A shallow magnitude 3.1 earthquake was reported Sunday morning in Sherwood Forest, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor occurred at 3:52 a.m. Pacific time at a depth of 6.8 miles.

Los Angeles Times, 3-31-19

Early morning earthquake rattles San Fernando Valley

A magnitude-3.1 earthquake shook San Fernando Valley residents out of bed early Sunday, striking 1.9 miles east-southeast of Northridge — and just north of Van Nuys Airport, according to a “shake map” from the U.S. Geological Survey.

Los Angeles Newspaper Group, 3-31-19

OIL, GAS, AND GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES

School Board Threatens New Bond If City Refuses To Pay More To Clean Up Oil Well Mess

Beverly Hills taxpayers could end up doling out more than twice the cost to remediate the abandoned Beverly Hills Oil Well if the Board of Education makes good on a threat made by some of its members at Tuesday’s board meeting to ask taxpayers to fund another bond.

Beverly Hills Courier, 3-29-19

Whose County Is It Anyway?

After reading the Final Environmental Impact Report and the Staff Recommendation regarding the ERG application for expanded oil development in Cat Canyon, I spoke with Mr. Errin Briggs, the energy specialist in the county’s Planning & Development Department. Our conversation was enlightening and troubling.

Santa Barbara Edhat commentary, 3-31-19

LAND RESOURCE PROTECTION

AV farming legacy endangered

The sweet fragrance of onions permeated the air during a recent visit to Calandri Farms’ Lancaster facility on 70th Street East and Avenue K. “If you love your stew this is the place to hang out,” Brandon Calandri said. Calandri is a third-generation onion farmer.

Antelope Valley Press, 3-31-19

CLIMATE CHANGE

UCLA environmental plan can transform L.A.

A futuristic, comprehensive environmental plan for Los Angeles has been drawn up at UCLA. It’s known as the Sustainable L.A. Grand Challenge. It is being hailed as a call to action for groundbreaking intervention that could forge a more sustainable path forward for the great L.A. basin.

Antelope Valley Press, 3-30-19

Why the next decade will be critical in the fight against climate change

To Andrew Wheeler, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, global warming is a problem for the future. “Most of the threats from climate change are 50 to 75 years out,” he said in a recent interview, expressing a common sentiment. But scientists say that taking action on climate change is very much a challenge of the present.

Los Angeles Times, 3-29-19

How Cities Can Protect Themselves from Rising Waters

Across the U.S., policymakers are scrambling to protect their communities from the effects of climate change. In January, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker proposed real-estate tax increases to fund dam and drainage system upgrades, which would help residents cope with future floods and storms. Meanwhile, a few months earlier, officials from several Florida counties agreed to work together to minimize the damage caused by rising sea levels.

Scientific American, 3-28-19

FORESTS & WATERSHEDS

California must act to protect state’s remaining wetlands from Trump’s destructive plans

California’s wetland resources provide an abundance of human and environmental benefits: flood protection, filtration of water pollutants, surface and groundwater supplies, wildlife habitat, open space, public recreational opportunities and more.

Sacramento Bee commentary, 3-29-19

OIL, GAS, AND GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES

Planning commissioners raise questions about Cat Canyon oil drilling proposal

The Santa Barbara County Planning Commission is one step closer to a decision on whether to approve ERG’s oil drilling and production plan. It would include developing and operating more than 200 new oil production wells in the Cat Canyon area.

San Luis Obispo television, 3-27-19

Feds Accused of Holding Back on California Fracking Plans

Armed with a recent court ruling that climate change must be considered in decisions to open federal land to oil and gas drilling, conservationists shot the opening volley Thursday in what promises to be a protracted legal battle over the future of fracking and oil drilling in Northern California.

Courthouse News Service, 3-28-19

Environmental Group Sues For U.S. Plans For New Oil Leases In Bay Area, Central Coast

An environmental group sued the Bureau of Land Management in federal court in San Jose on Thursday in a bid to obtain information about plans for new leases for oil drilling and fracking in the Bay Area and on the central coastal California.
The lawsuit by the Center for Biological Diversity alleges the bureau is violating the federal Freedom of Information Act by failing to provide public records the center has sought since August 2018.

Bay City News Service, 3-28-19

A Texan's big bet on a fossil-fuel future for California

California has positioned itself as a leader in the fight against climate change. It leads the nation by far in solar power. And it is working to reduce carbon emissions throughout the energy sector, with a goal of making the electricity grid carbon-free within a generation. But its clean-energy goals are colliding with a Texas billionaire who has staked a fossil-fuel claim in California and is aiming to get federal regulators on his side.

New York Times, 3-29-19

GEOLOGY

3.2 quake strikes near Mercuryville, Calif.

A shallow magnitude 3.2 earthquake was reported Wednesday night two miles from Mercuryville, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor occurred at 11:34 p.m. Pacific time at a depth of 0 miles. According to the USGS, the epicenter was 13 miles from Healdsburg, Calif., 14 miles from Clearlake, 16 miles from Windsor and 70 miles from Sacramento.

Los Angeles Times, 3-28-19

LAND RESOURCE PROTECTION

Many California Asparagus Farmers Calling It Quits

It's considered one of the cash crops in San Joaquin County but now several farmers are throwing in the towel when it comes to asparagus because it's too expensive. Jeff Klein, the president of Klein Family Farms, is one of the last asparagus farmers standing in California.

KTXL (Sacramento television), 3-28-19

CLIMATE CHANGE

'Come with a plan,' U.N. chief tells states ahead of climate summit

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told governments to come to a September summit with concrete plans to boost climate action, as he released a flagship report on global warming by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on Thursday.

Reuters, 3-28-19

GEOLOGY

California testing Amber Alert-style earthquake warning system in downtown Oakland

On Wednesday, California state officials are testing their "Wireless Emergency Alert" system in downtown Oakland, partially to establish whether Amber Alert-style text message warnings can be delivered fast enough to be helpful as early warnings during an earthquake.

San Francisco Chronicle, 3-26-19

Oakland earthquake alert test: Is your phone listening?

In a major sign that California’s earthquake early warning system is moving forward, officials are testing the program in downtown Oakland on Wednesday morning. Like the familiar Amber Alert, starting at 11 a.m., the ShakeAlert will blare from smartphones in a 60-block area, announcing: “This is a test of the California Earthquake warning system. No action required. This is a test.”

Bay Area Newspaper Group, 3-26-19

Oakland Residents' Phones to 'Quake' With Emergency System Test

Oakland residents will soon be receiving early warnings of earthquakes through their mobile devices. The California Offices of Emergency Service on Wednesday will test its first ShakeAlert − a system built for California, Oregon and Washington that detects an earthquake − sending a Wireless Emergency Alert to a 60-square-foot region in Downtown Oakland.

NBC Bay Area, 3-26-19

OIL, GAS, AND GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES

ERG’s West Cat Canyon project returning to Santa Barbara County Planning Commission

ERG Operating Co.’s proposed West Cat Canyon Revitalization Plan will be back before the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission in Santa Maria on Wednesday as commissioners continue their scrutiny of the environmental impact report and project application.

Lompoc Record, 3-26-19

Cat Canyon oil drilling proposal up for discussion again Wednesday

The Santa Barbara County Planning Commission will discuss a controversial oil drilling project Wednesday. Oil and gas company ERG Resources currently operates nearly 200 oil wells at the West Cat Canyon Oil Field and is hoping to quadruple its oil production by adding new wells. The proposed project would also include a new 3.5-mile oil pipeline.

KSBY (San Luis Obispo TV), 3-27-19

WATER

How California is defying Trump’s environmental rollbacks

California is building walls at its borders — they’re just not the kind President Trump has in mind. As the Trump administration continues its assault on environmental regulation, state officials are throwing up legal barriers to some high-stakes attacks.

Los Angeles Times, 3-26-19

FORESTS & WATERSHEDS

Nearly 1,000 acres of redwood forests in the Santa Cruz Mountains preserved in $11.7 million deal

Environmentalists are joining forces with loggers in an $11.7 million deal to preserve two large redwood forests in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Together, the forests cover 937 acres, an area the size of 710 football fields.

Bay Area News Group, 3-26-19

CLIMATE CHANGE

New film documenting California wildfires calls for solutions in face of climate change

The intense nature of wildfires is undeniable, and while most people want nothing but to get as far away as possible, artist Jeff Frost decided that wasn't an option. Between 2014 and 2019, Frost documented wildfires from Big Bear to Malibu, Ventura to Fresno, Yosemite to Santa Rosa, as well as many of the Lake County fires.

Palm Springs Desert Sun, 3-25-19

Key Greenland glacier growing again after shrinking for years, NASA study shows

A major Greenland glacier that was one of the fastest shrinking ice and snow masses on Earth is growing again, a new NASA study finds. The Jakobshavn glacier around 2012 was retreating about 1.8 miles and thinning nearly 130 feet annually. But it started growing again at about the same rate in the past two years, according to a study in Monday’s Nature Geoscience.

Associated Press, 3-25-19

HIGH-SPEED RAIL

California sells $600M in bonds for high-speed rail project

California sold $600 million in bonds Tuesday to help pay for its high-speed rail project even as lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom acknowledge challenges to completing the line between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The bond money is a key source of funding for the troubled project, which has been beset by cost overruns and delays. Voters approved $10 billion in bonds in 2008 and the state routinely sells them. The entire project is estimated to cost $77 billion.

Associated Press, 3-27-19

OIL, GAS, AND GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES

Crude Oil Likely Rained Down On Porter Ranch Residents During The Aliso Canyon Gas Leak

The Aliso Canyon gas leak was plugged three years ago, but Porter Ranch residents and L.A. County health officials are still arguing with the gas field owner over what, exactly, sprayed out of a ruptured well and landed on neighborhood homes in late 2015.

LAist, 3-26-19

Big oil rises to Dutch geothermal challenge

Geothermal energy has been a niche heating and power source across Europe for decades. But the need to displace fossil fuels and clean up the energy sector has intensified the spotlight on it. A prime example is the Netherlands, where the planned closure of the Groningen gas field has sparked a search for alternative ways to heat buildings and the country's famous greenhouses.

Petroleum Economist, 3-12-19

FORESTS & WATERSHEDS

Napa County supervisors search for elusive watershed middle ground

Napa County supervisors on Tuesday will take on what to date has been a baffling brainteaser – how to heal community divisions prompted by ongoing watershed and tree protection debates.

Napa Valley Register, 3-24-19

CLIMATE CHANGE

The Sea Beneath Us

In East Oakland, on a residential street in front of a small park, Kristina Hill stopped and got out of her vehicle. She walked to the center of the street as a gaggle of graduate students emerged from their cars and gathered around her. It was midday, early September, the bright, hot sun directly overhead. Hill, a professor of urban and environmental design at UC Berkeley, had chosen the spot because when it rains heavily, water gushes up from storm drains here, forming filthy brown ponds.

Bay Nature, 3-25-19

WATER

As Trump tries to roll back clean water rules, California seeks stronger protections

When grower Brad Goehring looks across his rows of grapes, he can’t help but see a pool of murky water that breaks the rhythm of his vines, which otherwise stretch steadily into the Sierra foothills.

San Francisco Chronicle, 3-25-19

OIL, GAS, AND GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES

Oil producers ready to drill amid relatively high, stable prices

Optimism is strong among local oil producers that recently healthy barrel price levels will hold steady enough to justify new investment through the end of this year, even as market-related conditions remain in flux and state regulatory complications threaten to sideline proposed drilling and other oilfield projects.

Bakersfield Californian, 3-25-19

Cat Canyon Emissions Numbers Are Wrong

At the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission hearing in Santa Maria on March 13, the statistics presented regarding “responsible domestic energy” were inaccurate. Mistakes were made with figures for oil operations both at Cat Canyon and elsewhere in the world. At the hearing, we were told that extracting oil domestically is preferable to importing oil specifically in terms of carbon intensity. This claim, however, is false.

Santa Barbara Independent, 3-20-19

Are oil companies responsible for climate change? A group of senators thinks so

When a federal judge dismissed lawsuits by San Francisco and Oakland seeking to hold major oil companies responsible for harm caused by climate change, he said the issue was one for the political branches of government, not the courts.

San Francisco Chronicle, 3-23-19

Gov. Newsom promised courage in scrapping fossil fuels. Will he keep his pledge?

Calling it “the beginning of the end of natural gas” in Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti last month announced that he was scrapping plans to rebuild three aging gas power plants on the Southern California coast. He vowed to shut down the gas units and set his city – the second largest in the country – on a path to 100 percent renewable energy.

Sacramento Bee commentary, 3-24-19

MINING

Exploratory drilling a mining nightmare in Grass Valley

Are you, the inhabitants of the Grass Valley region, aware there is exploratory drilling for gold occurring right now and has been for the last year? The 90-acre parcel (was five different owners) is the Idaho Maryland gold mine and was the second largest mine in the country back in the '50s

Grass Valley Union commentary, 3-22-19

We Hope This IS the Final Nail in the Cemex Coffin

There’s a stereotypical plot line in the “slasher” horror movie genre and it goes something like this: The killer’s intended victims defend themselves and the villain appears to die an awful death — usually impaled on a piece of rebar or something — only to rise up again and chase the hapless teenagers, usually into a garage full of chainsaws.

Santa Clarita Signal editorial, 3-24-19

GEOLOGY

3.0 quake strikes near Gilman Hot Springs

A shallow magnitude 3.0 earthquake was reported Saturday afternoon one mile from Gilman Hot Springs in Riverside County, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake occurred at 3:11 p.m. Pacific time at a depth of 6.2 miles.

Los Angeles Times, 3-23-19

Magnitude 3.5 quake strikes off Northern California coast

A shallow magnitude 3.5 earthquake was reported Saturday morning off the Northern California coast, six miles from Petrolia, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor occurred at 11:20 a.m. Pacific time at a depth of 9.9 miles.

Los Angeles Times, 3-23-19

CLIMATE CHANGE

How humans derailed the Earth's climate in just 160 years

Climate change might be the most urgent issue of our day, both politically and in terms of life on Earth. There is mounting awareness that the global climate is a matter for public action.

The Conversation, 3-25-19

MINING

Cemex silent on lawsuit’s dismissal

As long-sparring foes, Cemex and the city of Santa Clarita enter what appears to be the final 16 months of their rocky relationship. A recent lawsuit filed by the former against the latter was done without fanfare and withdrawn just as quietly.

Santa Clarita Signal, 3-22-19

City on Cemex: ‘We’re not done yet’

The fight is over — for the most part. That’s the message that city of Santa Clarita officials and local dignitaries expressed Thursday over the Cemex ruling from the Interior Board of Land Appeals.

Santa Clarita Signal, 3-22-19

Mixed IBLA decision weakens prospect of Cemex mining in Soledad Canyon

After four years of investigation, wrangling and debate, a federal review board has reached a decision in Cemex’s appeal of the contract-canceling decision made by the Bureau of Land Management in July 2015.

Santa Clarita Signal, 3-20-19

Cemex loses federal appeal; Soledad Canyon mega-mine effectively dead

A U.S. Department of the Interior review board has denied Cemex Inc.‘s appeal of a 2015 Bureau of Land Management decision that canceled the company’s mining contracts in Soledad Canyon.

Santa Clarita Valley News, 3-20-19

Fighting Cemex: a long, winding (and costly) rocky road

Since the Bureau of Land Management granted Cemex two 10-year back-to-back mining contracts, civic leaders, environmental groups and residents have been fighting to stop the mine from happening.

Santa Clarita Signal, 3-21-19

Reactions vary to Cemex decision

After a much-anticipated decision the Interior Board of Land Appeals reached Wednesday regarding the proposed Cemex sand and gravel mine, several current and former Santa Clarita Valley leaders in government, industry and activism voiced varying reactions.

Santa Clarita Signal, 3-21-19

OIL, GAS, AND GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES

New Mexico oil production is soaring. How what to do with the waste water

With fossil fuel production in the Permian basin reaching ever greater heights, New Mexico lawmakers moved to clarify the legal status of the salty, chemical-laden water that gushes from wells in larger volumes than even the oil that is the object of the hunt.

Circle of Blue, 3-20-19

Oil leaders, politicians strategize solutions to industry challenges at Taft summit

Kern's oil industry got a close look Thursday at its many political vulnerabilities — and no shortage of ideas for addressing them — at a Taft event that has become a key gathering of local business and government leaders.

Bakersfield Californian, 3-21-19

Trump might limit states’ say in offshore drilling plan. Here’s how

When President Trump proposed opening nearly the entire U.S. coastline to more offshore oil and gas drilling, the backlash from states seeking exemptions was swift. Governors, Republican and Democratic, and state legislatures up and down the Atlantic and Pacific coastlines protested so vigorously that the administration promised to consult with them before finalizing any plans. Instead, Trump is quietly laying the groundwork to weaken a decades-old federal law that empowers California and other states to slow and even stop offshore development in federal waters.

Los Angeles Times, 3-21-19

New Water Filtration Method Devised

It’s a popular phrase used to describe people, things, and ideas that just don’t mix—“like oil and water.” Except it’s not entirely true. Oil and water can mix, and can be very difficult to completely separate when brought together. Think of environmental oil spills or wastewater treatment, and you quickly realize that separating out unwanted oil to restore water to a natural or pure state can be a monumental task.

Tufts Now, 3-21-19

GEOLOGY

How fluid viscosity affects earthquake intensity

Fault zones play a key role in shaping the deformation of the Earth's crust. All of these zones contain fluids, which heavily influence how earthquakes propagate. In an article published today in Nature Communications, Chiara Cornelio, a Ph.D. student at EPFL's Laboratory of Experimental Rock Mechanics (LEMR), shows how the viscosity of these fluids directly affects an earthquake's intensity.

Phys, 3-21-2019

LAND RESOURCE PROTECTION

Will rising water costs spell the end for Santa Clara County farms?

Agriculture has always been a jewel of the Silicon Valley. The area continues to produce locally grown food crops that are consumed by food lovers throughout the Bay Area and beyond. It is a highly diverse farm-to-fork region that not only grows food, it provides open space benefits to almost 2 million Santa Clara County residents living in an otherwise highly developed region.

Silicon Valley Business Journal commentary, 3-21-19

CLIMATE CHANGE

The waters are rising, the floods are coming. What are we doing to save ourselves?

City planners, builders, engineers and scientists race to find new ways for people to make a home as climate change threatens increased heavy flooding, dangerous weather conditions and extreme storm surges.

USA Today, 3-20-19

How rising sea levels could impact Delta, Sacramento Valley

As the sea level rises, it could impact more than the California coastline. The rising water could impact the Sacramento region.

KCRA (Sacramento TV), 3-20-19

S.F. Needs ‘Behavioral Changes’ to Address Climate Change, Say Experts

“My son is an undergraduate in Environmental Studies at UC Santa Barbara, and we often debate about the Green New Deal,” said Mary Ellen Carroll, the executive director of the Department of Emergency Management. “It’s aspirational. If we are going to tackle climate change, we need to make some serious behavioral changes.”

SF Weekly, 3-21-19

Floods suggest national security threat from climate change

The Missouri River floodwater surging on to the air base housing the U.S. military's Strategic Command overwhelmed round-the-clock sandbagging by airmen and others. They had to scramble to save sensitive equipment, munitions and dozens of aircraft.

Associated Press, 3-22-19

Report: Great Lakes feeling effects of rapid climate warming

The Great Lakes region is warming faster than the rest of the U.S., a trend likely to bring more extreme storms while also degrading water quality, worsening erosion and posing tougher challenges for farming, scientists reported Thursday.

Associated Press, 3-21-19

FORESTS & WATERSHEDS

US Climate policy must protect forests and communities, not the forest industry

The introduction of The Green New Deal resolution and the appointment of a House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, has propelled climate change back into the national policy debate. That’s why today, on the International Day of Forests, hundreds of citizens across the nation are urging members of Congress to stand up and protect America’s forests and to hold the US forest industry accountable for its contribution to climate change.

The Hill, 3-21-19

Grant helps San Benito students connect to land

On a warm October day, over a hundred local fourth graders traveled to the hills above Tres Pinos Creek toting backpacks, bagged lunches and water bottles. The kids were part of the Students and Teachers Restoring A Watershed (STRAW) program, which has worked with local students and San Benito County community members for the last four years on various restoration projects in the region.

BenitoLink, 3-21-19

HIGH-SPEED RAIL

They moved to make way for California’s high-speed rail. Now they wonder if it was for nothing

For more than five years, California’s high-speed rail project has disrupted and dislocated residents and businesses up and down the central San Joaquin Valley through the acquisition of property for the bullet-train right of way. Some of those former property owners are wondering now whether their sacrifice – either through eminent domain or as leveraged sellers – will have been for nothing.

Fresno Bee, 3-19-19

WATER

World Water Day 2019: Shocking Facts About Earth's Most Precious Resource

March 22 is World Water Day, and the campaign is drawing attention to the difficulties some of the planet’s most vulnerable people face in accessing the precious resource. The United Nations launched World Water Day in 1993, designating safe access to water for all by 2030 as one of its Sustainable Development Goals.

Newsweek, 3-22-19

The drought's over? Sure. But our hydrological bank account is still drained

California had a wet November, a moist December, an absolutely drenched January and February, and so far a fairly watery March. Los Angeles exceeded its average annual rainfall a month ago, less than halfway into the “water year” (which runs from October through the following September). The Sierra snowpack is at more than 150% of average. The state is soaked.

Los Angeles Times editorial, 3-22-19

OIL, GAS, AND GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES

A big earthquake could cause another gas leak near Porter Ranch

A magnitude 6.5 or higher earthquake on the Santa Susana Fault could damage dozens of active gas storage wells in the mountains above Porter Ranch, enough to cause a gas release, according to a long-awaited study, released on Tuesday.

LAist, 3-20-19

Carbon evolution: The county argues about oil development in Cat Canyon

More than 1,600 oil wells are either active or plugged in the Cat Canyon Oil Field. Currently in the hands of eight companies, the field is poised for another evolution.

Santa Maria Sun, 3-21-19

Santa Barbara County considering increased oil production near Santa Maria

Oil companies and environmental groups are clashing over the planned revitalization of a large oil field near Santa Maria that could potentially result in hundreds of new wells.

Cal Coast News, 3-19-19

Federal judge demand Trump administration reveal how its drilling plans will fuel climate change

A federal judge ruled late Tuesday that the Interior Department violated federal law by failing to take into account the climate impact of its oil and gas leasing in the West.

Washington Post, 3-20-19

Geothermal plant ‘triggered earthquake’ in South Korea

A rare earthquake in South Korea was triggered by the country’s first experimental geothermal power plant, a team of government-commissioned experts said Wednesday.

Japan Times, 3-20-19

What oil leaves behind in 2.25 billion gallons of water every day in US

About 2.5 billion gallons of produced water, a byproduct from the oil refinery and extraction process, is generated each day in the United States. Purdue University researchers have developed a process to remove nearly all traces of oil in produced water.

Phys.org, 3-20-19

LAND RESOURCE PROTECTION

Napa’s Bill Dodd bill moving along

Legislation from Sen. Bill Dodd to enhance conservation on California’s more than 76,000 farms and ranches cleared a key committee this week, and the Napa Democrat also introduced legislation that would place an independent third party in charge of overseeing electric utility corporations’ compliance with vegetation-trimming requirements to reduce wildfires.

Vallejo Times Herald, 3-19-19

Resource issues dominate annual CFBF conference

Addressing concerns that include floods, droughts, wildfires and state regulations on river flow, two state officials advised farmers and ranchers to remain engaged in those and other natural-resources issues.

Ag Alert, 3-20-19

FORESTS & WATERSHEDS

Napa city and county keep watershed study moving; Dillon questions research model

A joint effort by the city and county of Napa to study and monitor reservoir watersheds – and better track the effects of farming and development on drinking water for thousands – will continue moving ahead, despite concerns from county officials about part of a report underlying the project.

Napa Valley Register, 3-20-19

WATER

West Side grower: Government meddling in groundwater creates more problems

Move over global warming or cooling, California has a new environmental disaster called groundwater.

Modesto Bee, 3-19-19

Clean drinking water a bigger global threat than climate change, EPA’s Wheeler says

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler says that unsafe drinking water -- not climate change -- poses the greatest and most immediate global threat to the environment.

CBS News, 3-20-19

CLIMATE CHANGE

How to solve climate change? There are a thousand answers

Public hunger for action on climate is reaching an all-time high and climate change is featuring prominently in 2020 election conversations. The question for policymakers is no longer whether to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but instead about how to do it fast enough. A new “policy encyclopedia” provides more than 1,000 legal tools to lower emissions for every level of government and the private sector.

The Hill, 3-20-19

MINING

Congresswoman Katie Hill Requests Immediate Action On CEMEX Mining Project

Congresswoman Katie Hill sent a letter on Monday to Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt requesting assistance in expediting the decision to terminate the contract pertaining to the CEMEX mining project.

Santa Clarita Signal, 3-18-19

CLIMATE CHANGE

Stanford researchers create hydrogen fuel from seawater

Stanford researchers have devised a way to generate hydrogen fuel using solar power, electrodes and saltwater from San Francisco Bay. The findings, published March 18 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, demonstrate a new way of separating hydrogen and oxygen gas from seawater via electricity.

Stanford News, 3-18-19

Hot Records Fell Twice as Often as Cold Ones in Past 20 Years, AP Analysis Shows

Over the past 20 years, Americans have been twice as likely to sweat through record-breaking heat rather than shiver through record-setting cold, a new Associated Press data analysis shows.

Associated Press, 3-19-19

Palo Alto prepares for sea level rise

With rising tides threatening to submerge the Palo Alto Baylands by mid-century, city officials agreed on Monday that they need to explore new barriers — both physical and legislative — to protect coastal area from sea level rise.

Palo Alto Online, 3-19-19

The disconnect between the Trump administration and reality on climate change keeps growing

A historic storm hit the Great Plains last week, leading to the worst flooding in Nebraska in half a century. Several inches of rain fell after a month of record snow, some of which still sat on frozen ground. The result, as the Omaha World-Herald reported, was rain plus snowmelt with nowhere to go. So it went everywhere.

Washington Post, 3-18-19

Solving climate change the American way

Global warming is an existential crisis. The overwhelming consensus in the scientific community is that global warming will threaten the prosperity and security of not only every American, but people around the world.

The Hill commentary, 3-20-19

Climate Challenge Will Be Harder Than It Seems, JPMorgan Executive Warns

The world isn’t cutting carbon emissions anywhere near quickly enough, a senior executive at J.P. Morgan Asset Management told clients this week -- and changing that will require far harder choices than most people realize.

Bloomberg News, 3-19-19

WATER

Western droughts caused permanent loss to major California groundwater source

California's Central Valley aquifer, the major source of groundwater in the region, suffered permanent loss of capacity during the drought experienced in the area from 2012 to 2015. California has been afflicted by a number of droughts in recent decades, including one between 2007 and 2009, and the millennium drought that plagued the state from 2012 to 2015. Due to lack of water resources, the state drew heavily on its underground aquifer reserves during these periods.

American Geophysical Union, 3-19-19

GENERAL

Napa County’s proposed land-use rules ignore wildfire risks

Amazing. The October 2017 Wine Country wildfires burn one-third of Napa County, force evacuation of Calistoga and kill seven.Yet, in January 2019, the Napa County Board of Supervisors adopts a Strategic Plan that does not mention wildfires.

San Francisco Chronicle commentary, 3-19-19

OIL, GAS, AND GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES

Hundreds of new oil wells could soon triple Santa Barbara County production

Environmental groups and local residents are sounding alarms that proposed drilling projects would triple onshore oil production in Santa Barbara County — to which the oil industry says, “What’s wrong with that?” Associated video.

San Luis Obispo Tribune, 3-18-19

ERG Versus Our Community

A donnybrook took place Wednesday at the County Planning Commission meeting in Santa Maria over whether to approve a large expansion of ERG oil and gas drilling in Cat Canyon. ERG Petroleum faced off against an army of resource and climate defenders.

Santa Barbara Edhat, 3-18-19

Oregon House approves 10-year fracking ban

The Oregon House on Monday voted by a large margin to approve a 10-year ban on fracking in the state, according to a report by The Oregonian.

The Hill, 3-19-19

Los Angeles drill site shuttering some operations

A controversial drilling site near the University of Southern California campus in Los Angeles is ending some operations because of low production and a lack of payments to the state. The University Park neighborhood site operated by AllenCo Energy originally was permitted for oil and gas production in 1963 on acreage acquired from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Area residents have advocated for years to close the drill site. However, AllenCo applied last fall to the state OIL, GAS, AND GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES to resume operations.

Natural Gas Intelligence, 3-19-2019

LAND RESOURCE PROTECTION

'Tariff loophole' blamed in $40 million loss to olive farmers in Tulare County

Your Lindsay Olives won't come from Lindsay anymore. Tulare County olive growers are reeling after Bell-Carter, a major California table-olive processor, terminated contracts to buy fruit from orchards across the state without notice. Up to 4,500 acres of Tulare County olives will likely go fallow this year after the company canceled all but seven of its contracts with growers in the region.

Visalia Times-Delta, 3-18-19

$20M Grant for California Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Program

The California Fire Safe Council in partnership with the Watershed Research and Training Center has been awarded a $3 million grant, part of which is to help improve wildfire resiliency. The Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Program aims to help communities develop and implement projects to strengthen fire resiliency, increase carbon sequestration, and facilitate greenhouse gas emissions.

Insurance Journal, 3-18-19

Local Conservation Agency Awarded $1.5M for Wildfire Prep

A San Diego-area conservation organization has been awarded $1.5 million by the state to augment efforts to reduce local wildfire threats and impacts, the agency announced Wednesday. The funding for the Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego County is part of $20 million in block grants allocated to eight bodies throughout the state by the Department of Conservation and the California Natural Resources Agency through the Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Program.

San Diego City News Service, 3-13-19

Conservancy gets $1.5 million grant to ‘strengthen fire resiliency’

State officials in an effort to better prepare against the type of wildfire that destroyed much of Malibu last year, gave $1.5 million to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy to “prevent future catastrophes.”

Santa Clarita Signal, 3-13-19

CLIMATE CHANGE

Exxon’s Climate Denial Set To Face First Public Scrutiny As Legal Woes Mount

It’s been nearly four years since leaked documents revealed Exxon Mobil Corp. understood that fossil fuel emissions caused the planet to warm before it began funding a Big Tobacco-style misinformation campaign to discredit climate science.

Huffington Post, 3-19-19

OIL, GAS, AND GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES

The Trump administration is opening millions of new acres to drilling – and that’s just the start

The Trump administration is aggressively pressing ahead in expanding federal oil and gas industry leases that could lead to more drilling on land and at sea, defying an assessment by government scientists that the production and use of fossil fuels is accelerating climate change.

Washington Post, 3-15-19

The Us is set to become the world’s biggest oil exporter thanks to the shale revolution

The US shale revolution has made it to one of the world's largest energy producers and potentially the largest oil exporter globally within five years.

Business Insider, 3-18-19

MINING

Old mercury mines sit abandoned across SLO County – and they’re hiding in plain sight

Mercury mines were once a critical player in San Luis Obispo County’s economy. They helped keep America’s economy running — playing a part in everything from the California Gold Rush to World War II. The mines’ heyday is long past, and the wilderness has begun reclaiming them. But you can still find them, if you know where to look.

San Luis Obispo Tribune, 3-13-19

WATER

Drought, schmrought, California water experts already fret the next dry year and still preach conservation

You might think every water manager in the Golden State is sleeping soundly these days. Yet, even with all this wet news, local water manager still preach conservation and worry the drought will return next year and the year after.

Bay Area News Group, 3-16-19

California drought official over after more than seven years

California is officially free of drought after more than seven years, drought monitors said Thursday.

KSBY (San Luis Obispo television), 3-17-19

CLIMATE CHANGE

To combat climate change, California must wean buildings off fossil fuels

For decades, innovators in California have understood that the challenge of climate change demands ingenuity. But we’ve still got a long way to go. Notably, we still don’t have a comprehensive statewide plan to help cities cut pollution from homes and commercial buildings.

CALmatters, 3-15-19

SC Forests are protected, with a little help from California

South Carolina and California have little in common politically, but the Golden State's laws are protecting the Palmetto State's trees.

U.S. News & World Report, 3-17-19

Climate change will endanger 3 times more Californians than previous estimates, study says

Climate change through the rest of the 21st century could be much more threatening to coastal California than previously anticipated, based on newly published research led by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Sacramento Bee, 3-13-19

Hundreds of California students rally at Capitol in global youth ‘climate strike’

More than 200 California students rallied Friday at the state Capitol in Sacramento as part of a global Youth Climate Strike calling for action to combat climate change.

Sacramento Bee, 3-15-19

Environmental groups turn to plants for sea level rise in Menlo Park

A heavy rain pelted the group of volunteers kneeling in a muddy field in Menlo Park’s Ravenswood Preserve, planting small fingerlings of foliage into raised beds — a task that is part of an expanding experiment aimed at preparing the Bay Area shoreline for rising sea levels.

NBC Bay Area, 3-15-19

Here’s a running list of all the ways climate change has altered Earth in 2019

Earth is now the warmest it's been in some 120,000 years. The consequences of such a globally-disrupted climate are many, and it's understandably difficult to keep track. To help, here's a list of climate-relevant news that has transpired in 2019, from historically unprecedented disappearances of ice, to flood-ravaged cities.

Mashable, 3-16-19

OIL, GAS, AND GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES

A historic oil platform off Santa Barbara turns into a rusty ghost ship

Almost two years ago, Holly — one of 27 oil platforms along the California coast from Huntington Beach to Point Arguello — became property of the state after its owner, Venoco, filed for bankruptcy. The future of the platform is in question, but all drilling has ceased and the wells will be sealed.

Los Angeles Times, 3-14-19

GEOLOGY

Major ice ages may be caused by tectonic collisions

A new study from MIT researchers claims that Earth’s last three major ice ages were caused by collisions of tectonic plates bringing fresh, carbon-hungry rock to the surface. Over millions of years, these rocks sucked up enough carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to cause temperatures to plummet and send glaciers marching outward from the poles.

Discover Magazine, 3-14-19

WATER

California is drought-free for the first time in nearly 8 years

California has fully emerged from drought conditions for the first time since December 2011, and just 7 percent of the state remains abnormally dry, scientists said Thursday.

San Francisco Chronicle, 3-14-19

Wet winter ends California drought after 376 straight weeks

California is free of drought for the first time in more than seven years and only a small amount of its territory remains abnormally dry as a very wet winter winds down, experts said Thursday.

Associated Press, 3-14-19

OIL, GAS, AND GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES

Officials say some wells can’t be operates at disputed South L.A. oil site

Los Angeles city leaders announced Wednesday that at least a handful of oil wells on a shuttered South Los Angeles drilling site can no longer be operated after the expiration of a city agreement with the company.

Los Angeles Times, 3-13-19

More than 100 turn out for ERG Cat Canyon project; hearing continued to March 27

After more than four hours of public testimony Wednesday, the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission continued a public hearing on the ERG West Cat Canyon Revitalization Plan that would add 187 new steam-injection oil wells and a new natural gas pipeline to the company’s existing operation.

Santa Ynes Valley News, 3-13-19

Supporters, opponents of ERG Resources oil drilling plan speak up

A steady stream of speakers on Wednesday passionately urged the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission to approve or reject an oil-drilling project planned for Cat Canyon, but the panel delayed a decision at the end of a hearing that lasted more than five hours.

Santa Barbara Noozhawk, 3-13-19

Immaculate Inspections

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisor (BOS) received a report from their Planning Commission, last month, detailing the industries compliance with various health and safety regulations. The big surprise, in this compilation of oil company deviations from safe practice, was the lack of violations found in most all of the other oil and gas producers in the County.

Santa Barbara Edhat commentary, 3-13-19

LAND RESOURCE PROTECTION

The challenges of changing land use in the San Joaquin Valley

Implementing the state’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act—which requires overdrafted groundwater basins to achieve balance between supply and demand by the 2040s—could require taking at least 500,000 acres of irrigated cropland out of production in the San Joaquin Valley. While some lands will be converted to uses such as solar energy, groundwater recharge, and restored habitat, there are no current plans for most of this acreage.

Public Policy Institute of California 3-12-19

UC aims to boots ag’s sustainability

UC Cooperative Extension plays an active and ongoing role in the effort to increase agricultural sustainability and minimize the industry's environmental impact, a role that was showcased recently at the third Ag Innovations Conference. Held this month in Santa Maria, the event was centered on the potential for using biological solutions for the challenges faced in agricultural production.

Western Farm Press, 3-12-19

MINING

First stage of Combie Reservoir mercury project removes 40,000 cubic yards of sediment

On Wednesday, the Nevada Irrigation District board of directors heard an update on the Combie Reservoir Sediment and Mercury Removal Project, a multi-year, multi-million-dollar pilot project. The project got underway in July 2017 and will remove sediment from the reservoir, while extracting mercury using an innovative centrifuge technology.

Grass Valley Union, 3-13-19

FORESTS & WATERSHEDS

Conservancy get $1.5 million grant to ‘strengthen fire resiliency’

Santa Clarita Signal, 3-13-19

Iconic forests reaching climate tipping points in American West, study finds

Climate change in the American West may be crossing an ominous threshold, making parts of the region inhospitable for some native pine and fir forests to regrow after wildfires, new research suggests.

Inside Climate News, 3-11-19

Climate change limits forest recovery after wildfires

New research suggests climate change makes it increasingly difficult for tree seedlings to regenerate following wildfires in low-elevation forests, which could contribute to abrupt forest loss.

Science Daily, 3-12-19

CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate change will endanger 3 times more Californians than previous estimates, study says

Sacramento Bee, 3-13-19

Air carbon capture’s scale problem: 1.1 Astrodomes for a ton of CO2

Air carbon capture continues to get written about as if it is an interesting technology that will play a significant role in reducing global warming. But the scale of the problem matters. A lot.

Clean Technica, 3-14-19

County eyes agency for seal level rise

A countywide effort to manage sea level rise is beginning to coalesce. In recent months, San Mateo County officials have taken steps to form a new government agency to address coastal erosion, flooding, storm water infrastructure and sea level rise.

Half Moon Bay Review, 3-13-19

Sea level rise in Bay Area is going to much more destructive than we think, says USGS study

A new study from the U.S. Geological Survey says the predicted damage from sea level rise in California triples once tides, storms and erosion are taken into account.

KQED (San Francisco TV/radio), 3-13-19

OIL, GAS, AND GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES

Santa Barbara climate groups protest oil well proposals

Environmental groups in Santa Barbara are sending a message to the county’s planning commission over proposed oil well projects in the area. Over two dozen groups, along with the county’s Democratic party, are calling for the commission to oppose 233 new wells proposed by the Italian-based ERG West energy company as part of the company’s Cat Canyon Revitalization Plan Project.

KSBY (San Luis Obispo television), 3-12-19

GEOLOGY

Riverside County supervisors approve another $1.5 million to prevent flooding in Holy Fire burn area

Riverside County supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved an additional $1.5 million in expenditures for emergency projects to protect communities at risk of flooding along the eastern boundary of the Cleveland National Forest burned by last year's Holy Fire.

Palm Springs Desert Sun, 3-12-19

LAND RESOURCE PROTECTION

Napa County approves Kenefick Ranch winery near the Calistoga Palisades

Thomas Kenefick and his family have won Napa County approval to add a 20,000-gallon-a-year winery to their Calistoga-area ranch tucked amid the volcanic foothills near the Palisades.

Napa Valley Register, 3-13-19

CLIMATE CHANGE

Destruction from sea level rise in California could exceed worst wildfires and earthquakes, new research shows

In the most extensive study to date on sea level rise in California, researchers say damage by the end of the century could be far more devastating than the worst earthquakes and wildfires in state history.

Los Angeles Times, 3-13-19

WATER

The Twin Tunnel are out – Berkeley experts say that’s a good thing

The California WaterFix was promoted by Jerry Brown as the solution to the state’s agricultural and urban water insecurity and environmental degradation in the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta. Ultimately, though, it was a bridge—or tunnel—too far, even for Brown. And UC Berkeley water experts generally agree Newsom’s move away from the WaterFix is a pragmatic one.

California Magazine (UC Berkeley), 3-12-19

Trump Administration shortcuts science to give California farmers more water

When then-candidate Donald Trump swung through California in 2016, he promised Central Valley farmers he would send more water their way. Now, President Trump is following through on his promise by speeding up a key decision about the state's water supply.

NPR, 3-11-19

California agencies at odds over Colorado River drought plan

A major Southern California water agency is trying to push the state through a final hurdle in joining a larger plan to preserve a key river in the U.S. West that serves 40 million people.

Associated Press, 3-12-19

GENERAL

Joshua Tree to expand and 716,000 acres gain protection as Trump signs lands package

A years-long bipartisan effort to protect Southern California’s desert has paid off for conservationists and off-roaders. President Donald Trump signed a national public lands package Tuesday, March 12, that includes legislation protecting 716,000 acres in Southern California.

Southern California Newspaper Group, 3-12-19

OIL, GAS, AND GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES

Immaculate Inspections

Thanks to frequent complaints of odious oil company violations of safety standards, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors received a report from the Planning Department in February detailing the industry's compliance with various health and safety regulations. The big surprise in this compilation of oil company deviations from safe practices, was the lack of violations found in most of the other oil and gas producers in the county.

Santa Maria Sun, 3-6-19

Oil well blowout leaves Marina Del Rey residents less confident about receiving vital information from public health and safety officials

Nearly two months since an abandoned oil well blowout spewed a geyser of mud and methane gas in Marina del Rey, residents remain upset that it took a whole week for public officials to communicate with neighbors about the situation.

Culver City Argonaut, 3-6-19

FORESTS & WATERSHEDS

California wildfires: Reports names priority projects for thinning vegetation

Gov. Gavin Newsom should immediately allow the thinning of vegetation on almost 94,000 acres of state land in a bid to keep more than 200 communities safe, California fire officials said Tuesday as they released a list of the state’s 35 most critical fuel-reduction projects.

San Francisco Chronicle, 3-5-19

CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate Science’s Myth-Buster

It’s time to be scientific about global warming, says climatologist Judith Curry.

City Journal, 3-5-19

As sea level rises, wetlands crank up their carbon storage

Some wetlands perform better under pressure. A new study revealed that when faced with sea-level rise, coastal wetlands respond by burying even more carbon in their soils.

Science Codex, 3-6-19

Trump again seeks deep cuts in renewable energy funding

The Trump administration is again seeking severe cuts to the U.S. Energy Department division charged with renewable energy and energy efficiency research, according to a department official familiar with the plan.

Bloomberg News Service, 3-7-19

OIL, GAS, AND GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES

Local Native American tribes fight for the coast

In the last couple of years, Native American communities are becoming increasingly outspoken about environmental threats, one of those being the Trump administration’s interest in opening California’s coast to offshore drilling.

San Diego City Beat, 3-6-19

Oil well blowout leaves Marina Del Rey residents less confident about receiving vital information from public health and safety officials

Culver City Argonaut, 3-6-19

We must prevent the next Aliso Canyon disaster

While Southern California Gas Company signed a $119.5 million settlement with California and the city of Los Angeles, the significant and permanent impact in the lives of people affected has remained constant, and will for years to come.

CALmatters, 3-6-19

FORESTS & WATERSHEDS

California officials focus on forest management after fires

After successive years of devastating wildfires, California’s fire agency announced a plan Tuesday that would dramatically increase the removal of dead trees and other forest management efforts with the help of the National Guard.

Washington Post, 3-5-19

CLIMATE CHANGE

Dozens of ex-officials warn Trump against White House panel on climate change

Dozens of former U.S. military and intelligence officials warned President Trump on Tuesday not to establish a White House panel to counter government scientists' findings about the threats of climate change.

The Hill, 3-5-19

US remains stagnant in climate change vulnerability and readiness, new data shows

For the fourth year in a row, the United States has ranked 15th in the University of Notre Dame’s Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN) Country Index. The annual index ranks 181 countries on vulnerability to extreme climate events such as droughts, superstorms and other natural disasters as well as readiness to successfully implement adaptation solutions.

Notre Dame News, 3-5-19

Here’s why Arnold Schwarzenegger and Kevin de Leon are teaming up on climate change

Schwarzenegger and De León are launching an initiative with environmental activists and researchers at USC and UCLA to study how local governments can speed the adoption of cleaner transportation options and to promote more aggressive action at the state level.

Los Angeles Times, 3-6-19

OIL, GAS, AND GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES

What toxins are being emitted from LA County’s abandoned oil wells? A lawmaker wants to find out

In California, 30,000 wells are abandoned; of those 1,850 remain idle or abandoned in Los Angeles County, according to a 2018 report from the L.A. County Department of Public Health. Assemblyman Chris Holden has authored a bill that will tell the public what kinds of gases are leaking from these wells and in what amounts, a transparency law that piggy-backs onto 2018 rules to expedite cleanup of old gas and oil wells.

Southern California Newspaper Group, 3-5-19

The tale behind Long Beach’s ‘resort’ oil drilling islands

Many locals often like to imagine that the decorated oil digging islands which dot the coast of Long Beach are not really oil digging destroyers of the earth while visitors, out of pure naïveté, assume they are resorts, especially when the fake waterfalls kick on. The story behind their development is one of both myth and truth—and yes, a Disneyland designer is behind part of the tale.

Long Beach Post, 3-6-19

California Supreme Court hears Aliso Canyon gas leak case

A group of small businesses said that Southern California Gas Company should be held accountable for the ruinous losses they suffered in the wake of the most catastrophic gas leak in California history at the state Supreme Court Tuesday. The California Supreme Court heard arguments in their class action case, which has the potential to upend tort law and the concept of duty of care.

Courthouse News Service, 3-5-19

GEOLOGY

Powerful storm bears down on Santa Barbara County, prompting evacuations in burn areas

Thousands of Santa Barbara County residents were ordered to evacuate Tuesday in preparation for a strong atmospheric river-fueled storm that officials worry could trigger debris flows in neighborhoods below hillsides scarred by wildfires.

Los Angeles Times, 3-5-19

LAND RESOURCE PROTECTION

East Bay Park District buys 160 acres to expand Doolan Canyon preserve

Doolan Canyon Regional Preserve has just gotten larger, thanks to the East Bay Regional Park District’s recent purchase of 160 acres about three miles northwest of Livermore.

Bay Area News Group, 3-4-19

CLIMATE CHANGE

Why California’s droughts and floods will only get worse

The dramatic shift from dry to wet this winter hints at what’s to come. Scientists predict that California’s total precipitation will remain close to constant in the future, but it will fall in a shorter window of time, with more of it as rain. The state will also experience greater variability—more very wet and more very dry years. Here’s what to expect from California’s wet seasons, now and in the future.

Popular Science, 3-5-19

OIL, GAS, AND GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES

City Attorney Mike Feuer discusses Aliso Canyon gas leak settlement

In his latest appearance on Eyewitness Newsmakers, City Attorney Mike Feuer discussed the expected $120 million Aliso Canyon methane gas leak settlement. The money not only includes a $25 million Porter Ranch study, but it also earmarks about the same amount for methane gas generated by Central Valley cows, 100 miles away.

KABC (Los Angeles television), 3-4-19

LAND RESOURCE PROTECTION

General Mills wants to regenerate 1 million acres of farmland over next decade

Golden Valley-based food company General Mills Inc. has announced it wants to promote regenerative agriculture on 1 million acres of farmland by 2030. It also announced a $650,000 grant to Kiss the Ground, a nonprofit that provides education and training on education on regenerative agriculture. That organization has a much more ambitious goal for soil health: it wants to increase the soil health of half a billion acres of land by 2050.

Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, 3-4-19

WATER

Our view: Saving for a (non) rainy day

As our reservoirs fill and water managers dump the inflow to make room for the spring snow met, we have to ask if we’re doing all we can to make sure there is enough water in California to go around. Without changing our ways and aggressively pursuing other solutions, there won’t be enough water when the drought comes. Certainly, there won’t be enough if the predictions are correct about some of the dire consequences of climate change.

Stockton Record editorial, 3-3-19

Water agency finalizes proposal for state’s Bay-Delta Plan

To protect the Bay-Delta watershed, the state of California has indicated it wants more water from the watersheds that feed it.

Marysville Appeal-Democrat, 3-3-19

FORESTS & WATERSHEDS

Here’s a Q&A cheat sheet for Napa County’s watershed debate

Napa County’s latest environmental battle over watershed and tree protections is thorny and complicated. Grand themes have emerged – battling climate change, protecting drinking water, respecting private property rights, keeping Napa County’s world-famous wine country economy healthy. Finding ways to reconcile these various values is the trick.

Napa Valley Register, 3-1-19

CLIMATE CHANGE

How the weather gets weaponized in climate change messaging

Welcome to the weather wars. As battle lines harden between supporters and opponents of climate action, both are increasingly using bouts of extreme weather as a weapon to try to win people to their side.

New York Times, 3-1-19

California lawmakers want $100 billion toward clean energy

A group of Democratic California lawmakers called Monday for the state to invest $100 billion to drastically reduce its carbon emissions and reliance on fossil fuels by 2030.

Associated Press, 3-4-19

HIGH SPEED RAIL

California rail authority calls Trump plan to end high-speed rail funding ‘rash and unlawful’

The California rail authority delivered a sharp rebuttal Monday to the Trump administration, saying its threat to cancel and rescind $3.5 billion in grants for the state bullet train project is “rash and unlawful.”

Los Angeles Times, 3-4-19

California: Trump plan to take back rail money ‘disastrous’

Leaders of California’s high-speed rail project told the Trump administration Monday its plans to take back $2.5 billion in federal money and withhold another $1 billion earmarked for the project are “disastrous policy” and “legally indefensible.”

Associated Press, 3-4-19

GEOLOGY

Shake Alert LA users are concerned about earthquake app’s security issues, bugs and crashes

Los Angeles’ earthquake early warning app has won buzz in recent weeks, as it’s the first public app of its kind in the United States that aims to warn people seconds before shaking arrives from an earthquake. But among users who commented on the app, some are concerned about privacy and crashes and expressed concerns that the app was rushed out too early.

Los Angeles Times, 3-1-2019

How to get ready for the next big earthquake. You asked, we answered

Another big earthquake is coming to Southern California. When it hits we want you to know what to do (and not do).

LAist, 3-1-2019

Deep earthquake with magnitude 7.1 strikes southern Peru

An earthquake with magnitude 7.1 struck southern Peru, 67 km north-northwest of Juliaca, according to the United States Geological Survey. The earthquake was very deep at 258 km.

Reuters, 3-1-2019

Homes continue to slide as residents prepare for more rain

After a weekend storm earlier this month, residents of the hillside neighborhood on the 19700 block of Terri Drive watched as their property physically transformed and broke apart. And now 10 days after families first noticed fissures appearing in their walls and patios, another series of storms is on the way.

The Signal, 2-28-2019

200,000 people go into California’s volcanic hazard zones every day

California isn’t exactly known for its volcanic activity. In the minds of most, it’s a place where tectonic forces battle it out, gearing parts of the state up for a dangerous and perhaps catastrophic earthquake. There is no sign in any way that any of these volcanoes are going to erupt in any manner anytime soon. Nevertheless, these volcanoes are all classified as “active” which means that the USGS is extremely keen on monitoring them.

Forbes, 3-3-2019

Earthquake: 3.4 quake strikes near Clearlake, California

A shallow magnitude 3.4 earthquake was reported Sunday morning near the Northern California town of Clearlake, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor occurred at 7:04 a.m. Pacific time at a depth of 0.6 miles.

Los Angeles Times, 3-3-2019

LAND RESOURCE PROTECTION

Forget the past, carbon-rich soil may be the ticket to sustainable agriculture

Poncia’s Stemple Creek Ranch might be a model for future farmers with its sustainable agricultural practices to keep carbon in the soil and out of the atmosphere. Along with less greenhouse gas emissions, carbon-rich soil means healthier and more productive plants, according to rangeland ecologist Jeff Creque.

The Mercury News, 3-3-2019

MINING

Why Barrick Gold is trying to buy Newmont Mining again

In 1983, debilitating inflation had depressed the prices of assets like oil and gas after a series of brutal 1970s price spikes. And it was far easier to buy beaten-down shares in a takeover than to go to the trouble of exploring for new reserves. In 2019, that same phenomenon is at work, except with gold instead of oil. It’s a mini-scramble driven by Barrick Gold’s Monday-morning $17.8 billion no-premium hostile bid for rival Newmont Mining.

Barron’s, 2-27-2019

CLIMATE CHANGE

Methane in the atmosphere is surging, and that’s got scientists worried

Scientists love a good mystery. But it’s more fun when the future of humanity isn’t at stake. Twenty years ago the level of methane in the atmosphere stopped increasing, giving humanity a bit of a break when it came to slowing climate change. But the concentration started rising again in 2007 — and it’s been picking up the pace over the last four years, according to new research.

Los Angeles Times, 3-2-2019

Population increases and climate change point to future US water shortages

Climate change plus population growth are setting the stage for water shortages in parts of the U.S. long before the end of the century, according to a new study in the AGU journal Earth's Future.

Phys.org, 2-28-2019

Concern growing over sea level rise in Redwood City

No other county in California is more vulnerable to sea level rise than San Mateo County and developed areas, including highways, will be increasingly prone to flooding in the not-so-distant future if nothing is done, according to a presentation organized by the Committee for Green Foothills.

The Daily Journal, 2-28-2019

WATER

A massive aquifer lies beneath the Mojave Desert. Could it help solve California’s water problem?

There is water here in the Mojave Desert. A lot of it. Whether to tap it on a commercial scale or leave it alone is a decades-old question the Trump administration has revived and the California legislature is visiting anew.

The Washington Post, 3-3-2019

HIGH-SPEED RAIL

Newsom’s shorter California bullet train plan likely to run out of money before completion

The California bullet train project will probably run out of money before it can fulfill Gov. Gavin Newsom’s modest plan to build a high-speed operating segment between Bakersfield and Merced, according to a Times analysis of the state rail authority’s financial records.

Los Angeles Times, 3-3-2019

In Central Valley towns, California’s bullet train isn’t an idea: ‘It’s people’s lives’

The recent debate surrounding California’s transit future has reverberated statewide. But here in the Central Valley, the upheaval — like the bullet train itself — is real. Houses have been boarded up, businesses moved, vineyards torn out and a highway realigned.

Los Angeles Times, 3-2-2019

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