Geology
300: Physical Geology
Geology
301: Physical Geology Lab
Geology
305: Earth Science
Geology
306: Earth Science Lab
Instructor: Arthur Reed
May 2019 Earth Sciences topics/events making news…
...with emphasis on California news
Remember
the principles of the scientific method when evaluating news stories!
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news articles) |
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news articles) |
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DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, AND
GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES
Sensors
being deployed across Lost Hills will provide non-regulatory look at local air
quality
Seven
state-funded air-quality monitors are being set up around Lost Hills area as
part of an effort to protect the health of the area's largely immigrant
community. The monitors, set to begin operation Monday, are planned to provide
continuous, real-time air quality data in an area where activists contend
emissions from nearby oilfield and agribusiness operations present pollution
risks.
Bakersfield
Californian, 5-31-19
CA
Supreme Court Rejects Efforts to Recoup Lost Profits from Aliso Canyon Leak
The largest gas
leak in U.S. history occurred in a neighborhood north of Los Angeles in 2015,
forcing a mass exodus of residents and affecting businesses who lost customers
while the utility worked for months to cap the blowout. On Thursday, the
California Supreme Court rejected a group of business owners’ efforts to
recoup lost profits from the utility, finding “the ripple effects of
industrial catastrophe on this scale in an interconnected economy defy judicial
creation of more finely tuned rules.”
Courthouse News
Service, 5-30-19
MINING
If
we can’t challenge China, no one can, warns operator of only US mine for
rare earth metals
The only rare
earth metals-producing mine in the U.S. is facing short-term refining
challenges as the nation looks to reduce its reliance on China for the
materials due to the trade war
CNBC, 5-30-19
CLIMATE CHANGE
Scientific
leaders explore pathways to climate solutions
Climate change
is altering ocean ecosystems and impacting Earth's land surfaces. Yet
strategies to address such challenges largely focus on land activities when
broader responses offer more powerful solutions, said marine ecologist Jane
Lubchenco during a lecture at the American Association for the Advancement of
Science's 44th Science & Technology Policy Forum.
Science Daily,
5-31-19
Council
approves $800 million climate plan
anta Monica is
planning to spend almost a billion dollars over the next 10 years to cut carbon
emissions and adapt to climate change. The $833 million Climate Action &
Adaptation Plan (CAAP) that City Council unanimously approved Tuesday night
sets an ambitious goal of reducing carbon emissions to 20 percent of their 1990
levels by 2030.
Santa Monica
Daily Press, 5-21-19
San
Diego's Climate Goals Require More Investment in Energy Storage
Last year, California
raised the stakes in the fight against climate change, instituting a goal of
reaching 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2045, with at least 60 percent
of that power coming from renewable sources such as wind and solar.
Voice of San
Diego, 5-30-19
WATER
Water
management is a complex issue in California. But we need to tackle it together
Of all the
issues that have crossed Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk during his first 100
days in office, water might very well be the most complex. How the state
manages this precious resource is an urgent concern for residents, businesses,
environmentalists and the agricultural sector.
Sacramento Bee
commentary, 5-31-19
Sierra
snowpack is 202 percent of average for this time of year
A nonstop parade
of storms barreled across the Sierra Nevada in winter. Then, spring hit and
winter weather persisted with unseasonably cold systems piling up snow all the
way through Memorial Day weekend. The marathon stretch of unsettled weather
means the reservoirs are brimming, the rivers are rushing, the waterfalls are
spectacular, and people are still skiing in fresh powder in Tahoe.
San Francisco
Chronicle, 5-31-19
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, AND
GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES
Activists
speak out against fracking on federal land in California
Kern's oil
industry took a pass May 21 on a public hearing focused on the environmental
impacts of fracking, handing the day to dozens of anti-oil activists who
convened in downtown Bakersfield to rail against the technique and the threat
of climate change.
Delano Record,
5-30-19
Fracking:
Inside a BLM report, environmental impacts, and the public’s response
Fracking has
been a hot topic in the San Joaquin Valley ever since the Trump administration
released an environmental review about the possibility of expanding hydraulic
fracturing on federal lands in Central California.
Valley Public Radio, 5-29-19
Could
fracking with carbon dioxide instead of water be greener?
Could a
greenhouse gas be the answer to making fracking less controversial? Counterintuitive
as the idea might seem, Chinese researchers claim that using carbon dioxide
instead of water for fracturing rocks could be a greener way of extracting
fossil fuels.
New Scientist, 5-30-19
Oregon
Senate passes 5-year fracking moratorium for oil, natural gas
The Oregon
Senate has approved a temporary ban on hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas,
also known as “fracking.” But members amended the House proposal,
reducing the moratorium from 10 to 5 years. The bill now goes back to the House
to approve the amendment, and then to Gov. Kate Brown for her signature.
Salem (Ore.) Statesman Journal, 5-29-19
Protestors
rally against fracking on the Central Coast
Approximately
100 protestors rallied in Santa Barbara on May 23 to oppose federal plans to
allow oil-leasing—drilling and fracking—on over one million acres
of public lands in California’s Central Coast.
Coastal View News, 5-29-19
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Freak
mud flows threaten our water supplies, and climate change is raising the risk
Slurries of mud
increasingly threaten the water we drink. This rush of sediment, known as
"debris flow," is a type of erosion where mud and boulders in steep
catchments suddenly tumble down the stream channel, often traveling at speeds
of several meters per second.
The
Conversation, 5-29-19
DIVISION OF MINE RECLAMATION
Fly
breeder? Nutria killer? These five unusual California state jobs might surprise
you
State service
takes many forms across California’s 150 departments. Here we look at
five unusual or surprising jobs performed by a few of the state’s roughly
230,000 workers. ABANDONED MINE INSPECTOR: Some of the abandoned mines in
California are just deep holes straight down into the ground. Others offer easy
access to horizontal passages. But any mine can harbor rattlesnakes, loose
hanging rocks, hidden holes and even poisonous gases.
Sacramento Bee,
5-30-19
DIVISION OF LAND RESOURCE
PROTECTION
County
looks to shield foothills from Stanford’s growth for the next century
With Santa Clara
County preparing to demand that Stanford University nearly quadruple its
housing production as part of the university's ambitious expansion plan, county
planners are also proposing new measures that would curtail Stanford's ability
to build anything in the foothills that surround the campus.
Menlo Park Almanac, 5-29-19
WATER
Changes
in climate continue to make surveying watersheds tricky. ‘But we can
change that’
More than a century
ago, Dr. James E. Church developed methods that California now uses to measure
snowpack and forecast how much water will enter our rivers and lakes each
spring. But we can change that. The aerial snow survey program supported by SB
487 is a game changer. It is, without a doubt, the most significant development
in the history of snow surveys. In years when we must make do with less water,
it’s crucial to know exactly what we have.
Sacramento Bee,
5-30-19
Thirsty
Silicon Valley water agency might buy a Central Valley farm. Why agriculture is
worried.
Once again, a
big thirsty metropolis is looking at buying Central Valley farmland with an eye
toward boosting its water supplies. And once again, neighboring farmers are
nervous about it.
Sacramento
Bee, 5-29-19
Changes
in climate continue to make surveying watersheds tricky. ‘But we can
change that’
In April 2015, I
escorted then-Gov. Jerry Brown to Echo Summit, where we ceremoniously plunged a
metal pole onto the dry, bare earth that typically would have been covered by
snow but wasn’t that year. That spring, we were in the depths of a record-setting
drought. If you’re among the many Californians who remember the photo of
that survey, you’ll probably recognize me. I’m the one wearing a
ball cap with “DWR” plastered on the front.
Sacramento Bee
commentary, 5-30-19
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, AND
GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES
EDC
declares Orcutt oilfields contaminated drinking water wells
A presentation
by the U.S. Geological Survey to California water boards has surfaced that
reveals contamination in the groundwater around the Orcutt oilfield, the
Environmental Defense Center in Santa Barbara claims.
Santa Barbara Independent, 5-28-19
Will
Arroyo Grande oil field add 481 new oil wells? It just cleared a major hurdle
Sentinel Peak
Resources has cleared an environmental hurdle that could allow it to move
forward with years-old plans to increase drilling in the Arroyo Grande Oil
Field — but whether it will or not is still up in the air.
San Luis Obispo Tribune, 5-28-19
Small
crude-oil spill reported at Haskell’s Beach in Goleta
A few barrels of
crude oil were spill Tuesday at Haskell’s Beach in Goleta during
abandonment activities associated with piers formerly used by the oil industry.
Santa Barbara Noozhawk, 5-28-19
BLM
stifles comments on fracking plan
Central Valley and
Central Coast residents went to Bakersfield last week with the intention of
voicing their opposition to new oil drilling leases in the Central California.
Instead, they were told the meeting would not be recorded and only written
comments would be submitted into the record.
Exeter
Sun Gazette, 5-29-19
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
A
Signal in Giant Earthquakes That Could Save Lives
Seismologists have
never had a better understanding of earthquakes. But tragedy after tragedy
shows that quakes still surprise and shock
people with their mercurial behavior.
New York Times,
5-29-19
DIVISION OF LAND RESOURCE
PROTECTION
Environmental
groups sue over 12,000-acre Centennial development in northern LA County
Earlier this
year, after years of debate, Los Angeles County’s Board of Supervisors
signed off on a contentious development project set to bring nearly 20,000 new
homes to the northern edge of the county.
Curbed Los Angeles, 5-28-19
MINING
China’s
rare earth metals aren’t the trade war weapon Beijing makes them out to
be
China has a
stranglehold on rare earth supplies. But blocking rare earth
exports—again—might well be a ‘nuclear option’ for
China, but Beijing could suffer the fallout.
Fortune, 5-29-19
WATER
Seeking
more water, Silicon Valley eyes Central Valley farmland
The largest water
agency in Silicon Valley has been secretly negotiating to purchase a sprawling
cattle ranch in Merced County that sits atop billions of gallons of
groundwater, a move that could create a promising new water source — or
spark a political battle between the Bay Area and Central Valley farmers.
Bay Area News Group, 5-28-19
As
late-season wet weather hits Northern California, snowpack and reservoir levels
soar
Northern California
rain and snow levels have soared with record wet weather in May, leaving the
Sierra with higher-than-normal snowpack levels and pushing several reservoirs
toward full capacity.
Sacramento Bee, 5-26-19
CLIMATE CHANGE
State
enlists Marin farmers to combat climate change
State agencies
are calling for more ranchers and farmers in Marin County and elsewhere to play
a crucial role in combating the effects of climate change by drawing carbon
dioxide out of the atmosphere and into the soils.
Marin Independent Journal, 5-28-19
A
new atlas for dealing with rising seas in the Bay Area
Individual
cities, regulatory agencies, and communities will not be able to proactively
adapt to rising sea levels unless we find ways to work together, pool
resources, and bring everyone along. Because water comes at us from all
directions — the Bay, the ground, the hills, the sky — we need to
work with our natural environment.
Bay Nature, 5-24-19
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Earthquake:
3.2 quake strikes north of Santa Rosa, Calif.
A shallow
magnitude 3.2 earthquake was reported Friday evening seven miles from Cobb,
Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Los Angeles Times, 5-24-19
Magnitude
8 earthquake rattles Peru, killing at least 1
A powerful
magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck a remote part of the Amazon jungle in Peru
early Sunday, collapsing buildings and knocking out power to some areas but
causing only one reported death.
CBS News, 5-26-19
Mount
Agung erupted in Bali. Here are 7 things to know about volcanoes
Mount Agung in
Bali, Indonesia erupted Saturday, spilling lava and shooting out rocks over a distance of 2 miles. Despite the risks, many choose to
stay and build their lives near these rumbling, temperamental giants. Here are
some of the coolest things scientists have learned
— from the most likely way a volcano would kill you to whether it’s
okay to throw your garbage into one.
Vox, 5-25-19
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, AND
GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES
Santa
Barbara crows rallies against plan to open public lands to oil fracking
About 150 people
who turned out Thursday night to criticize the U.S. Bureau of Land
Management’s proposal to begin hydraulic fracturing to produce oil and
gas on public land in Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, Kern, Tulare,
Madera and Kings counties.
San
Luis Obispo Tribune, 5-24-19
A geothermal
energy project triggered a damaging earthquake in 2017 in South Korea. A new
analysis suggests flaws in some of the most common ways of trying to minimize
the risk of such quakes when harnessing Earth’s heat for energy.
Stanford News, 5-23-19
Attorneys
try to persuade judges that SoCalGas should pay restitution to Porter Ranch
residents
In the latest
effort to snare restitution for residents of Porter Ranch and nearby
communities, attorneys presented their arguments Thursday before a three-judge
panel in California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal. More than 150
residents packed the courtroom, with some wearing red “Shut It
Down” T-shirts and “Victim” signs. Attorneys who represent
residents said the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed
misdemeanor criminal charges against the utility and later let the gas company
plead no contest to one of the counts without allowing residents to file
restitution claims against Southern California Gas Co.
Los Angeles
Newspaper Group, 5-24-19
America
Must Build More Natural Gas Storage Capacity
Natural gas of
course is increasingly our go-to fuel to grow the economy, reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, backup wind and solar, and be our essential
energy source to export to a mostly poor and energy-deprived world. This
ongoing U.S. "Dash to Gas" ensures a known necessity for us: we
need more geological sites to store natural gas to meet the ebb and
flow of demand.
Forbes, 5-26-19
MINING
China
considers U.S. rare earth export curbs: Global Times editor
Beijing is
“seriously considering” restricting exports to the United States of
rare earths, 17 chemical elements used in high-tech consumer electronics and
military equipment, the editor in chief of China’s Global Times said on
Tuesday.
Reuters, 5-28-19
DIVISION OF LAND RESOURCE
PROTECTION
Supervisors
put the brakes on industrial hemp in Tulare County
Selling and
growing recreational cannabis may be legal in California, but counties all over
the state are struggling with new laws regarding the cultivation of industrial
hemp. Tulare County is just the latest in a slew of local governments to put a
temporary moratorium on the growing of hemp.
Valley Voice, 5-26-19
CLIMATE CHANGE
Trump
Administration hardens its attack on climate science
After two years
spent unraveling the policies of his predecessors, Mr. Trump and his political
appointees are launching a new assault. In the next few months, the White House
will complete the rollback of the most significant federal effort to curb
greenhouse-gas emissions, initiated during the Obama administration.
New York Times, 5-27-19
Should
big dams count as renewable energy? California Democrats divided
For motorists
driving to Yosemite National Park from the Bay Area, Don Pedro Reservoir is a
familiar sight. But the massive lake along Highway 120 just west of Groveland
has taken on a new role recently: as a flashpoint in the debate over what
should — and shouldn’t — count as renewable energy in
California.
Bay Area News Group, 5-26-19
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, AND
GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES
Hundreds
bash Trump’s oil fracking plan in SLO: ‘This battle does not end
tonight’
The movement
against fossil fuel development on the Central Coast is alive and kicking. A
public meeting erupted into an impassioned rally in San Luis Obispo Wednesday
night as activists and local residents took turns
bashing a federal plan to resume leasing public land in Central California to
new oil and gas drilling, including fracking.
San Luis Obispo Tribune, 5-23-19
BLM:
We don’t believe there would be significant environmental impacts from
fracking proposal
The Central
Coast could be home to a number of hydraulic
fracturing, or fracking projects under a plan being considered by the Trump
Administration. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is exploring the
environmental impacts of fossil fuel extraction in eight California counties,
including SLO, Santa Barbara and Ventura - which could end a five-year-old
moratorium on leasing federal public land in the state to oil companies.
KEYT (Santa Barbara television), 5-23-19
Large
crowd speaks out against hydraulic fracturing oil-drilling proposal
About 150 people
turned out Thursday night to criticize the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's
proposal to begin hydraulic fracturing to produce oil and gas on public land in
Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, Kern, Tulare, Madera and Kings
counties.
Santa Barbara Noozhawk, 5-23-19
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Lori
Dengler: Of basketball and earthquakes: The complex
business of safe public structures
Shaking hazard
is just one consideration in seismic safety. Design and construction are just
as important. The Warrior’s Oracle Arena is 2.3 miles west of the Hayward
fault, a fault that produced a mid-M6 range quake in 1868 and is the Bay Area
fault most likely to rupture in the next 30 years. The odds are tiny that the
next strong shaker will coincide with a game — but some of us still
remember 1989, right?
Eureka Times Standard, 5-23-19
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Earthquake:
3.2 quake strikes near Cobb, Calif.
A shallow
magnitude-3.2 earthquake was reported Tuesday evening five miles from Cobb,
Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Los Angeles Times, 5-22-19
Earthquake:
3.4 quake strikes near Darwin, Calif.
A shallow
magnitude-3.4 earthquake was reported Tuesday night 11 miles from Darwin,
Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
San Diego Union-Tribune, 5-22-19
Tsunami
warning center officials investigate bogus earthquake message
The Pacific
Tsunami Warning Center on Oahu said there is no tsunami threat in the Pacific
after a “fabricated message was circulated” about a large
earthquake in Japan and subsequent tsunami.
Honolulu Star Advertiser, 5-23-19
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, AND
GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES
Public
hearing on fracking in Valley not recorded – ‘I feel like the
process is rigged’
“Absurd,”
“insulting,” and “insane” were some of the many critiques
levied during a public meeting in Bakersfield on Tuesday night against a recent
Bureau of Land Management environmental analysis, which brings the agency one
step closer to opening over a million acres of federal land to hydraulic
fracturing.
KVPR (Clovis Public Radio), 5-22-19
Dozens rallied
against the Trump Administration’s plan to open more than a million acres
for oil drilling and fracking on the Central Coast.
KSBY (San Luis Obispo television), 5-22-19
Demonstrators
protest Trump administration fracking proposal
A protest was
held outside a public meeting in Bakersfield Tuesday night to get input on
plans by the Trump Administration to expand oil drilling and fracking to more
than a million acres of federal land in the Central Valley.
KGET (Bakersfield television), 5-22-19
HIGH SPEED RAIL
On
high-speed rail, Newson cuts deal to protect federal grant while lawsuit
proceeds
Gov. Gavin
Newsom announced Wednesday he had reached an agreement with the Trump
administration not to redirect funds from a high-speed rail grant while
California’s lawsuit against the federal government proceeds.
Los Angeles Times, 5-22-19
US
won’t immediately give away $1B for California rail
The Trump
administration will not immediately give $1 billion it revoked from
California's high-speed rail project to another project, according to a legal
agreement reached Wednesday between the two.
Capital Public Radio, 5-22-19
CLIMATE CHANGE
Growth
projections collide with SF’s goal of zero net carbon emissions by 2050
The goal is
tantalizing: Make San Francisco carbon neutral — meaning no net release
of greenhouse gas emissions into the air — by 2050. But with the
city’s economy booming and the population expected to swell to 1.2
million people, getting there could be incredibly difficult.
San Francisco Chronicle, 5-22-19
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, AND
GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES
Activists
speak out against fracking on federal land in California
Kern's oil
industry took a pass Tuesday on a public hearing focused on the environmental
impacts of fracking, handing the day to dozens of anti-oil activists who
convened in downtown Bakersfield to rail against the technique and the threat
of climate change.
Bakersfield
Californian, 5-22-19
Appeals
court says review sufficient for drilling in canyon
area
No additional
environmental review needs to be done for a contested oil drilling operation in
the Santa Paula Canyon area, a state appeals court has ruled. The
three-judge panel in the 2nd District Court of Appeal this month
upheld a decision made by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors almost four
years ago to allow drilling without more study of the environmental issues.
Ventura County
Star, 5-21-19
Ideological
clash over global warming looming at Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors
A demand that
the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors act to halt global warming and
deny proposed oil developments in northern Santa Barbara County set up a
potential clash of supervisors’ ideologies at the June 4 meeting.
Santa Ynez News, 5-21-19
Farmersville
formally opposes fracking in Tulare County
Farmersville
became the first city to formally oppose the federal government’s plan to
begin fracking in the central valley. At its May 13 meeting, the Farmersville
City Council unanimously approved a resolution opposing new oil leases on
federal land in the County of Tulare.
Exeter Sun Gazette, 5-22-19
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Magnitude-3.8
quake jolts Eureka area
A magnitude-3.8
earthquake jolted the Eureka area on Tuesday morning, according to a report
from the U.S. Geological Survey.
Eureka Times Standard, 5-21-19
Earthquake:
3.8 quake strikes in Northern California
A shallow
magnitude 3.8 earthquake was reported Tuesday morning 10 miles from Pine Hills,
Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Los Angeles Times, 5-21-19
Del
Mar declares emergency in wake of hillside collapse
Del Mar has
declared a local emergency to expedite repairs and help recover expenses after
a hillside slope collapsed onto Jimmy Durante Boulevard, severing a main route
between the city, the state fairgrounds and neighboring communities. The single
northbound lane leading from Camino del Mar to the fairgrounds has been closed
since the April 20 overnight slide and will remain closed through at least the
first week of this year’s San Diego County Fair, officials said at
Monday’s City Council meeting. The fair starts May 31 and ends July 4th.
San Diego
Union-Tribune, 5-21-19
MINING
An
abandoned mine near Joshua Tree could host a massive hydropower project
An abandoned
iron mine on the doorstep of Joshua Tree National Park could be repurposed as a
massive hydroelectric power plant under a bill with bipartisan support in the
state Legislature. Senate Bill 772, which was approved by a panel of lawmakers
last week with no dissenting votes, would require California to build energy
projects that can store large amounts of power for long periods of time.
It’s a type of technology the state is likely to need as utility
companies buy more and more energy from solar and wind farms, which generate
electricity only when the sun is shining or the wind
is blowing.
Los Angeles
Times, 5-22-19
CLIMATE CHANGE
Berkeley
lab project to pinpoint methane ‘super emitters’
Methane, a
potent greenhouse gas that traps about 30 times more heat than carbon dioxide,
is commonly released from rice fields, dairies, landfills, and oil and gas
facilities. Now the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory has been awarded $6 million by the state to find "super
emitters" of methane in an effort to quantify and
potentially mitigate methane emissions.
Phys.org, 5-21-19
Oxy
moves forward on Permian ‘direct air capture’ plant
Houston's
Occidental Petroleum said Tuesday it is designing the first "direct air
capture" plant in West Texas' booming Permian Basin to suck carbon dioxide
out of the sky and inject it into the ground to aid in oil production.
Huston Chronicle, 5-22-19
How
to reduce California’s carbon emissions? The answer is blowing in the
wind
Now – not
years from now – California must advance the next utility-scale, clean
energy technology to reduce carbon emissions by developing floating offshore
wind in the deep ocean off the California coast.
Sacramento
Bee, 5-22-19
Will
Climate Change Create Deadlier Tropical Storms?
Weeks after the
deadly cyclone Idai tore through Malawi, Zimbabwe,
and Mozambique, the human toll is still being tallied. Entire communities
remain submerged, more than a thousand people lost their lives—more than
600 where the storm hit hardest in the coastal Mozambican city of
Beira—and outbreaks of cholera continue to deliver fresh misery to
hundreds of families.
Pacific
Standard, 5-20-19
WATER
They
grow the nation’s food, but they can’t drink the water
Water is a
currency in California, and the low-income farmworkers who pick the Central
Valley’s crops know it better than anyone. They labor in the
region’s endless orchards, made possible by sophisticated irrigation
systems, but at home their faucets spew toxic water tainted by arsenic and
fertilizer chemicals.
New
York Times, 5-21-19
HIGH-SPEED RAIL
Trump
doing California a bullet train favor
At last count,
California’s Democratic political leadership had filed four dozen
lawsuits against President Donald Trump’s administration, reflecting
differences on policies large and small. However, Trump is on solid legal and
logical ground in the latest conflict over the state’s disastrous foray
into high-speed rail transportation.
CALmatters, 5-22-19
Bullet-train
work continues in Fresno, Valley amid state-federal legal battle
California’s
high-speed rail agency remains determined to complete about 119 miles of
bullet-train construction in the central San Joaquin Valley, even as a
confrontation with the Trump administration over promised federal funds
escalates into a lawsuit.
Fresno Bee, 5-21-19
Don’t
look for the next president to rescue CA’s bullet train
The Trump
Administration is pulling financing from California’s high
speed rail and those who can hardly wait for Trump to exit the White
House see this as another policy a new president would reverse. But, funding a
project that has as miserable a track record as California’s high-speed
rail over a two decade span is no way to start a new
administration.
Fox & Hounds Daily, 5-21-19
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, AND GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES
Path
to fracking eased in oil, gas drilling plans
On May 9, the
federal government announced plans to open 725,500 acres of public lands on
California’s Central Coast and the Bay Area to new oil and gas drilling.
Once again, the stage is being set for a multi-pronged battle in California
between environmentalists and the Trump administration.
Capitol Weekly, 5-20-19
Environmental
justice advocates criticize federal fracking plan in Central California
The Bureau of
Land Management is holding three public hearings around the state this week
over controversial plans to expand oil drilling, including fracking, in Central
California.
KQED (San Francisco TV-radio), 5-21-19
Trump
wants to open Santa Clara Valley land for oil wells
The federal
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced a plan to open about 800,000 acres of
public lands and underground federal mineral rights across California’s
Central Coast to new oil and gas drilling—with additional targets in
Santa Clara County.
San Jose Inside, 5-21-19
Blade
report: Corrosion led to equipment failure in Porter Ranch gas leak
The 2015 gas
leak in Porter Ranch was caused in part by a well casing that ruptured due to
corrosion, according to an independent firm that submitted its findings to
state officials Friday.
The Signal, 5-20-19
In the wake of
an investigation into the massive gas leak at Aliso Canyon in 2015, attorneys
for residents who have filed suit against Southern California Gas Co. say the
inquiry shows the utility was “negligent” and
“reckless” in how it maintained the Porter Ranch natural gas storage
facility in the years leading up to the rupture.
Los Angeles
Newspaper Group, 5-20-19
Bolstered
by new findings, Porter Ranch back in court over SoCal gas leak
Attorneys for
thousands of Porter Ranch residents who are suing Southern California Gas for
the Aliso Canyon gas leak are heading to court again this week.
KABC (Los Angeles television), 5-20-19
For
Porter Ranch firefighter and thousands of other, the Aliso Canyon gas leak is
not over
As of last week,
we now know the official root cause of the gas well blowout — corroded
metal walls of a gas well hundreds of feet underground. So, you might well
think that most of the big questions around that environmental disaster have
been answered. A number of the attorneys who represent
the thousands of plaintiffs suing SoCal Gas gathered on Monday near the gates
of the Aliso Canyon gas field on Sesnon Boulevard in
Porter Ranch. They were there to respond to the root cause report's new details
and to remind the public that many open questions about the gas well blowout
still lack answers.
LAist, 5-21-19
DIVISION OF LAND RESOURCE
PROTECTION
New
master planned community off Highway 41 gets approval for environmental study
A new master
planned community an L.A. developer wants to build along Highway 41 took its
first official step forward last week. On Tuesday, May 14, the Madera County
Board of Supervisors OK’d an agreement that will allow a consultant
working for the developer to do an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) on the
proposed 281-acre mixed-use project just south of Tesoro Viejo between Avenues
12 and 14.
Sierra News Online, 5-20-19
HIGH-SPEED RAIL
California
sues Trump administration to recover $1 billion high-speed rail grant
California says
the Trump administration canceled funding for the state’s high speed rail project as political retribution for the
state’s opposition to the president’s border wall plan, according
to a lawsuit filed Tuesday.
Sacramento Bee, 5-21-19
CLIMATE CHANGE
L.A.
has a plan for combating climate change. But is it realistic?
California has
had a glimpse in recent years of what it can expect as the climate continues to
change: wild swings from extreme drought to extreme rainfall and snowfall, a
sharp increase in devastating wildfires and record temperatures. In Los
Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti’s recently released Green New Deal commits
the city to goals consistent with the Paris climate agreement and beyond. But
are such goals achievable by cities? And are they enough?
Los Angeles Times, 5-21-19
Top experts say
that in a worst-case scenario, portions of these and other U.S. coastal cities
could be lost to the sea by the end of the century as ocean levels rise because
of global warming, a study released Monday said. In fact, on average, seas
around the world could be as much as 6.5 feet higher by the end of the century
if climate change continues unchecked.
USA Today, 5-20-19
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, AND
GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES
Hundreds
form a line in the Huntington Beach sand to protest offshore drilling
Several hundred
people formed the barrier, of sorts, along the Huntington Beach shoreline
Saturday, May 18, to protest offshore oil and gas drilling. It was one of
hundreds of demonstrations around the country meant to underscore the risks of
drilling on the ocean floor. Established in 2010, Hands Across the Sand has
become an international event – with participants clasping hands at noon
in their various time zones.
Orange County Register, 5-18-19
Utility,
regulatory failures led to biggest US gas leak
A blowout at a
Los Angeles natural gas well in 2015 that led to the largest-known release of
methane in U.S. history was the result of a corroded pipe casing, safety
failures by a utility and inadequate regulations, according to an investigation
report released Friday.
Associated Press, 5-17-19
Aliso
natural gas storage leak said caused by water-induced corrosion
The largest
methane leak ever at a Southern California underground natural gas storage
facility in 2015-16 was caused by preventable groundwater-induced microbial
corrosion on a seven-inch storage well casing, a final root cause analysis has
indicated.
Natural Gas Intelligence, 5-20-19
Corroded
well lining caused Aliso Canyon gas leak that displaced thousands, report says
For more than
100 days in 2015 and 2016, gas leaked out of the Aliso Canyon Natural Gas
Storage Facility near Los Angeles — the largest known leak of methane in
United States history. This week, California regulators said they now knew why
the environmental catastrophe happened.
New York Times, 5-17-19
We
now know why the worst gas leak in US history happened
Nearly four
years after a well ruptured near Porter Ranch, unleashing the nation's
largest-ever natural gas leak, an official report on the cause of the blowout
has finally been made public.
LAist, 5-17-19
Biggest
U.S. gas leak followed years of problems, state says
The worst
natural gas leak in U.S. history, which broke out at a Sempra Energy storage
field near Los Angeles almost four years ago, was caused by corrosion,
according to a report commissioned by California regulators. The report also
concluded there had been more than 60 leaks in the field dating back to the
1970s, and Sempra didn’t carry out detailed inspections after they
occurred, the California Public Utilities Commission and Department of
Conservation said in a joint statement.
Bloomberg, 5-17-19
The massive gas
leak in Aliso Canyon in 2015 was caused by the rupture of a highly pressurized
corroded pipe, according to a report released Friday by a state agency, which
faulted the Southern California Gas Company for the way it maintained its
natural gas storage field before the blowout.
KABC (Los Angeles television), 5-17-19
‘Root
Cause’ report blasts SoCal Gas over massive 2015 Porter Ranch gas leak
An independent
investigation into the massive gas release at Aliso Canyon in 2015 found
evidence of dozens of leaks at the underground gas storage facility prior to
the blowout but no follow-up inspections. Despite evidence of a possible
failure, Southern California Gas Co. did not conduct detailed follow-up
inspections even after becoming aware of previous leaks, according to a
“root cause” report released Friday by Blade Energy Partners
ordered by state regulators.
Los Angeles Daily News, 5-17-19
Take action now to protect Central Coast public lands from
fracking
As a state,
California has set goals to decrease carbon emissions and increase renewable
energy – which we are currently attaining. Oil exploration and extraction
in the plan proposed by the Trump Administration is contrary to the expressed
will of the people of California. We need many voices raised to exclaim that
California is committed to a future where our energy needs are met with
renewable energy and are free from a dependence on the Oil Industry.
Santa Cruz Sentinel commentary, 5-19-19
Guerra:
Working with the oil and gas industry for a cost-effective energy future
Carefully
seeking and giving weight to other reasonable and constructive thinking is
essential to finding common ground, even if your side doesn't get everything it
wants. Our economy and hundreds of thousands of good middle-class jobs depend
on a rational energy policy.
Bakersfield Californian commentary, 5-18-19
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Earthquake:
3.1 quake strikes near Mesa Calif.
A shallow
magnitude 3.1 earthquake was reported Saturday morning 0 miles from Mesa,
Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Los Angeles Times, 5-18-19
Earthquake:
3.3 quake striker near Mendota, Calif.
A shallow
magnitude-3.3 earthquake was reported Sunday morning about 15 miles from
Mendota, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Los Angeles Times, 5-19-19
DIVISION OF LAND RESOURCE
PROTECTION
Northern
California almond, walnut, rice farmers face problems with persistent rain
With more
upcoming storms this weekend and more rain into next week, local agriculture
officials are in unison saying “rain rain go away.” As the end of May nears, Butte
County’s main agricultural drivers — almonds, walnuts and rice
— will likely face some setbacks as more showers cause more precautions
taken by farmers for the county’s multi-million dollar
industry crops.
San Jose Mercury News, 5-18-19
MINING
Joint
venture plans to revive rare-earths processing in U.S.
An American
chemicals company and an Australian miner want to build the first rare-earths
separation plant in the U.S. in years, seeking to shore up supplies of
important commodities caught up in the U.S.-China trade conflict.
Morningstar, 5-20-19
HIGH-SPEED RAIL
California labor
unions say thousands of Central Valley jobs may never be created after the
latest setback for the state’s high-speed rail project.
Capital Public Radio, 5-17-19
CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate
Adaptation Isn’t Surrender. It’s Survival
For far too many
years, the world has been talking about slowing down climate change. With some
success: The state of California now uses 30 percent renewables to power its
grid. For the past two years, the UK has gotten more than half its energy from
renewables instead of coal. The 2015 Paris Climate Accord was an actual, unironically gigantic accomplishment in terms of
global cooperation on this existential issue. But that’s not enough. The
level of carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere is now at its highest level in human history, at 415 parts per million.
Scientists say the last time this was likely the case was 3 million years ago,
when seas were at least 50 to 60 feet higher and major ice sheets didn’t
even exist.
Wired, 5-17-19
Methane
is a potent greenhouse gas. Could turning it into CO2 fight climate change?
Usually,
choosing between the lesser of two evils is a dismal decision. But sometimes,
it’s an opportunity. A case in point: Turning methane (a powerful
greenhouse gas) into carbon dioxide (also a planet-warming pollutant) could
help fight climate change, researchers say.
Los Angeles
Times, 5-20-19
Climate
change climbs up U.S. voters' list of concerns
Climate change
is rising up the list of voter concerns in the United
States with nearly 40% saying the issue will be crucial in how they cast their
ballots in the 2020 presidential election, according to a poll released on
Thursday.
Reuters, 5-16-19
FORESTS & WATERSHEDS
Napa
County moving ahead cautiously on watershed monitoring program
Cautiously,
cautiously – that’s Napa County’s approach to creating a
watershed computer model that could someday influence rural land use decisions in an effort to keep contaminants out of city of Napa
reservoirs.
Napa Valley
Register, 5-19-19
Health
of Napa County watersheds takes center stage
Napa
County’s latest watershed symposium came at a time when tensions are high
over how to protect trees and reservoirs in the area’s mountains. Close
to 200 people from various backgrounds came to Copia
on Thursday for an A-to-Z look at what’s happening in the watersheds.
Scientists, elected officials, wine industry members and citizen activists all
attended.
Napa Valley
Register, 5-17-19
WATER
Experts:
SGMA begins to affect land values
By now one would
suspect that the California Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) is
“old news,” something that is firmly ensconced in the minds of
farmers and real estate investors as the first of several deadlines loom.
Western Farm
Press, 5-17-19
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, AND GEOTHERMAL
RESOURCES
Official
‘root cause’ of massive 2015 Porter Ranch gas leak is revealed
The Southern
California Gas Co. did not conduct detailed follow-up inspections or analyses
after dozens of previous gas leaks at its Aliso Canyon storage facility in the
hills above Porter Ranch, ultimately leading to the 2015 rupture of a well
casing that was degraded by corrosion from contact with groundwater, causing a
massive gas leak that forced thousands of people to flee their homes, state
regulators announced Friday.
Los Angeles
Newspaper Group, 5-17-19
Sempra
unit failed to analyze natgas leaks at Aliso Canyon
before 2015 accident: state report
A Sempra Energy
subsidiary did not conduct detailed inspections or analyses of leaks at the
Aliso Canyon gas storage facility before the major 2015 leak that has cost the
utility more than $1 billion, according to a state report released on Friday.
Reuters, 5-17-19
Geothermal
balances California’s renewable portfolio
California’s
rapid renewable energy expansion has led to a boom in large-scale solar and
wind projects and a huge expansion of rooftop solar. As costs have fallen,
solar energy has become much less expensive, and utility-scale solar and wind
are now less expensive than new gas plants, and far less expensive than
existing coal.
Renewable Energy
World, 5-13-19
DIVISION OF LAND RESOURCE
PROTECTION
Should
you rush out to buy cherries now? Rain has ruined what’s on the trees
Bruce
Blodgett’s heart sank as he drove through the pouring rain Wednesday from
Stockton to his Elk Grove home. “I got home and told my wife, ‘The
rain is unrelenting right now.’ It’s not what we needed now,”
he said.
Sacramento Bee,
5-16-19
GENERAL
Trump
administration cancels $929-million grant for California bullet train
The Trump
administration transformed its threats against the California bullet train
project into a sour reality Thursday, terminating a $929-million grant for
construction in the Central Valley. While loss of the money poses a potentially
devastating hit to the project, state officials said, no immediate construction
changes are planned because the federal government’s action could be
reversed in future legal action.
Los Angeles
Times, 5-16-19
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, AND GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES
U.S.
methane emissions flat since 2006 despite increased oil and gas activity
Natural gas
production in the United States has increased 46 percent since 2006, but there
has been no significant increase of total US methane emissions and only a
modest increase from oil and gas activity, according to a new NOAA study. The
finding is important because it's based on highly accurate measurements
of methane collected
over 10 years at 20 long-term sampling sites around the country in NOAA's
Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network, said lead author Xin Lan, a CIRES
scientist working at NOAA.
American
Geophysical Union, 5-16-19
CRC
posts $67-million first-quarter loss
California
Resources Corp., one of Kern's largest oil producers, reported a $67-million
loss in the first quarter, up from a $2-million loss during the same period a
year before. The Chatsworth-based company's quarterly results included a
$97-million loss attributed to non-cash losses on commodity contracts.
Bakersfield
Californian, 5-16-19
U.S.
lawmakers grill Trump's Interior Dept pick on oil drilling, ethics
President Donald
Trump’s pick to run the U.S. Department of Interior, a former energy
lobbyist, faced tough questions during his Senate confirmation hearing on
Thursday about potential conflicts of interest and the administration’s
unpopular plan to expand offshore oil drilling.
Reuters, 5-16-19
CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate
change could bring the bubonic plague back to Los Angeles
The steamship
caused the last global outbreak of bubonic plague. Climate change could cause
the next one. Longer, hotter
weather patterns are extending the breeding season of rats and
rodents, leading to a steep increase in their numbers in places like Los
Angeles, New York and Houston.
Los Angeles
Times, 5-16-19
WATER
Key
conflicts roil California’s ever-evolving waterscape
As 2018 was
winding down, one of California’s leading newspapers suggested, via a
front-page, banner-headlined article, that the drought that had plagued the
state for much of this decade may be returning. Just weeks later, that same
newspaper was reporting that record-level midwinter storms were choking
mountain passes with snow, rapidly filling reservoirs and causing serious local
flooding. Neither was incorrect at the time, but their juxtaposition
underscores the unpredictable nature of California’s water supply.
CalMatters, 5-15-19
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Death
toll rises in Philippines earthquake that damaged 30 structures
At least 16
people have died after the Philippines was rattled by two major earthquakes,
authorities said on Tuesday. A further 81 people were injured and 14 remain
missing, a statement from the Office of Civil Defense read.
CNN, 5-14-19
DIVISION OF LAND RESOURCE
PROTECTION
Maximizing
Use of Water Stored in Soil Could Result in Savings for Farmers
As California
faces more frequent and severe droughts, agriculture, which relies on
irrigation from surface water and groundwater, could become expensive and
unsustainable. Researchers at the University of California, Davis, looked at
using a “free” resource — rain water
stored in the soil — and found that optimizing its use could go a long
way to help meet demand for five California perennial crops. Their findings
appear in the journal Environmental Research Letters.
UC Davis,
5-14-19
MINING
Lone
U.S. rare-earth miner is a target of China tariffs, CEO says
The only U.S.
rare-earths miner is crying foul over China’s decision to raise tariffs
on American shipments of the raw materials used in electric vehicles.
Bloomberg, 5-13-19
U.S.
faces hurdles in push to build electric vehicle supply chain
The United
States faces stiff challenges as it moves to create its own electric vehicle
supply chain, industry analysts say, with the extent of the country’s
metal reserves largely unknown and only a few facilities to process minerals
and produce batteries.
CNBC, 5-14-19
Sand
and gravel extraction leads to flooding and polluted
rivers
With the global
demand for sand and gravel standing at 40 to 50 billion tonnes per year, a new report by UN Environment reveals
that aggregate extraction in rivers has led to pollution, flooding, lowering of
water aquifers and worsening drought occurrence.
Smart Water
Magazine, 5-13-19
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, AND
GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES
Trump
administration moves to open Central Coast lands for oil and gas, fracking
The Trump
administration has released plans to expand oil and gas areas, including use of
the controversial method of fracking, for public lands on the Central Coast.
Yet environmentalists and some area representatives oppose the plans, saying
that it threatens local environments and reverses precedence on fracking
policies.
Salinas
Californian, 5-13-19
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Earthquake:
3.2 quake strikes near Darwin, Calif.
A shallow
magnitude 3.2 earthquake was recorded Monday afternoon 10 miles from Darwin,
Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Los Angeles Times, 5-13-19
CLIMATE CHANGE
Wildlife
Conservation Board to consider funding carbon farm in Humboldt County
A state agency
will consider putting funds toward a “carbon sequestration” farm to
absorb atmospheric greenhouse gases and push other farmers to build similar
operations as a measure against climate change. The farms would be set up in a number of counties statewide, including Humboldt County.
The state Wildlife Conservation Board will decide at its May 22 meeting whether
to approve just over $1 million from a “greenhouse gas reduction” fund
for the project.
Eureka
Times-Standard, 5-14-19
WATER
California
had a wet winter. But a satellite photo shows the state is drying out fast
NASA released a
satellite image over the weekend that showed what a large swath of California look like during the winter, when the Sierra Nevada was
heavily covered with snow.
San Diego Union
Tribune, 5-12-19
GENERAL
Weakling
or bully? The battle over the CEQA, the state’s iconic environmental law
Inside the
Capitol’s corridors and pro-development quarters around the state, CEQA
is increasingly disparaged as a villain in the state’s housing crisis.
But the act’s environmentalist defenders are pushing back. CEQA’s
champions contend that heavy-footprint projects slip too easily past the guard
of CEQA—leading to overdrawn groundwater tables and disappearing forests.
CALmatters, 5-13-19
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
As
seismic retrofits loom, SF restauranteurs wonder whether they can survive
After the 2013
soft story law passed, the city identified more than 5,000 buildings that would
need retrofitting and provided owners with rolling deadlines. The Chronicle has
counted more than 80 impacted restaurants, with at least 50 still on the
docket, according to city records. While few would argue against making San
Francisco safer when the next big earthquake hits, restaurant owners are in
crunch time as the September 2020 deadline looms.
San Francisco Chronicle, 5-10-19
Business
groups sue to block Ventura County’s wildlife passage law
Two business
groups are asking the courts to block a law aimed at protecting the passage of
wildlife in Ventura County, arguing that the groundbreaking legislation should
never have been approved without environmental review.
Ventura County Star, 5-11-19
The California
Geological Survey provides an annual summary of the state’s mineral
production exclusive of oil, gas, geothermal, and coal. The summary also
provides information on non-fuel mineral production, mining events, new
permitting, exploration, and mining legislation. California ranked fifth among
the states in non-fuel mineral production, accounting for approximately 4.7% of
the United States total.
Sierra Sun Times, 5-13-19
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, AND
GEOTHERMAL RESOURCESDon
The 2015 Aliso
Canyon gas leak has cost Southern California Gas Co. and its parent company
$1.07 billion — and those costs may rise “significantly,”
according to the company’s first-quarter earnings report.
Los Angeles Newspaper Group 5-10-19
Trump
opens another 730K acres of California to oil, gas drilling
The Trump
administration finalized plans Thursday to open nearly 730,000 acres of public
lands and mineral estate across California’s Central Coast and the San
Francisco Bay Area to new oil and gas drilling.
Santa Clarita Valley News, 5-10-19
Butte
County’s zoning law gets a handful of fixes
The fracking ban
approved by voters in June 2016 made it into Butte County’s zoning law
Tuesday, as part of a routine cleanup approved by the Board of Supervisors.
Chico Enterprise-Record, 5-12-19
GLOBAL WARMING
There
is more CO2 in the atmosphere today than any point since the evolution of
humans
According to
data from the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, the concentration of CO2 in the
atmosphere is over 415 parts per million (ppm), far higher than at any point in
the last 800,000 years, since before the evolution of homo sapiens.
CNN, 5-13-19
New
carbon sequestration method will turn CO2 into solid rock
An international
team of researchers and engineers working with Iceland’s CarbFix project has devised a new method of carbon sequestration
that turns dissolved carbon dioxide into solid rock.
Earth.com, 5-10-19
California
is making a weak effort to turn agriculture into a climate change fix
Agriculture
generates 9% of California’s greenhouse gas emissions, which makes it the
state’s fourth-largest emitter, after transportation, industry and
buildings. But agriculture — often seen as an enemy of the environment
— is the only one of these sectors with the potential to also remove
carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Los Angeles
Times commentary, 5-13-19
U.N.
Secretary-General warns world 'not on track' to limiting temperature rise to 1.5
percent – TVNZ
United Nations
Secretary-General António Guterres said the world was “not on
track” to limiting global temperature rises to 1.5%, TVNZ reported on
Sunday, during his visit to New Zealand. Speaking to the media in Auckland
alongside New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Guterres warned
about the dangers of not addressing climate change.
Reuters, 5-12-19
HIGH-SPEED RAIL
California’s
high-speed rail project and Trump administration are no longer on speaking
terms
The California
bullet train project, for much of the last decade, enjoyed no more important
partner than the U.S. Department of Transportation. But today, federal agencies
and the California High-Speed Rail Authority aren’t even speaking,
foreshadowing further setbacks for an already troubled endeavor.
Los Angeles Times, 5-10-19
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, AND
GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES
Trump
plan to allow new fracking on California coast, Central Valley moves forward
The Trump administration
moved forward Thursday with its plan to open up more
federal land in California’s Central Valley and Central Coast to oil and
gas drilling, including fracking.
Sacramento Bee, 5-9-19
Monterey
County on verge of next big fracking battle
The Trump
Administration's plans to open public lands in California for oil and gas
exploration could push Monterey County to the forefront of the next big battle
over fracking.
The county was
the first in the country to ban the practice and now local environmental groups
are gearing up for another fight.
KSBW (Salinas
television), 5-10-19
New
oil drilling in the Bay Area? Trump administration opens possibility
The Trump
administration brought its pro-drilling agenda to Northern California on
Thursday, disclosing a plan to make more land available for oil and gas
development, including parts of the Santa Cruz Mountains and East Bay hills.
San Francisco Chronicle, 5-9-19
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Lori
Dengler: Hunting for earthquake early warning sites
In 2015,
California became committed to Earthquake Early Warning (EEW). Today the
program has about 60 seismic instrument site, and another 73 sites are supposed
to become fully operational in the next 18 months. Only Southern California and
the San Francisco Bay Area have a dense enough network to detect the signals
fast enough for an effective system, but funding is now in place to improve the
networks in other areas of the state such as the North Coast.
Eureka Times Standard, 5-9-19
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, AND
GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES
Out-of-state
companies work with local growers to improve their soil
The state of
California has big goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and safeguarding
the state from impacts of climate change by protecting and managing natural and
working lands. According to the California Air Resources Board website, state and local
efforts are being made to manage land for carbon sequestration to work with
existing plans and programs protecting California's water supply, agricultural
lands, and wildlife habitat.
San Luis Obispo
New Times, 5-9-19
BUDGET
Millions
for climate, environmental priorities in Newsom’s May budget
California Gov.
Gavin Newsom threw some more money into the environmental pot Thursday as part
of the state’s May budget revision. The new funding includes about $250
million for climate-related programs, thanks to the state’s cap-and-trade
program, and $75 million to fund an assessment of wildfire protection plans.
KQED (San Francisco TV-radio), 5-9-2019
Newsom
adds spending, boosts reserves in revised California budget proposal
Riding the
strength of surging tax revenues, Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a revised $213
billion state budget Thursday that is $4 billion higher than his initial plan
in January.
San Francisco Chronicle, 5-9-19
New
budget proposal tackles homelessness in California
Calling it
“a stain on the state of California,” Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday
vowed to use part of a historic budget surplus to tackle homelessness in the
nation’s most prosperous state.
Associated
Press, 5-9-2019
GENERAL
Q&A:
Wade Crowfoot, state’s new Natural Resources Secretary
One of
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s first actions after taking office was to
appoint Wade Crowfoot as Natural Resources Agency secretary. In a recent
interview with Western Water, Crowfoot discussed aspects of what he expects to
tackle during the next four years, including finding ways to make California
more resilient to the extreme swings in drought and flood that are expected to
come.
Capitol Weekly, 5-9-2019
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, AND GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES
Trump
plan to allow fracking on California coast, Central Valley moves forward
The Trump
administration moved forward Thursday with its plan to open
up more federal land in California’s Central Valley and Central
Coast to oil and gas drilling, including fracking.
Sacramento Bee, 5-9-19
State
agencies consider aquifer exemption in Cat Canyon Oil Field
Oil companies
may have more space to build injection wells in the Cat Canyon Oil Field if the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approves a potential recommendation
from various state agencies.
Santa Maria Sun, 5-8-19
SoCalGas
raises estimated cost of Aliso Canyon natgas leak to
$1.07 billion
Southern
California Gas Co raised the estimated cost of the massive leak at its Aliso Canyon
natural gas storage facility in Los Angeles between October 2015 and February
2016 to $1.071 billion as of March 31. That is up about 1.5 percent from
SoCalGas’ $1.055 billion estimate at the end of its fourth quarter, the
company said on Tuesday in report on first-quarter results.
Reuters, 5-8-19
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Earthquake:
Magnitude 3.4 quake strikes near Salton City, Calif.
A shallow
magnitude 3.4 earthquake was reported Wednesday morning eight miles from Salton
City, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Los Angeles Times, 5-8-19
Off the coast
of Portugal, the Earth’s crust might be peeling in two
Two earthquakes
in the same spot over a couple hundred years is not cause for alarm. But what
puzzled seismologists about these tremors was that they began in relatively
flat beds of the ocean. One idea is that a tectonic plate is peeling into two
layers — the top peeling off the bottom layer — a phenomenon that
has never been observed before, a group of scientists reported in April at the
European Geosciences Union General Assembly held in Vienna.
Live Science, 5-7-19
CLIMATE CHANGE
Open
forum: California communities must act on climate resiliency now
Climate-related
risks are real and rising. For Californians, wildfires, floods and mudslides
are particularly worrisome. We must begin to take on these challenges at a
community level. Now. What is required is innovation and leadership —
things we are good at in California.
San Francisco Chronicle, 5-8-19
Excluding
hydropower makes no sense
When California
embarked on its quest to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gases as a global model to stave off climate change, its first
target was the state’s electric power industry. The acceptable
alternatives were specified in law, dominated by windmills, solar panels and
geothermal wells. But for purely political reasons, the list omitted two power
sources that are both free of greenhouse gases and renewable: large
hydroelectric dams and nuclear plants.
CalMatters, 5-9-19
MINING
A
war is brewing over lithium mining at the edge of Death Valley
The desolate
beauty of the Panamint Valley has long drawn all manner of naturalists,
adventurers and social outcasts. Now this prehistoric lake
bed is shaping up to be an unlikely battleground between
environmentalists and battery technologists who believe the area might hold the
key to a carbon-free future.
Los Angeles Times, 5-7-19
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, AND
GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES
BLM
must consider cumulative effect of ‘reasonably foreseeable’
fracking – 10th Circuit
Before approving
a permit to use water-intensive horizontal hydraulic fracturing techniques to
drill in New Mexico’s arid San Juan Basin, the U.S. Bureau of Land
Management must consider the cumulative effect of nearly 4,000 wells expected
in the region in the “reasonably foreseeable” future, a federal
appeals court held on Tuesday.
Reuters, 5-8-19
As previously
reported, OSFM’s proposed regulations, which implement AB 864 (2015),
will impose substantial and costly burdens on companies that own and operate
pipelines within California near environmentally and ecologically sensitive
areas in or with a connection to the coastal zone. OSFM plans to delay its
proposed July 2019 effective date for new regulations governing pipeline
operations in coastal areas and may reissue the proposed regulations for
additional public comment.
JD Supra, 5-7-19
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Earthquake:
Magnitude 3.4 quake strikes near Salton City, Calif.
A shallow
magnitude 3.4 earthquake was reported Wednesday morning eight miles from Salton
City, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Los Angeles Times, 5-8-19
DIVISION OF LAND RESOURCE
PROTECTION
Sonoma
County couple ordered to pay nearly $600,000 for damage to protected property
Sonoma Land
Trust Stewardship Director Bob Neale had seen pictures. So
he thought he had a good idea of what awaited him when he went out to inspect a
protected piece of land on the north flank of Sonoma Mountain a few years back.
A concerned neighbor had reported heavy equipment and questionable activity on
property protected under a conservation easement and, thus, intended to remain
in its natural state.
Santa Rosa
Press-Democrat, 5-8-19
FORESTS & WATERSHEDS
Cut
emission and poverty, not treey, by letting locals manage forests, scientists
say
Giving local
communities the responsibility to manage forests — which are shrinking
worldwide — could help ease poverty and deforestation, scientists said
Monday in what they described as one of the largest studies of its kind.
Voice of America News, 5-6-19
WATER
A
little-know company is quietly making massive water deals
In the past
several years, Los Angeles-based Renewable Resources Group has helped sell
33,000 acres of land to California’s most powerful water agency, the
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Now, Renewable may be
working on another deal that could rearrange the distribution of water in
California forever.
Voice of San Diego, 5-7-19
GENERAL
In
Trump vs. California, the state is winning nearly all its environmental cases
More than two
years into the Trump presidency, California has embraced its role as chief
antagonist — already suing the administration more times than Texas took
President Obama to court during eight years in office.
Los Angeles Times, 5-7-19
Newsom
is shrinking Brown’s pet projects
When Jerry Brown
began his first governorship in 1975, he quickly set himself apart from his
father, former Gov. Pat Brown. After a 28-year absence, Jerry Brown returned to
the governorship in 2011 and had become a champion of the kind of big
public-works projects that had been his father’s major accomplishments.
When Gavin Newsom succeeded Brown this year he, too,
wanted to set himself apart from his predecessor. The ultimate
fate of the Delta tunnels and high-speed rail may still be uncertain
when Newsom hands the governorship to his successor.
CalMatters, 5-8-19
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, AND GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES
California
and offshore drilling: like oil and water
In April,
Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said the Trump administration was putting on
hold its plans to open up more coastal waters to oil
and gas drilling, including off the coast of California. The decision follows a
defeat in federal court and lots of pushback from coastal states, some of which
supported Trump in 2016.
KQED (San Francisco TV-radio), 5-6-19
We in California
know, by painful experience, the new realities and real problems caused by
Climate Change, including more destructive forest fires, mud slides, and more
frequent drought. Try to imagine an additional 550 million pounds of carbon
dioxide added to the atmosphere, right here, each year, if this one company is
granted permission. And, of course, there are other companies waiting in line
to do the same.
Santa Barbara Edhat, 5-6-19
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Damage
minimal from quake in Papua New Guinea
A strong
earthquake rattled Papua New Guinea early Tuesday but
damage appeared to be minimal. The magnitude 7.2 quake hit around 7:20 a.m.
about 33 kilometers (21 miles) southeast of Bulolo,
in the country’s east. It struck at a depth of 127 kilometers (79 miles),
U.S. Geological Survey said. There was no tsunami threat.
Associated
Press, 5-6-19
CLIMATE CHANGE
Trump’s
EPA illegally dragging its feet on limiting methane gas, judge says
The Trump
administration has illegally delayed rules limiting the discharge of
climate-changing methane gas from landfills around the United States and must
act on plans for California and several other states by September, a federal
judge ruled Monday.
San Francisco Chronicle, 5-6-19
Those concerned
with climate change may soon feel less compunction about biting into a
cheeseburger. Researchers have recently discovered that feeding cattle and
other livestock a specific type of seaweed — known as Asparagopsis
taxiformis — can dramatically reduce the
massive amount of planet-warming methane such farm animals release into the
atmosphere
San
Diego Union-Tribune, 5-6-19
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Earthquake:
3.0 quake strikes near Port Hueneme
A shallow
magnitude 3.0 earthquake was reported Thursday evening 23 miles from Port
Hueneme, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Los Angeles Times, 5-6-19
3.0
Earthquake reported off Ventura County coast
A small
earthquake was reported Thursday night just off the Ventura County coast.
Ventura County Star, 5-2-19
Earthquake:
Magnitude 3.0 quake strikes near Junction City, Calif.
A shallow
magnitude 3.0 earthquake was reported Saturday morning in the remote Trinity
Mountains in Northern California, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
Los Angeles Times, 5-4-19
Earthquake:
3.3 quake strikes in Northern California
A shallow
magnitude 3.3 earthquake was reported Saturday evening five miles from Cleone, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Los Angeles Times, 5-5-19
Cluster
of earthquakes rattle Norther California coast over 24 hours
Seven earthquakes
with a magnitude of 2.5 or larger rattled around and off the coast of Northern
California in the past 24 hours.
San Francisco Chronicle, 5-4-19
Nearly
all Paso Robles buildings retrofitted after deadly 2003 earthquake
Thursday’s
3.5 magnitude earthquake sparked conversation across northern San Luis Obispo
County with some wondering, how safe are our surroundings if a more powerful
quake were to hit?
KSBY (San Luis
Obispo television), 5-3-19
Recently
released maps identify East Contra Costa County seismic hazard zones
The California
Geological Survey (CGS) recently released two additional maps identifying areas
in East Contra Costa County that may be prone to seismic hazards, in the event
of an earthquake.
Brentwood Press, 5-2-19
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, AND
GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES
Trump
administration’s California fracking plan is ‘dangerous,’
environmental groups say
The Trump
administration’s plan to open up more than 1
million additional acres of public and private land in California to fracking
is raising alarm in the environmental community. Environmentalists are
challenging the proposal as “dangerous” to humans and iconic
national parks nearby, including Yosemite and Sequoia-Kings Canyon National
Parks.
CNBC, 5-3-19
‘Look
for some other way’: Blast survivor warns against building tunnel through
Delta gas fields
The plan to
divert water from the Sacramento River through a tunnel in the Sacramento-San
Joaquin Delta will take it right through some of California's largest gas
fields. However, there are striking similarities to an older water project,
where miners struck a pocket of gas and 17 people died as a result.
KCRA (Sacramento television), 5-2-19
Canadian
oil driller abruptly shuts down, abandons, 4,700 wells
A junior
Canadian gas E&P company has shut down abruptly, leaving as many as 4,700
wells behind, CBC reports, quoting the Alberta Energy Regulator, which said it
had sent Trident Exploration Corp. an order to manage its wells, to which the
company did not respond.
Oil Price, 5-2-19
HIGH-SPEED RAIL
High
speed rail update spurs review of original arguments made about the project
A new report on
the ever-changing promises on the high speed rail is
out and it serves as a reminder that ballot arguments made on behalf or opposed
to ballot measures don’t always play out as promised.
Fox & Hounds, 5-3-19
DIVISION OF OIL, GAS, AND GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES
Department
of Interior to hold meeting in SLO on fracking plan
U.S. Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) officials will visit San Luis Obispo later this month to take
public comment on a pending federal plan to grow oil and gas production on
public lands in Central California.
San
Luis Obispo New Times, 5-2-19
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Thousands
of California homeowners waiting on FEMA for seismic retrofits
Homeowners
waiting for retrofits under the state’s Earthquake Brace and Bolt program
are stuck in limbo while federal funding for this year’s program is tied
up in red tape. That has put thousands of planned retrofits on hold.
KQED (San Francisco TV/radio), 5-1-19
DIVISION OF LAND RESOURCE
PROTECTION
L.A.
County approves Tejon Ranch project despite critics’ concern over the
environment
The Los Angeles
County Board of Supervisors this week approved a 19,333-home Tejon Ranch
development in the Antelope Valley, overruling environmental critics who say it
will damage sensitive habitats and add to the region’s burden of commuter
traffic and greenhouse gas emissions.
Los Angeles Newspaper Group, 5-1-19
House
passes Camp 4 bill (Williamson Act)
The U.S. House
of Representatives passed by voice-vote H.R. 317, on the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash
Indians Land Affirmation Act of 2019. This action comes after the Department of
Interior reversed itself and vacated its previous Camp 4
trust decision. The agency took this action in order to conduct
an environmental review of the impacts of the Camp 4 fee-to-trust on
threatened and endangered bird species.
Santa Ynez
Valley Star, 5-1-19
CLIMATE CHANGE
California’s
latest weapon against climate change is low-tech farm soil
Electric cars
and solar panels are the most visible signs of California's ambitious climate
change policies. But now the state is setting its sights on a lower-tech way to
cut carbon emissions: soil.
NPR, 5-2-19
San
Francisco Bay: New plan to combat sea level rise
There’s
only one San Francisco Bay. But the Bay Area is made up of nine counties and
101 cities, each with its own politics, local rules and shorelines, differences
that can make it complicated to figure out how to protect billions of dollars
of highways, airports, sewage treatment plants, homes and offices from the
rising seas, surging tides and extreme storms climate change is expected to
bring in the years ahead. A new report released Thursday aims to make that
gargantuan challenge a little easier.
Bay Area News Group, 5-2-2019
WATER
Newsom
says he has a fresh approach to California’s longtime water woes
At first blush,
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s latest action on water seems fanciful and naive. But
it has logic and conceivably could work. Newsom wants to reexamine practically
everything the state has been working on — meaning what former Gov. Jerry
Brown was doing — and piece together a grand plan for California’s
future that can draw the support of longtime water warriors.
Los Angeles Times, 5-2-19
GENERAL
High-speed
rail now has a scaled-down vision for operation in the San Joaquin Valley
The California
High-Speed Rail Authority on Wednesday issued its first update to state
legislators since Gov. Gavin Newsom turned the project on its head. The bottom
line: the authority says it’ll meet a critical federal deadline, and the
new cost will be $20.4 billion – but that will be for a much-abbreviated
line in the San Joaquin Valley.
Fresno
Bee, 5-1-19
High-speed
rail costs rise $1.8 billion in Central Valley
Californians
will have to shell out an additional $1.8 billion to complete the 119-mile
stretch of tracks for the state’s first bullet train through the Central
Valley, bringing the cost to $12.4 billion, according to a report released
Wednesday by the state’s High Speed Rail
Authority.
Bay Area News Group 5-1-2019
CALIFORNIA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Magnitude-3.5
earthquake strikes near Plaskett, California
A shallow
magnitude-3.5 earthquake was reported Tuesday morning eight miles from Plaskett, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The temblor occurred at 10:10 a.m. Pacific time at a depth of 1.2 miles.
Los Angeles Times, 4-30-19
DIVISION OF LAND RESOURCE
PROTECTION
Environmental
groups take their digs at fracking plan
On April 28, the
Bureau of Land Management’s Bakersfield Field Office released its Draft
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) proposing to open up 1,011,470 acres of public land and federal mineral
estate in Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Tulare
and Ventura counties to fossil fuel extraction.
Exeter
Sun-Gazette, 5-1-19
(news updated as time permits…)
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