LAND RESOURCE PROTECTION
Calif. agriculture lawyer to
lead Region 9 — sources
The Trump
administration is expected to name a California agriculture attorney to lead
EPA's San Francisco-based regional office. EPA is slated to announce this week
that Republican Michael Stoker will take the helm of the Region 9 office that
oversees the Pacific Southwest region, sources told E&E News.
Environment
& Energy Publishing, 4-30-17
WATER
Editorial:
Don’t reverse course on Delta twin tunnels project
The Santa Clara
Valley Water District Board has no business Wednesday reversing course and
committing its ratepayers to pay a minimum of $650 million to help fund Gov.
Jerry Brown’s $16 billion twin tunnels project.
Bay Area News
Group, 4-30-18
CLIMATE CHANGE
UK,
U.S. study Antarctic glacier, hoping to crack sea level risks
Britain and the
United States launched a $25 million project on Monday to study the risks of a
collapse of a giant glacier in Antarctica that is already shrinking and nudging
up global sea levels.
Reuters, 4-30-18
Climate
change, wildfires transforming biodiversity hotspot in Northern California
A region of
forest in northern California and southwestern Oregon known as the Klamath is
being transformed by droughts and frequent wildfires, new research confirms.
United Press
International, 4-30-18
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
How
Oman’s Rocks Could Help Save the Planet
In the arid
vastness of this corner of the Arabian Peninsula, out where goats and the
occasional camel roam, rocks form the backdrop practically every way you look.
New York Times, 4-26-18
NID
board pushes ahead with mercury removal project
The Nevada
Irrigation District board of directors unanimously approved a $5.5 million
agreement with the Department of Water Resources' Riverine Stewardship Program
for the Combie Sediment and Mercury Removal Project.
Grass Valley
Union, 4-26-18
Series
of small earthquakes strike near Danville Sunday
Several small
earthquakes struck Sunday in the Danville area, two of which were registered as
magnitude 3.0, according to the United States Geological Survey.
Bay Area News
Group, 4-29-18
A
Yellowstone geyser has experienced unusual eruptions lately, and scientists
can't explain why
The Steamboat
Geyser at Yellowstone National Park can spout 300 feet of scalding water into
the air, a feature of the world's tallest active geyser. That is known.
Washington Post,
4-29-18
DIVISION OF LAND RESOURCE PROTECTION
Supervisors
to consider allowing cannabis on ag preserves at meeting Tuesday
Cannabis will be
considered an agricultural product allowed on agricultural preserves if the
Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors approves a recommended resolution at
its meeting Tuesday.
Santa Maria
Times, 4-28-18
WATER
In a dramatic
reversal of its stance just six months ago, Silicon Valley’s largest
water district has scheduled a vote Wednesday on a plan to commit up to $650
million to Gov. Jerry Brown’s controversial proposal to build two massive
tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
Bay Area News
Group, 4-27-18
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, & GEOTHERMAL
RESOURCES
Why
Exxon isn't enjoying America's big oil party
ExxonMobil
missed the invitation to America's big oil party. Booming shale oil production
could soon make the United States king of the oil world.
CNN, 4-27-18
Neighborhood
Spotlight: Porter Ranch a scenic Valley community under a lingering cloud of
unease
One of L.A.'s
newest neighborhoods, Porter Ranch remained largely undeveloped until the
1960s, when the first cul-de-sacs and tract homes sprouted up in the flats
beneath the Santa Susana Mountains.
Los Angeles
Times, 4-27-18
California
Oil Dreams Fade as Iconic Beverly Hills Derrick Comes Down
Draped in
flower-covered panels, the iconic derrick that towers over Beverly Hills High
School has pumped crude for decades. Now, it waits to be dismantled, its demise mirroring the fate
of oil drilling in California.
Bloomberg News,
4-26-18
Opportunities
and challenges greet Jeff Martin, Sempra's new CEO
After going
through perhaps the most momentous year in its 20-year history, Sempra Energy
gets a new CEO on Tuesday.
San Diego Union
Tribune, 4-29-18
CLIMATE CHANGE
The
Secret Weapon That Will Solve Global Warming
A book about
‘the invention that changed the world’ described how radar won
World War II, but there are undoubtedly any number who would dispute that,
naming instead the atomic bomb, the proximity fuse, the “legendary”
M1 Garand rifle, the amphibious landing craft, among others.
Forbes, 4-29-18
Forced
to Move: Climate Change Already Displacing U.S. Communities
Extreme drought
pushes rural inhabitants of a Middle Eastern nation into the cities, leading to
social stressors and a devastating civil war.
KCET (Los
Angeles television), 4-26-18
HIGH-SPEED RAIL
Cost
of high-speed rail jumps by millions for moving power, gas and phone lines
In 2013, when
the California High-Speed Rail Authority awarded its first contract for
construction of the bullet-train route in Fresno and Madera counties, the cost
to move AT&T, PG&E and other utilities out of the way was estimated at
about $25 million.
Fresno Bee,
4-28-18
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
USGS:
Recent earthquakes not a sign of "Big One"
A cluster of
earthquakes shook the Coachella Valley this week, two 3.9 magnitude earthquakes
were recorded, one in Sky Valley, the other near Borrego Springs.
KESQ (Palm Springs TV), 4-26-18
Second-largest
earthquake in modern South Korean history tied to geothermal plant
There’s a
lot to like about geothermal power. Even in regions devoid of natural hot
spots, engineers can harvest energy by injecting high-pressure water deep into
Earth, where it’s heated by hot granite crust before being pumped back up
to heat homes or generate power.
Science Magazine, 4-26-18
Geothermal
power generation may have triggered earthquake
The 5.4
magnitude earthquake that hit
the South Korean city of Pohang on November 15, 2017 – one of the
strongest to strike the region since instrumental monitoring of seismic
activity began there in 1903 – may have been triggered by activities at a
nearby geothermal power generation site, according to new studies.
Cosmos, 4-27-18
3.9
earthquake near Borrego Springs causes widely felt shaking in San Diego County
A magnitude 3.9
earthquake broke near Borrego Springs at 6:36 p.m. on Wednesday,
causing brief shaking that was widely felt around San Diego County, the U.S.
Geological Survey said.
San Diego Union Tribune, 4-25-18
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, & GEOTHERMAL
RESOURCES
New
Oil Drilling Approved in Carrizo Plain National Monument
Called
"California's Serengeti" as the state's largest remaining open
grassland, San Luis Obispo County’s Carrizo Plain National Monument
survived last year’s effort by the Trump administration to shrink or
revoke national monuments across the country.
KQED (San Francisco radio/TV), 4-26-18
Oil
prices could keep rising. Here's why
Hedge fund
manager Kyle Bass thinks demand for oil is about to go up."Crude is going
to go from a glut to a shortage in the next two years," Bass, the founder
and chief investment officer of Hayman Capital Management, told Richard Quest
on CNNMoney's "Markets Now"
on Wednesday.
CNN, 4-26-18
DIVISION OF LAND RESOURCE PROTECTION
Some California Farmers Already Feeling
Impacts Of Possible Tariffs
China says it
welcomes a planned visit by U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin next week
amid trade tensions. Both countries have proposed tariffs of $50 billion on
each other's products. That includes steel and aluminum from China and wine,
almonds and cherries from California.
Capital Public Radio, 4-26-18
CLIMATE CHANGE
What we know (and don't
know) about sea level rise
In 1969,
Hurricane Camille, a Category 5 storm, destroyed every structure on the coast
of Mississippi, including the beach home of Duke University geologist Orrin H.
Pilkey's parents. Previously a specialist in deep-sea sediments, Pilkey began
to investigate the relationships among climate, sea level, and beaches.
Phys.org, 4-25-18
The
Fighting Has Begun Over Who Owns Land Drowned by Climate Change
One April
morning in 2016, Daryl Carpenter, a charter boat captain out of
Grand Isle, La., took some clients to catch redfish on a marsh pond that
didn’t use to exist. Coastal erosion and rising seas are submerging
a football field’s worth of Louisiana land every hour, creating and
expanding ponds and lakes such as the one onto which Carpenter had piloted his
24-foot vessel.
Bloomberg, 4-25-18
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
How
bad will a Hayward Fault earthquake actually be, and
what you can do to protect yourself
Last week the
USGS released the second volume of the HayWired report, a scenario M=7.0
earthquake along the Hayward Fault. This volume focused on the impacts of the
earthquake, which includes the estimated losses.
Temblor.com, 4-25-18
DIVISION OF LAND RESOURCE PROTECTION
Napa
County sets grape crop record amid rain, heat and fire
One of the
wettest winters on record, three summer heat waves and massive October
wildfires in 2017 didn’t stop Napa County from having a record-setting
agricultural year.
Napa Valley Register, 4-24-18
3.4-magnitude
earthquake strikes near Moreno Valley
A 3.4-magnitude
earthquake struck near Moreno Valley Wednesday morning, according to the U.S.
Geological Survey.
KABC-TV (Los Angeles), 4-25-18
CLIMATE CHANGE
7
things we’ve learned about Earth since the last Earth Day
Earth Day turned 48 on Sunday, April 22, and Google celebrated it with a Google Doodle of
conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall,
who nudged us in a video to “do our part for this beautiful
planet.”
Vox, 4-23-18
WATER
Long
Road Still Ahead for California’s Delta Tunnels Plan
A decision by
California’s largest water supplier on April 10 ended months of
uncertainty over its role in the funding of California Water Fix,
the state’s plan to build new water conveyance infrastructure in the
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
Water Deeply, 4-24-18
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, & GEOTHERMAL
RESOURCES
Trump's
EPA proposes to block regulators from considering a wide range of scientific
studies
The Trump
administration launched an attack on the science behind many of the nation's
clean air and clean water rules, announcing a proposal Tuesday that would in
effect prevent regulators from considering a wide range of health studies when
they look at new regulations.
Los Angeles Times, 4-24-18
Salinas
Valley wells moratorium gets thumbs up over ag concerns
Despite pushback
from agriculture interests, a split Board of Supervisors gave the go-ahead for
a moratorium on new farmland irrigation wells in the northern Salinas Valley to
battle worsening seawater intrusion.
Monterey County Herald, 4-24-18
LA
County, residents slam judge’s ruling allowing SoCalGas to conduct study
on Aliso Canyon’s future
Los Angeles
County leaders say they have “serious concerns” over a state
administrative judge’s ruling that the Southern California Gas Co. can
conduct research on the future of the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage
facility.
Los Angeles Newspaper Group, 4-24-18
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
The
East Coast gets earthquakes – and they're felt more widely than in the
West
When one
considers earthquakes, her mind generally jumps to the West Coast. It's
Earthquake Country. Shakerville. Tremble Town.
San Francisco Chronicle, 4-24-18
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, AND GEOTHERMAL
RESOURCES
Judge:
SoCal Gas may do key study of its Aliso gas field despite potential conflict
The owner of the
site of the nation’s largest ever uncontrolled natural gas leak has
been ordered by a judge to conduct a key study that could determine if
the facility should remain open or closed.
Southern California Public Radio, 4-23-18
Evidence
of an oil spill was obvious, but was it a crime?
An acrid stink
of petroleum sent Santa Barbara County firefighters scrambling three years ago
in a search of a possible spill. When they arrived at Refugio State Beach, oil
was staining the pristine sands and seeping into the surf. Uphill they
discovered oil gushing like a fire hose "without a nozzle."
Associated Press, 4-20-18
Three
workers burned when fire erupts from natural gas leak in Lost Hills
Three workers
were injured when a fire erupted from a natural gas leak in Lost Hills on
Monday. The Kern County Fire Department says they arrived and found the workers
with burns from the fire.
Bakersfield Now (Bakersfield television),
4-23-18
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Tiburon added
to earthquake monitoring network
Earthquake
activity on the Tiburon Peninsula will be recorded for the first time as part
of a U.S. Geological Survey program aimed at improving emergency response.
Marin Independent Journal, 4-23-18
California
Publishes EQ Zapp, Online Earthquake Hazard Zone Map
The California
Geological Survey has published a new online map, titled the EQ Zapp, so that
users can quickly determine the earthquake hazards they face in their
respective areas.
KHTS (Santa Clarita radio), 4-23-18
A
big quake on the Hayward fault would give Napa a good shaking
A killer quake
along one of the Bay Area’s most dangerous, most active faults –
some scientists call it a “tectonic time bomb”—is forecast to
subject southern Napa County to violent shaking that spares most houses.
Napa Valley Register, 4-23-18
DIVISION OF LAND RESOURCE PROTECTION
Napa's
controversial Measure C: What effects on Napa Valley agriculture?
Measure C
election season claims are flying – the initiative is either the
much-needed protector of oak woodlands and watersheds or an anti-agricultural
mistake that could unintentionally lead to more hillside luxury homes.
Napa Valley Register, 4-21-18
CLIMATE CHANGE
Buckle
up, California. Some serious 'precipitation whiplash' predicted for the state
It was the
greatest flood in recorded California history, 43 days of rain and snow that
swamped the state, killed thousands of people and forced the newly elected
governor to take a boat to his inauguration at the Capitol.
Sacramento Bee, 4-23-18
Climate
change could leave Californians with 'weather whiplash'
California is
known for its Mediterranean climate. Dry summers and wet winters providing the
perfect conditions for a robust agricultural economy, world-renowned wineries
and idyllic weather make it the top tourist state in the country.
CNN, 4-23-18
Wilder
Weather Swings in California's Future Could Spell Disaster
If you think
California has seen some wild weather recently, fasten your seat belt. An
eye-popping new study from climate scientists at UCLA projects big
increases in the frequency of extreme events at both ends of the wet-dry
spectrum: big flood-inducing storms as well as droughts.
KQED (San Francisco radio/television),
4-23-18
Three
steps we need to take, starting this Earth Day, to avoid a climate catastrophe
A recent report
by 30 leading scientists warned of “existential” threats to humanity posed by
climate change
Sacramento Bee commentary, 4-20-18
WATER
Delta
tunnels aside, California’s approach on water is already ‘all of
the above’
The Sacramento
Bee’s editorial makes an important point about why California needs to
embrace an “all-of-the-above” approach to a sustainable water
future, resisting the impulse to focus entirely on Delta conveyance (“The Delta is dying. The planet is warming. Is California too
focused on the tunnels?” Forum, April 6).
Sacramento Bee commentary, 4-18-18
Delta
Stewardship Council, a shill for tunnels, is no longer useful
Over many
generations, the Delta has been overtapped and bureaucratically manhandled to
provide stability to California’s water delivery system. Roughly a decade
ago, the state began the difficult process of trying
to develop a credible plan for the future.
Sacramento Bee commentary, 4-20-18
Farming
That Uses a Little Water ... And a Whole Lot of Fish Poop
Most farms grow
food with soil and water. But at Ouroboros Farm in Half Moon Bay, Ken Armstrong
grows food with water and fish.
KQED (San Francisco radio/television),
4-23-18
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
3.9
magnitude quake rattles Coachella Valley
An earthquake
with a preliminary magnitude of 3.9 struck the Coachella Valley-Palm Springs
area Sunday afternoon, according to the USGS. The quake was centered about 8
miles north-northeast of Thousand Palms, with a depth of about 5 miles.
KABC (Los Angeles television), 4-22-18
Montecito
Pushes Back on Streamlined Rebuild Process
On May 15, the
county Board of Supervisors will consider amending the county zoning ordinance
to streamline and speed the gargantuan task of rebuilding Montecito in the wake
of a catastrophic debris flow.
Santa Barbara Independent, 4-22-18
Judge
recommends Los Angeles County for Thomas Fire, mudslide lawsuits
A Ventura County
judge recommended all Thomas Fire and Montecito mudslide lawsuits against
Southern California Edison be coordinated and sent to Los Angeles County for
pretrial purposes.
Ventura County Star, 4-22-18
Bay
Area falling behind on quake safety despite booming tech economy
Property values
are soaring to stratospheric levels. The tech economy is booming, fueling
fast-paced development and spending on home renovations that ranks among the
nation’s highest.
Los Angeles Times, 4-22-18
Mudslide
survivors find hope in recovered belongings
When a torrent
of mud crashed through Mari Mitchel's bedroom in Southern California three
months ago, it carried away everything from massive pieces of antique family
furniture to a tiny pouch that held her wedding and engagement rings and a
beloved pendant.
Associated Press, 4-21-18
Berkeley
Must Wait for Data from SF's Tall Building Study Before Authorizing Any New
Highrises
“San
Francisco lives with the certainty that the Big One will come. But the city is
also putting up taller and taller buildings clustered closer and closer
together because of the state’s severe housing shortage. Now those
competing pressures have prompted an anxious rethinking of building
regulations. Experts are sending this message: The building code does not
protect cities from earthquakes nearly as much as you might think.”
Berkeley Daily Planet, 4-20-18
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, AND GEOTHERMAL
RESOURCES
More
than 1,000 alleged violations lead to record $12.5 million fine for oil firm
Greka
A state law
approved by the governor in 2016 led to a record-breaking $12.5 million fine
levied against Greka Oil & Gas earlier this month following more than 1,000
alleged safety violations at an Orange County oil field.
Northern California Record, 4-21-18
Texas
gains 8 rigs as US rig count rises to 1,013
The number of
rigs exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. increased by five this week
to 1,013. At this time a year ago there were 857
active rigs.
Associated Press, 4-20-18
Environmentalists
ask court to restore oil-gas emission rule
Environmentalists
are asking an appeals court to reinstate a rule restricting harmful methane
emissions on U.S. lands, at least temporarily.
Associated Press, 4-22-18
MINING
Space
mining set to produce world’s first TRILLIONAIRE in galactic gold rush
A galactic gold
rush has been predicted for some time, with experts saying teams will race
against each other to collect precious metals from space rocks.
Daily Star, 4-22-18
River
watcher: The quest for gold
Suction
dredge-miners want to get the California ban removed as bad as marijuana
growers want full reign to grow their weed. When money is involved, mankind
makes extraordinary effort to reach paydirt. Presently, the courts have left
the suction mining ban stand.
Oroville Mercury-Register, 4-23-18
CLIMATE CHANGE
California
and climate change: Jerry Brown’s would-be successors make plans
When Gov. Jerry
Brown leaves office next year, California will lose a climate advocate who has
carried the nation’s fight against global warming as Washington has stood
down.
San Francisco Chronicle, 4-22-18
America
Before Earth Day: Smog and Disasters Spurred the Laws Trump Wants to Undo
A huge oil spill. A river catching fire. Lakes so polluted they were
too dangerous for fishing or swimming. Air so thick with smog it was impossible
to see the horizon.
New York Times, 4-21-18
Trump
Celebrates Earth Day By Praising Rollback Of
Environmental Protections
President Donald
Trump commemorated Earth Day on Sunday by applauding his administration’s
efforts to roll back key environmental protections.
Huffington Post, 4-22-18
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
New
website 'EQ Zapp' reveals California earthquake fault zones
A new tool makes
it much easier to find out if you live or work in a California earthquake fault
zone.
ABC7 News Bay
Area, 4-18-18
Earthquake
warning: Just how bad is Hayward Fault’s nightmare scenario?
Eight hundred
deaths, 18,000 people injured, more than $82 billion in property damage and
business losses, and 400 fires that would claim more lives and permanently
alter the urban landscape of the San Francisco Bay region.
Santa Cruz Sentinel,
4-18-18
Emergency
Training Program Expanded To Prepare Residents For
Next Big Quake
As San
Franciscans this week look back on the 1906 earthquake during its 112th
anniversary, the city's Department of Building Inspection announced today it is
expanding its emergency training program to help ensure that residents are
prepared for the next major disaster.
SFGate, 4-19-18
CLIMATE CHANGE
The
Amazing Ability of Pasture Grass to Sequester Carbon
Century-Old
Chamberlin Ranch Turns to New Techniques That Improve Rangeland and So
Much More
Santa Barbara
Independent, 4-19-18
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, AND GEOTHERMAL
RESOURCES
Lawmakers
Move to Impede Offshore Oil Leases
Two bills to
impede the proposed sale of federal oil leases off California’s coast
have passed through committee. Senate Bill 834 prohibits the State Lands
Commission from approving new pipelines, piers, wharfs, or other infrastructure
on state-controlled lands that could support new oil and gas development in
federal waters.
Santa Barbara
Independent, 4-19-18
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
On this day 112
years ago, the San Andreas Fault under San Francisco rumbled apart, causing the
devastating 1906
earthquake that swallowed city blocks, broke water mains, and triggered
massive fires that burned for days.
Business Insider
4-18-18
'It's
only a question of time': California is overdue for a massive earthquake
San Francisco
instantly became a hellscape of rubble and ruin 112 years ago today, thanks to
a magnitude-7.9 earthquake and subsequent fire that killed thousands of people.
USA Today,
4-18-18
Ceremonies
commemorate 112th anniversary of 1906 earthquake in SF
San Francisco
dignitaries and firefighters are commemorating the 112th anniversary of the
Great 1906 earthquake.
KGO (San
Francisco television), 4-18-18
The
U.S. Is Finally Getting a System to Warn When an Earthquake Is Coming
Having grown up
in Southern California, I’m well-versed in the telltale signs of an
advancing earthquake: light fixtures starting to swing, the slight rumbling of
furniture, the creaking of walls and door frames.
Slate, 4-18-18
On
anniversary of great 1906 quake, California still struggles to prepare for the
next 'big one'
The great San Francisco earthquake of 1906 — which occurred
112 years ago Wednesday — awakened California to the dangers of earthquakes.
Los Angeles
Times, 4-18-18
Researchers:
7.0 quake similar to Loma Prieta would kill hundreds,
trap thousands
If an earthquake
larger than the 6.9-magnitude 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake struck directly below
the city of Oakland on the Hayward fault line late this afternoon, what kind of
havoc would it wreak?
Bay City News
Service, 4-18-18
CLIMATE CHANGE
Environmental
Group Plans Methane-Tracking Satellite
An environmental
organization has unveiled plans to monitor a potent greenhouse gas from space.
The Environmental Defense Fund says it will launch a satellite to monitor
methane with unprecedented precision.
NPR, 4-11-18
GENERAL
Dams
and Levees Lead to Slow Underwater Landslides
For thousands of
years, the mighty Mississippi River carried sediment downstream as it flowed
into the Gulf of Mexico, building out the iconic Mississippi River Delta. As
humans have built large dams and levees along the river over the past two
centuries, sediment flow has been reduced, resulting in the slow recession of
the delta since the 1950s.
San Diego State
University, 4-18-18
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
East
Bay fault is 'tectonic time bomb,' more dangerous than San Andreas, new study
finds
The San Andreas
long has been the fault many Californians feared most, having unleashed the
great 1906 earthquake that led to San Francisco’s destruction 112 years
ago Wednesday. But new research shows that a much less well-known fault,
running under the heart of the East Bay, poses a greater danger.
Los Angeles
Times, 4-17-18
Big
quake on Hayward Fault could kill hundreds, USGS says
Up to 800 people
could die and 400 fires could ignite if the Hayward Fault were to rupture on
Wednesday, a new report by the U.S. Geological Survey found.
San Francisco
Chronicle, 4-17-18
Lesser
Known East Bay Fault Is More Dangerous Than San Andreas: U.S. Geological Survey
The San Andreas
long has been the fault many Californians feared the most, having unleashed the
great 1906 earthquake that led to San Francisco’s destruction 112 years
ago Wednesday.
KTLA Channel 5,
4-17-18
Skyscrapers:
San Francisco's big seismic gamble
Sailors arriving
in San Francisco in the 19th century used two giant redwood trees perched on a
hill to help guide their ships into the bay. The redwoods were felled for their
lumber at around the time of the gold rush, but San Francisco now has a new
beacon: Salesforce Tower, the tallest office building in the West.
SFGate, 4-17-18
MINING
Mud
near this small Japanese island could change the global economy
A small island
in the Pacific Ocean is the site of a huge discovery that could change Japan's
economic future. How huge? One economist called it a "game changer." The
researchers who helped find it said it had "tremendous
potential."
CNN, 4-17-18
CLIMATE CHANGE
Gov. Jerry Brown
told a Canadian audience Monday that he believes President Trump’s
efforts to reverse course on climate change policy are a “momentary
deviation” as others in the United States seek limits on greenhouse gas
emissions.
San Diego Union
Tribune, 4-16-18
Bay
Area’s air quality near nation’s worst, climate change to blame:
Report
California has
some of the worst air quality in the nation, both in terms of ozone and
particle pollution, and perhaps the biggest factor appears to be climate
change, according to a new report.
San Francisco
Chronicle, 4-17-18
Warming
climate could speed forest regrowth in eastern US
Climate change
could speed the natural regrowth of forests on undeveloped or abandoned land in
the eastern U.S., according to a new study.
Science Daily,
4-16-18
GENERAL
Environmentalists
plan logging to restore redwood forests
Environmentalists
who have fought loggers for generations have a surprising new strategy to save
California’s storied old-growth redwood forests: Logging.
San Jose Mercury
News, 4-17-18
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, & GEOTHERMAL
RESOURCES
North
Dakota regulators amend rules aimed at flaring
North Dakota
regulators on Tuesday relaxed some rules and offered incentives they hope will
further limit natural gas that's being burned off at well sites and wasted as a
byproduct of crude production.
Fresno Bee,
4-17-18
DIVISION OF LAND RESOURCE PROTECTION
Agriculture
could pull carbon out of the air and into the soil — but it would mean a
whole new way of thinking about how to tend the land.
New York Times,
4-18-18
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, AND GEOTHERMAL
RESOURCES
Redondo
neighbors put off by oil well work
Neighbors were
alarmed last week when an oil rig rose above their homes on the 700 block of
North Paulina Avenue, at the site of a demolished home.
Hermosa Beach
Easy Reader News, 4-13-18
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
San
Francisco’s Big Seismic Gamble
Sailors arriving
in San Francisco in the 19th century used two giant redwood trees perched on a
hill to help guide their ships into the bay. The redwoods were felled for their
lumber at around the time of the gold rush, but San Francisco now has a new
beacon: Salesforce Tower, the tallest office building in the West.
New York Times,
4-17-18
3.9
earthquake shakes up Alum Rock in San Jose
A 3.9 earthquake
rattled the San Jose area Monday morning, according to the United States
Geological Survey. The temblor was reported at 9:39 a.m. in Alum Rock and was
8.3 kilometers in depth, the USGS reported.
San Francisco
Chronicle, 4-16-18
Earthquake,
hail, fierce rain rattle Bay Area — but, nope, there’s no link
Hello, Monday! A
3.8 magnitude quake jolted the South Bay this morning, in an area notorious for
seismic restlessness, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
San Jose Mercury
News, 4-16-18
Magnitude
3.8 Earthquake Rattles South Bay
A magnitude 3.8
earthquake struck near the Alum Rock area of San Jose Monday morning, according
to the United States Geological Survey.
KNTV (San Jose
television), 4-16-18
3.8-magnitude
earthquake hits Grapevine in Kern County
A 3.8-magnitude
earthquake struck near the Grapevine in Kern County on Monday, the U.S.
Geological Survey said.
KABC (Los
Angeles television), 4-16-18
MINING
Abandoned
mine near Paso produced a fortune in mercury. Now, it's a superfund site
Mercury excited
the imagination of alchemists. It is the only metal that exists in liquid form
at room temperature. The shimmering beads have an otherworldly appearance,
rolling and dancing on a flat surface.
San Luis Obispo
Tribune, 4-14-18
WATER
Gov. Jerry Brown
scored big last week in his tenacious effort to build monstrous twin water tunnels
in the California delta. But his legacy project could still collapse. No
potential successor supports it.
Los Angeles
Times column, 4-16-18
Southern
California plans to spend $11 billion on the delta tunnels. Who will end up
paying?
When the
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California voted to finance the lion's
share of the delta tunnels project, some on the board called it a bold stroke
of leadership.
Los Angeles
Times, 4-16-18
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, & GEOTHERMAL
RESOURCES
California
Resources Corp. acquires full ownership of Elk Hills oil field
The California
Resources Corp. has acquired 100 percent ownership of the Elk Hills oil and
natural gas field in Kern County, according to the company.
Bakersfield Californian, 4-13-18
Texas
gains 3 rigs as US rig count rises to 1,008
The number of
rigs exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. increased by five this week
to 1,008. At this time a year ago there were 847
active rigs.
Associated Press, 4-13-18
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Dr.
Lucy Jones discusses impact of world disasters in new book 'The Big Ones'
By 2100, the sea
water that surrounds the San Francisco Peninsula is expected to rise anywhere
from 17 to 66 inches, according to projections by the National Research
Council. Just what is at risk in San Mateo County should that happen is the
subject of a lengthy study by the county's sustainability office.
KABC-TV (Los Angeles), 4-13-18
DIVISION OF LAND RESOURCE PROTECTION
Explain
the philosophy and science of Measure C
Oh, those pesky
property rights! Didn’t we finally get rid of them somewhere back in the
'60s? Or was it the '70s?
Napa Valley Register commentary, 4-13-18
MINING
Our
Ocean Backyard: Mining the sea floor
As an
undergraduate student at UC Santa Barbara in the early 1960s, I read with
enthusiasm and interest the popular magazine articles of the time about how
many of the problems and limitations that humanity faced on land would all be
solved in the ocean.
Santa Cruz Sentinel column, 4-14-18
GENERAL
Pricey
retrofit proposed for sinking Millennium Tower in SF
Engineers have
proposed an unconventional solution to the Millennium Tower’s tilting
troubles: drilling piles down to bedrock to stabilize one side of the 58-story
condo high-rise and then letting the other side continue to sink until the
building straightens itself.
San Francisco Chronicle, 4-14-18
CLIMATE CHANGE
Two
Thumbs Up For EDF's Methane Detecting Satellite
After the 1980
presidential election, I wound up chatting with a Reagan campaign executive who
denied my contention that environmentalists had sometimes made a positive
contribution. I was too stunned (and young and naïve) to respond,
but it was obviously an example of what is now considered political tribalism,
where policies are weighed based on their origin and one’s opponents are
demonized.
Forbes, 2-15-18
Sea
level rise could cost area billions, countywide study finds
By 2100, the sea
water that surrounds the San Francisco Peninsula is expected to rise anywhere
from 17 to 66 inches, according to projections by the National Research
Council. Just what is at risk in San Mateo County should that happen is the
subject of a lengthy study by the county's sustainability office.
Menlo Park Almanac, 4-14-18
A
Floating Offshore Wind Farm Is Coming to California
The waves
crashing along the coast of Humboldt County, California, make visible just how
much energy exists offshore. If all goes well, within a decade the Pacific
Ocean in Northern California will be generating electricity from the first
offshore floating wind farm set to be built in the United States.
Oceans Deeply, 4-13-18
Climate Change Is
Messing With Your Dinner
The
world’s dinner tables are seeing the impact of climate change. As cold
regions become warmer, and warm places hotter still, farming and fishing are
shifting. An evolving climate means big changes for
people who grow, catch and rear for a living, and everyone else who buys and
eats what they produce.
Bloomberg News,
4-13-18
WATER
Dreaded
tunnels start looking real
L.A.’s
mammoth water district voted Tuesday to rescue the twin tunnels from oblivion.
Which could mean condemning the San Joaquin Delta and our regional economy.
Stockton Record column, 4-12-18
Editorial:
Keep fighting the delta tunnels
The Metropolitan
Water District of Southern California voted Tuesday to take on nearly $11
billion of the projected $17 billion construction costs of the governor’s
twin delta tunnels to move Sacramento River water south of the delta to cities
and farms. We had hoped this wasteful, divisive and environmentally damaging
project was dead. It should be.
San Francisco Chronicle, 4-12-18
MINING
City
Council makes statement on Cemex controversy
Santa Clarita
City Council formally expressed support at its April 10 meeting for Senate
Resolution 96, a bipartisan effort to urge national officials to stop the
proposed Cemex mining project in Soledad Canyon.
Santa Clarita Valley Signal, 4-11-18
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Controversial
$1-billion Hollywood high-rise project relaunched by developer
The developer of
a stalled $1-billion real estate project near the Capitol Records Building in
Hollywood will try again with a new proposal that prioritizes housing over
commercial uses.
Los Angeles Times, 4-12-18
Seismic Cloak
Successfully Deflects Earthquake Waves
For an
experiment with such ambition, the setting couldn’t have been more humble. Yet scientists from across Europe converged
here—a dirt lane between a farmer’s field and a small wood in
southern France—in the fall of 2016 to test a provocative idea: could
they make the seismic waves of an earthquake disappear?
PBS, 4-11-18
James
Reilly to Take the Helm at USGS
The U.S. Senate
has confirmed a former astronaut and petroleum geologist as
the next director of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The Senate approved
James F. Reilly by a voice vote on Monday to be the director, taking over from
William Werkheiser, who has served as acting director since 2017.
EOS, 4-11-18
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, AND GEOTHERMAL
RESOURCES
Oil
company with checkered history hit with $12.5M fine
A California oil
company with a long history of safety violations and regulatory lapses was hit
with a record $12.5 million fine by state regulators Wednesday for nearly 1,500
violations in the past year at an oil field in Orange County.
Associated Press, 4-11-18
State
Fines Oil Driller $12.6M
State regulators
fined Greka Oil & Gas $12.6 million for safety violations related to the
Richfield oil fields northeast of Anaheim.
Orange County Business Journal, 4-11-18
Gov.
Brown urged to phase out state’s fossil-fuel industry
More than 750
environmental, labor, health and social justice groups on Wednesday urged Gov.
Jerry Brown to stop issuing permits for oil drilling and begin the phase-out of
fossil-fuel production within the state, calling the move necessary to stop
climate change.
San Francisco Chronicle, 4-11-18
Oil
‘is killing us.’ Activists call on Jerry Brown to halt California
drilling
Critics of Gov.
Jerry Brown are pressuring him to take a stronger stance on an issue that has
come to define his legacy – climate change and the environment.
Sacramento Bee, 4-11-18
DIVISION OF LAND RESOURCE PROTECTION
Can
California avert a citrus apocalypse?
I don't usually
just wave agents of the state into my house. But when a nice lady from the
California Department of Food and Agriculture showed up at my door last week, I
welcomed her with a genuine smile.
Los Angeles Times, 4-11-18
Napa
County Measure C proponents say ag preservation needs oak woodlands protection
High-quality
soils and the right climate played important roles in attracting wine grape
growers to Napa County a generation ago. But it is the community’s
commitment to protecting our shared natural resources that secured this path
for our region.
North Bay Business Journal, 4-10-18
Napa
County’s Measure C goes too far in attempt to curtail future agriculture:
opponents
Measure C, the
“Napa County Watershed and Oak Woodland Protection Initiative,” is
a deeply-flawed, confusing and anti-agricultural land use initiative that will
appear on the June ballot throughout Napa County.
North Bay Business Journal, 4-10-18
WATER
Understanding
What the ‘New Normal’ Means for Water in the West
April is often a
time of abundance in the mountains of the American West, when snowpack is at or
near its peak, and forecasters work to determine how much runoff will course
through our rivers and fill reservoirs later in the season.
Water Deeply, 4-11-18
Low water supplies leave farmers in a
bind
With reservoirs
at or above average storage levels and the Sierra Nevada snowpack improved by
storms in March and early April, farmers await word from federal and state
water agencies about whether water allocations might improve.
Ag Alert, 4-11-18
Editorial:
Stop the madness! Californians deserve Delta tunnel vote
It’s time
to stop the madness. California voters should demand the right to have a say on
the future of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the lynchpin of the
state’s water system.
Bay Area News Group, 4-12-18
The
delta tunnels plan is costly, risky and unfair to L.A. It's also the right
thing to do
In voting
Tuesday to pay two-thirds of the cost of building two tunnels to divert river
water around the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and direct it southward,
the Southern California Metropolitan Water District's board bought into a plan
that's costly, risky, uncertain and unfair. And it is taking its ratepayers
with it, because they will have to shoulder the costs on their water bills.
Los Angeles Times editorial, 4-12-18
Voter
intent on Proposition 1 was clear as water, but the state’s bogged down
in mud
Nearly four
years ago, in the midst of the worst drought in recent
memory, California voters approved a $7.5 billion water bond measure that
allocated $2.7 billion for water storage — dams and reservoirs, for
example.
Orange County Register editorial, 8-12-18
CLIMATE CHANGE
Jerry
Brown's work to seal his climate legacy is only half done
It seems a
little churlish to prod Jerry Brown on carbon issues. He's done as much as any
leader in the world to move forward on the climate and energy crises that are
the defining challenges of our time.
Los Angeles Times commentary, 4-11-18
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, AND GEOTHERMAL
RESOURCES
Coalition
hopes to ban drilling new oil wells, fracking in the county
April 30 is the
deadline to get the additional 3,000 valid signatures from registered residents
of San Luis Obispo County for the ballot initiative sponsored by The Coalition
to Protect San Luis Obispo County to ban the drilling of new oil wells and
prevent fracking in the county. The initiative will allow existing oil pumping
to continue.
Paso Robles Daily News, 4-10-18
California
oil firms had nearly 400 violations
Oil and gas
companies drilling in state waters off Southern California violated regulations
nearly 400 times in the past three years, according to a report being released
Wednesday by an environmental group.
Associated Press, 4-11-18
DIVISION OF LAND RESOURCE PROTECTION
In Napa, Watershed and Woodlands
Initiative Clashes With Wineries
After years
of trying to save the oak trees he loves in Napa County, California, Jim
Wilson may be about to realize his dream. He’s part of the team
behind Napa’s Measure C, an initiative on the June
ballot with the twin goals of preserving oak woodlands and
protecting water.
KQED (San Francisco TV/radio), 4-10-18
CLIMATE CHANGE
California's
air regulator says state could back some emissions rule changes
California’s
top clean air regulator told Reuters on Monday the state is willing to give
automakers more flexibility to comply with vehicle greenhouse-gas emissions
rules even as her agency prepares to fight the Trump administration over car
and truck pollution standards.
Reuters, 4-10-18
EPA
gives North Dakota power to regulate CO2 wells
The Trump
administration on Tuesday gave North Dakota the power to regulate underground
wells used for long-term storage of waste carbon dioxide captured from
industrial sources such as coal-fired power plants.
Associated Press, 4-10-18
WATER
Southern
California water agency votes to fund controversial plan to build two delta
tunnels
The Metropolitan
Water District of Southern California voted Tuesday to shoulder most of the
cost of revamping the system that delivers water from the Sacramento-San
Joaquin delta to the Southland, committing nearly $11 billion to building two
massive tunnels.
Los Angeles Times, 4-10-18
Southern
California water agency backs 2 Delta tunnels in breakthrough vote
After a decade
of planning and debate, the controversial Delta tunnels project got a huge cash
infusion Tuesday and took a giant step toward becoming reality.
Sacramento Bee, 4-10-18
GENERAL
Bullet
train colliding with reality
Reality may
finally be catching up with the vision – or pipedream – of a
200-mile-per-hour train connecting California’s northern and southern
regions.
CalMatters, 4-11-18
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Bay
Area water agencies upgrading infrastructure in anticipation of catastrophic
earthquake
Water agencies,
once worried only about their own supplies and territories, now embrace mutual
aid, especially for earthquakes and droughts.
KTVU (Oakland television), 4-7-18
DIVISION OF LAND RESOURCE PROTECTION
Born
in controversy, Napa County's ag preserve celebrated on its 50th anniversary
Happy 50th
birthday, Napa County agricultural preserve. On April 9, 1968, Napa County
supervisors decided to create the preserve widely credited with staving off
growth that could have turned Napa Valley into a sprawling city. They decided
grapes and other crops would continue to dominate.
Napa Valley Register, 4-8-18
California's
Lost Wetlands Get Help From Sacramento Valley Rice
Farms
Before the Gold
Rush, the Central Valley in California was like a bathtub. Rivers full of water
from the mountains meandered through the valley, spreading the water far and
wide across a vast expanse of natural wetlands.
KQED (San Francisco television), 4-6-18
Battle
for Napa Valley’s future: Proposed curb on vineyards divides county
Fifty years ago Monday, Napa County passed an ordinance that has defined
the course of its history and, one could argue, determined the history of
California wine.
San Francisco Chronicle, 4-8-18
WATER
Two
tunnels? One? None? Water agency to decide how much to spend on Delta fix
Even as many
cities in Southern California push back against the state’s
“sanctuary state” policies, the famously conservative enclave of
Orange County soon might help Gov. Jerry “Moonbeam” Brown realize a
long-sought dream: A pair of tunnels that will run beneath the central Delta,
ferrying more-reliable water to the state’s parched southern region even
as they protect wildlife.
Orange County Register, 4-9-18
If Delta
‘tunnels’ are built, we’re the biggest losers
A million people
live in the Northern San Joaquin Valley. If Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to
siphon water to Los Angeles is completed, all of us are going to suffer.
Modesto Bee editorial, 4-7-18
Vote
on Southern California's investment in delta tunnel project could be a
nail-biter
With the city of
Los Angeles and Orange County on opposite sides, Southern California's role in
financing a massive water delivery project is likely to hinge on a few smaller
agencies.
Los Angeles Times, 4-9-18
Gov.
Jerry Brown urges 'yes' for both Delta tunnels. Will that sway crucial vote?
Gov. Jerry
Brown, in a last-minute bid to forge ahead with one of his legacy projects,
urged Southern California's big water agency Monday to support a plan to build
the two Delta tunnels simultaneously.
Sacramento Bee, 4-9-18
CLIMATE CHANGE
Sea
Level Rise Could Add Up to Gridlock, and Sooner Than You Think
The severe
coastal flooding brought by storms in January and March has drawn renewed
attention to the issue of sea level rise, and how prepared or unprepared we are
for it.
NPR, 4-9-18
California's
air regulator says state could back some emissions rule changes
California’s
top clean air regulator told Reuters on Monday the state is willing to give
automakers more flexibility to comply with vehicle greenhouse-gas emissions
rules even as her agency prepares to fight the Trump administration over car
and truck pollution standards.
Reuters, 4-9-18
Researchers
trying to turn carbon into things they can sell
What if the
billions of tons of carbon dioxide pumped out by the world’s power plants
could be converted into something that’s more useful? Ten teams will
split $5 million to test ways to do just that.
Bloomberg, 4-9-18
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
'Bucket
Brigade' Volunteers Still Digging California Homes Out After Mudslides
When a massive
debris flow slammed into the Santa Barbara County community of Montecito along
California's coast, Peri Thompson of San Diego, Calif. was shocked to see the
drama was unfolding at her own house. She watched the televised helicopter
rescue of a young family who rented her Montecito house.
NPR, 4-7-18
Magnitude
3.5 earthquake strikes north of Santa Rosa overnight
An magnitude 3.5 earthquake struck early Saturday
morning about 12 miles south of Clear Lake.
San Francisco Chronicle, 4-8-18
New,
interactive map shows Sonoma County's earthquake fault zones
Do you know if
your home is in an earthquake fault zone? It's now easier than ever to find out
the information, thanks to a new, easy-to-navigate interactive map published
by the California Geological Survey.
Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 4-5-18
Privacy
Setting Could Affect Initial Accuracy of Early Quake Warning on Mobile Devices
All over metropolitan
LA, as seismic waves were spreading from offshore, warnings started appearing
on computers, mobile phones, and other electronic devices connected to the
ShakeAlert early warning system.
KNBC (Los Angeles television), 4-6-18
When
Earthquakes Strike, Few Californians are Covered
Thursday's magnitude 5.3 earthquake near the Channel Islands
served as a reminder for all Californians to be earthquake-ready. But the vast majority of homes in the shake-prone state do not have
any kind of insurance for quake damage.
KNTV (San Jose television), 4-7-18
California’s
Earthquake Warning System A Work In Progress
When
Thursday’s 5.3-magnitude earthquake struck off the Ventura Coast,
researchers at Cal Tech got a very early warning.
KOVR (Sacramento television), 4-6-18
'Rocks
falling everywhere' when earthquake shook Santa Cruz Island, visitors recount
Nowhere was the
magnitude-5.3 quake that hit Southern California on Thursday felt more strongly
than on Santa Cruz Island, near the epicenter of the strongest temblor to hit
the region in several years.
Los Angeles Times, 4-6-18
Sounds
of Eruptions Used to Describe Volcanoes
A new case study
done by a team of international scientists led by UC Santa Barbara geophysicist
Robin Matoza examined data from the 2015 eruption of the Calbuco volcano in
Chile using a network from the United Nations’ International Monitoring
System (IMS), to track volcanic eruptions in remote locations.
U.C. Santa Barbara Daily Nexus, 4-6-18
Here's
What Will Happen After a Huge Earthquake Inevitably Hits California
California is
the land of beaches, mountains, and all the legal marijuana you can stomach.
It’s also, inconveniently, a dangerous minefield riddled with nasty fault
lines that rupture without much warning, generating massive earthquakes that
can level buildings, pulverize roads, and kill lots of people in the span of seconds.
Vice, 4-8-18
Minor
Quake Rattles The Inland Empire Overnight
A minor
earthquake woke up some residents in the Inland Empire early Monday morning,
just a few days after Southern California was rattled by a bigger temblor.
KCBS (Los Angeles television), 4-9-18
3.0-magnitude
quake reported near Lake Pillsbury
A magnitude 3
earthquake was reported northwest of Lake Pillsbury on Sunday morning. The
quake was recorded at 8:48 a.m. Sunday just inside the Mendocino County line,
according to the US Geological Survey.
Lake County News, 4-8-18
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, AND GEOTHERMAL
RESOURCES
San
Luis Obispo county group pushes for anti-fracking measure
A San Luis
Obispo county organization says the county's water, agricultural lands, and
environmental quality could be threatened. The coalition is currently gathering
signatures for an initiative aimed at protecting those resources.
KEYT (Santa Barbara television), 4-6-18
Oklahoma
gains 5 rigs as US rig count rises to 1,003
The number of
rigs exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. increased by 10 this week to
1,003. At this time a year ago there were 839 active
rigs.
Associated Press, 4-6-18
DIVISION OF LAND RESOURCE PROTECTION
Farmers
to Trump: No trade war, please
President Donald
Trump has promised to shield farmers from the sting of China’s trade
retaliation, but that embattled portion of Trump’s rural base says they
just want to sell on the open market, without tariffs slapped on their products
amid escalating tensions.
Politico, 4-6-18
MINING
A
Besotted Mining Town is Laid to Rest...Underwater
The small mining
settlement of Whiskeytown got its name from an incident involving a mule and,
unsurprisingly, some booze.
KQED (Sacramento television), 4-6-18
CLIMATE CHANGE
Land
suitable for certain California crops expected to shrink
California
growers should start to look seriously at how to adapt to a changing
climate, which could shrink the land available for many of the state’s
most popular crops, a new study has found.
AgriPulse, 4-5-18
Rolling
back fuel economy standards could mean bigger cars — and less progress on
climate change
Gas prices have
been so low in recent years that more Americans are choosing to buy bigger
vehicles, a trend that has stymied efforts to cut auto emissions.
Los Angeles Times, 4-6-18
Why
Green Groups Are Split on Subsidizing Carbon Capture Technology
At first glance,
it sounds like something cooked up after too many martinis by a K Street
lobbyist for the fossil fuel industry: Take legislation making it more
profitable for oil companies to pump oil, and easier for coal-fired power
plants to continue to operate — and then sell it as a climate change
remedy.
Yale Environment 360, 4-9-18
WATER
Recent
years prove we need more water storage
The first thing
to remember about precipitation in California is that it’s unpredictable,
as the past several winters have once again shown us.
CalMatters, 4-8-18
California
zigzags on ambitious water-delivery project, puts two-tunnel concept back on
the table
Four days after
Southern California's biggest water agency dropped a plan to pay for most of a major water
delivery project, the funding proposal is back on the table.
Los Angeles Times, 4-7-18
Southern
California might pay for two Delta tunnels after all
A powerful
Southern California water agency has breathed life back into the twin-tunnels
Delta water project, a plan that appeared dead just a few days ago.
Sacramento Bee, 4-6-18
The Delta
is dying. The planet is warming. Is California too focused on the tunnels?
For far too
long, too many leaders in California have had tunnel vision – Gov. Jerry
Brown, local elected officials, water district executives.
Sacramento Bee editorial, 4-6-18
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Earthquake
early-warning system gave heads-up before 5.3 temblor hit L.A. area
Officials said
the magnitude-5.3 earthquake that rattled Southern
California on Thursday proved to be another successful test of the state's nascent earthquake early-warning system.
Los Angeles Times, 4-5-18
Earthquake
that rattled L.A. was most powerful in years
The magnitude-5.3 earthquake that rattled Southern California
on Thursday was the strongest in the area several years.
Los Angeles Times, 4-5-18
Dramatic
photos show earthquake shaking cliffs at Santa Cruz Island
The 5.3 magnitude
off the coast of Southern California didn't do damage on the mainland, but it
appears have caused some earth movement on Santa Cruz Island.
Los Angeles Times, 4-5-18
'When
you see mountains, think earthquakes in California,' seismologist says
Earthquake
activity in California's Channel Islands shouldn't be all that surprising.
After all, earthquakes created the Channel Islands. In fact, mountains
throughout California are generally creations of earthquakes, seismologist Lucy
Jones said.
Los Angeles Times, 4-6-18
Earthquake
near Channel Islands today rattles much of Los Angeles County
A magnitude-5.3
earthquake jolted Southern California on Thursday afternoon, sending tremors
across the region but resulting in no reports of serious
damage.
Southern California Newspaper Group,
4-5-18
M=5.3
earthquake strikes offshore Southern California
At 12:29 p.m.
local time, a M=5.3 earthquake hit off the coast of California, within the
Santa Cruz Basin, approximately 140 km west of the city of Los Angeles.
Temblor, 4-5-18
How
Did an App Know an Earthquake Was Hitting California Before It Happened?
Some people in
Los Angeles knew about today's earthquake before it even hit. Those who had the
beta Quake Alert application on their smartphones got about a 30-second warning
before the shaking
hit at 12:29 p.m. PDT (19:29 UTC).
Live Science, 4-5-18
No
Damage Reported as 5.3 Earthquake Shakes Santa Barbara County
An earthquake
measuring 5.3 on the Richter Scale shook Santa Barbara County Thursday
afternoon, according
to the U.S. Geological Survey, but there were no immediate reports of
damage.
Santa Barbara Noozhawk, 4-5-18
Early
Earthquake Warning Mobile App Told Users Quake Was Coming From
Ventura Coast Before It Arrived
Long-awaited
earthquake early warnings has come a long way since
the last time a magnitude 5-plus quake shook SoCal.
KNBC-TV (Los Angeles), 4-5-18
Santa
Monica Rattled as Temblor Hits Southern California
A 5.3-magnitude
earthquake rocked and rolled through Southern California on Thursday, a
nerve-rattling reminder from Santa Monica to Palmdale and Bakersfield and down
to Orange County that the Big One, or permutations thereof, could strike at any
time.
Santa Monica Lookout, 4-6-18
USGS
maps changes to beach, seafloor after Montecito Mudslides
Driving
northbound on the 101 Freeway from Ventura is a far different
experience now than it was prior to Jan. 9, when a storm rolled through,
mud slid from the hillsides, and 21 lives were lost.
Ventura County Reporter, 4-4-18
Growing
Crack Provides Evidence That East Africa Could Be Splitting in 2
A large crack,
stretching several kilometres, made a sudden appearance recently in south-western Kenya.
CNN, 4-5-18
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, AND GEOTHERMAL
RESOURCES
Central Valley
Regional Water Quality Control Board members voted Thursday to require an oil
wastewater dump site operator in McKittrick suspected of polluting nearby
groundwater to install a network of wells monitoring contamination. That falls
short of environmentalists’ demands for the board to shutter the
operation.
Bakersfield Californian, 4-6-18
Oil
Beneath San Mateo County? You Betcha
Oil. Since
Americans first understood its capacity to make all kinds of machines run, they
began to dig under the soil. Now, when you think of oil drilling in California,
you probably think of Southern California and the Inland Empire. But did you know
there are oil fields in the Bay Area?
KQED (San Francisco radio/television),
4-5-18
How
Residents of One California County Are Taking on Big Oil
San Luis Obispo
is a biologically unique and diverse county on the central coast of California,
renowned for its magnificent coastline, pine and oak-covered mountains, and
extensive vineyards and wineries.
Alternet, 4-5-18
DIVISION OF LAND RESOURCE PROTECTION
In
Napa, Watershed and Woodlands Initiative Clashes With
Wineries
After years of
trying to save the oak trees he loves in Napa County, California, Jim Wilson
may be about to realize his dream. He’s part of the team behind Napa’s
Measure C, an initiative on the June ballot with the twin goals of preserving
oak woodlands and protecting water.
Water Deeply, 4-5-18
MINING
Vandals
blocked out of iconic Hawver Cave near Auburn
They tried welding
torches, bolt cutters and winching the Hawver Cave gate’s heavy iron bars
to a vehicle to try to pull it off its hinges and get in.
State Parks
countered with giant boulders set around the gate and now, a solid wall of
giant, concrete blocks — a seemingly unmovable barrier to prevent the
curious and the criminal from squeezing in.
Auburn Journal, 4-5-18
CLIMATE CHANGE
Greenland
Ice Sheet is Melting at its Fastest Rate in 400 years
Greenland. (Mario
Tama/Getty Images)
The Greenland
ice sheet is melting at its fastest rate in 400 years at a pace that has
nearly doubled since the end of the 19th century, according to a new study published
in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
KQED (San Francisco radio/television),
4-4-18
In
1998, Shell Predicted It Would Be Sued Over Climate Crisis Someday
Oil giant Royal
Dutch Shell was well aware of the world-altering climate risks associated with
carbon dioxide emissions by at least the mid-1980s, according to a trove of internal company documents recently
uncovered by a European journalist.
Huffington Post, 4-5-18
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Earthquake
warning system expands with the help of federal funding
The earthquake
warning system, known as ShakeAlert, will be
receiving more than $22 million from the federal government. This money is part
of the spending
bill signed by President Donald Trump last week.
KBAK-TV (Bakersfield), 4-4-18
Earthquakes:
A fight to protect infrastructure
The images of
California’s powerful earthquakes over the years have been vivid —
the shattered buildings, the collapsed bridges, the buckled highways.
Capitol Weekly, 4-4-18
Drenching
rain on the way turns focus to Sonoma County burn scars
A drenching,
late-season rainstorm expected to batter the North Coast over the next several
days could cause localized flooding and is expected to present the stiffest
test so far to burn scars left by October’s wildfires.
Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 4-4-18
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, AND GEOTHERMAL
RESOURCES
Sign
here -- Do you like clean energy, air, and water?
It rolls
trippingly off the tongue: An Initiative To Amend The
County General Plan And County Code To Prohibit Petroleum Extraction And Well
Stimulation Treatments, Including Hydraulic Fracturing And Acid Well
Stimulation, On All Lands Within The Unincorporated Area Of The County.
San Luis Obispo New Times, 4-5-18
DIVISION OF LAND RESOURCE PROTECTION
New
planting of olive trees on former Roddy Ranch golf property
Brentwood native
Sean McCauley was raised on a farm and his family’s collective 200 acres
of olive orchards grow along Deer Valley Road, Briones Valley Road and
throughout Brentwood, but there is something sacred about the 40 acres that
McCauley Olive Groves recently acquired.
East Bay Times, 4-4-18
CLIMATE CHANGE
Northern California
could be home to first U.S. floating wind farm
California's
Redwood Coast Energy Authority RCEA) has selected a consortium of companies
— Principle Power Inc., EDPR Offshore North America LLC, Aker Solutions
Inc., H. T. Harvey & Associates, and Herrera Environmental Consultants
Inc.— to enter into a public-private partnership to pursue the
development of an offshore wind energy project off the Northern California
coast.
Marine Log, 4-4-18
WATER
California’s
Nearly Dismal Snow Year a Harbinger of Things to Come
Californians may
collectively be breathing a sigh of relief, but not elation, this week, after
the state’s latest snowpack reading. A wet and cold March saved California
from a near record-low snowpack, but it proved too little too late to bring a
full recovery. And worse, climate scientists say we should start getting used
to these low snowpack years.
Water Deeply, 4-4-18
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Early
April rain to return risk of flooding, mudslides to California
A
double-barreled storm will take aim at California with drenching rain,
high-country snow and the risk of flooding and mudslides later this week. The
first of two rounds of rain and high-country snow is scheduled to roll ashore
into Northern California during Thursday night.
AccuWeather, 4-4-18
Mexico
earthquake was California’s wake-up call
A number of cities big and small in Southern California are
taking steps to identify seismically vulnerable buildings for the first time in
a generation, acting in part on the devastating images of earthquake damage in
Mexico and elsewhere around the world.
Los Angeles Times, 4-4-18
MINING
State
Mining and Geology Board will meet locally, visit Teichert plant
The California
State Mining and Geology Board will be in Marysville next week to conduct a
regular meeting and to visit the site of a planned project near the Teichert
Aggregates Hallwood plant. The project – the Hallwood Side Channel and
Floodplain Restoration Project – will essentially restore and repair
salmon habitat to about 1 mile of the lower Yuba River that is located directly
adjacent to the Hallwood plant, said Jeffrey Schmidt, executive officer for the
board.
Marysville Appeal-Democrat, 4-3-18
CLIMATE CHANGE
Greenhouse
Gas Emission Reduction Targets Are “Largely Symbolic,” says ARB
At a recent
California Air Resources Board (ARB) meeting, the board adopted regional
greenhouse gas reduction targets for 2020 and 2035, as required by S.B. 375.
Each region was assigned a target–ranging from a three to fifteen percent
reduction in per capita passenger vehicle greenhouse gas emissions relative to
2005 by 2020–with the amount increasing by 2035.
Streetsblog Cal, 4-3-18
Connection
of sea level and groundwater missing link in climate response
About 250
million years ago, when the Earth had no ice caps and the water around the
equator was too hot for reptiles, sea level still rose and fell over time. Now,
an international team of researchers has developed a way to track sea-level
rise and fall and to tease out what caused the changes in the absence of ice
sheets.
Phys.org, 4-3-18
WATER
Deep
Water in Deep Trouble: Can We Save California’s Drying Aquifers?
It may not be a
true meteorological “March Miracle,” but it’s close enough
for government work, as government workers are wont to say. The series of
storms that have battered California in recent weeks have pumped up the
snowpack in the Sierra and swelled streams at lower elevations.
California Magazine, 4-2-18
Stronger
together: The Bay Area’s newly linked water lifelines
The Bay
Area’s deeply unequal cities, home to mansions and shacks alike, are
linked by one thing: thirst. Banding together, the region’s water
agencies on Tuesday unveiled the latest upgrades to a vast network that
connects six million people and provides mutual aid in a crisis, such as an
earthquake or severe drought.
Bay Area News Group, 4-3-18
Magnitude
6.8 earthquake strikes Bolivia
A powerful
6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Bolivia on Monday, but it was so deep that
there were no reports of injuries or damage.
Associated Press, 4-2-18
Montecito
mudslides have come out to nearly $422 million in insurance claims
The Montecito
mudslides have caused more than $421 million in damages, according to the
latest string of insurance claims.
KABC-TV (Los Angeles), 4-2-18
Mudslide
losses top $421 million in Montecito
More than $421
million in claims have been filed since deadly mudslides tore through the
coastal community of Montecito during extremely heavy January rains,
California's insurance commissioner said Monday.
Associated Press, 4-2-18
Montecito
mudslide costs insurance companies more than $421 million in claims
Residents,
business owners and others have filed more than $421 million in insurance
claims as a result of the Montecito mudslide in
January, adding to an already massive bill from a series of natural disasters
that hit California over the last year.
Los Angeles Times, 4-2-18
Insurance
Claims Top $421 Million for Montecito Debris Flows
Montecito-area
residents and business owners have filed nearly $422 million in
insurance-claim losses since the deadly Jan. 9 debris flows, the California
Department of Insurance announced Monday.
Santa Barbara Noozhawk, 4-2-18
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, AND GEOTHERMAL
RESOURCES
API
Asks to Intervene in Lawsuits Over Rescinded BLM Fracking Rule
The American
Petroleum Institute (API) made its first foray into the legal battle over an
Obama-era rule governing hydraulic fracturing (fracking) on public and tribal
lands, asking a federal district court in San Francisco to allow it to
intervene in a pair of lawsuits filed after the Trump administration rescinded
the rule.
NGI Shale Gas Daily, 4-2-18
Editorial:
Trump’s pursuit of offshore oil is wrongheaded
Marin’s
staunch opposition to offshore oil drilling should come as no surprise. It is a
long-standing, strong and wise stance to take.
Marin Independent Journal, 4-2-18
CLIMATE CHANGE
Trump
administration moves on two fronts to challenge California environmental
protections
The Trump
administration openly threatened one of the cornerstones of California's
environmental protections Monday, saying that it may revoke the state's ability
under the Clean Air Act to impose stricter standards than the federal
government sets for vehicle emissions.
Los Angeles Times, 4-2-18
Calling
Car Pollution Standards ‘Too High,’ E.P.A. Sets Up Fight With California
The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday took steps to challenge
California’s decades-old right to set its own air pollution rules,
setting up a showdown between the federal government and a state that has
emerged as a bulwark against the Trump administration’s policies
New York
Times, 4-2-18
WATER
Metropolitan
Water District backs away from plan to finance both delta tunnels
The Metropolitan
Water District of Southern California is dropping plans to push ahead with a
two-tunnel proposal to revamp the state's water delivery system, opting to
pursue a scaled-back version instead.
Los Angeles Times, 4-2-18
Californians Go Back to Using About
as Much Water as Before the Drought
Since Gov. Jerry
Brown called off California's drought emergency a year ago, we Californians
seem to have gotten a little lazy when it comes to water conservation.
Southern California Public Radio, 4-2-18
GENERAL
Trump
administration sues California again, this time over rights to sell public land
In its latest
legal salvo against California, the Department of Justice announced Monday it
is filing suit against what it branded an “extreme’’ state
law that tries to give California power to veto sales of federal land to
private interests.
McClatchy News Service, 4-2-18
(news updated as time permits…)
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