Environmental and Policy Focus:Governor Brown issues executive order requiring statewide mandatory water restrictions - Allen Matkins - Apr 3:
Responding to severely depleted water supplies and a record low snowpack at...more
4/6/2015
/ Air Pollution ,
China ,
Contamination ,
Dow Chemical ,
Drought ,
Emergency Response ,
Executive Orders ,
Jerry Brown ,
Natural Gas ,
Oil & Gas ,
Power Plants ,
Shell Oil ,
Water ,
Water Conservation
Environmental and Policy Focus: Berkeley Hillside: New Supreme Court decision defines limits of CEQA exemption challenges to development: Allen Matkins - Mar 2:
On March 2, the California Supreme Court issued the...more
3/9/2015
/ Berkeley Hillside v City of Berkeley ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Central Valley ,
CEQA ,
DTSC ,
Environmental Policies ,
Farms ,
Fracking ,
Fracking Bans ,
Hazardous Substances ,
Manufacturers ,
Oil & Gas ,
Substantial Evidence Standard ,
Wastewater ,
Water
Environmental and Policy Focus: California lawmakers introduce sweeping new measures to increase renewable energy, cut fossil fuel use - San Jose Mercury News - Feb 10:
Last Tuesday, California lawmakers unveiled a...more
2/24/2015
/ Airports ,
Aviation Industry ,
Clean Energy ,
Clean Water Act ,
Disney ,
Drought ,
Electricity ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Oil & Gas ,
Power Plants ,
Renewable Energy ,
US Fish and Wildlife Service ,
Water ,
Water Supplies
Environmental and Policy Focus: State Water Board launches investigation into claims of senior water rights - Allen Matkins - Feb 9:
On February 4, 2015, the State Water Resources Control Board issued an order seeking...more
Environmental and Policy Focus -
California needs 11 trillion gallons of water to recover from the drought: Los Angeles Times - Jan 17:
A series of recent rainstorms helped deposit needed moisture to California,...more
Environmental and Policy Focus: State court may tighten review process for building super-sized homes - SFGate.com - Dec 8:
In a case that could redefine the scope of California’s environmental laws, the state Supreme...more
12/16/2014
/ Air Pollution ,
Building Permits ,
Building Standards ,
Construction Industry ,
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Natural Gas ,
Oil & Gas ,
San Diego ,
Single Family Housing ,
Water
Environmental and Policy Focus: New dust control method ends L.A.'s longtime feud with Owens Valley: Los Angeles Times - Nov 14:
The City of Los Angeles ended a bitter dispute with Owens Valley on Friday with the...more
12/8/2014
/ Air Quality Standards ,
City of Los Angeles ,
Delta Smelt ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
NOAA ,
NRDC ,
Pesticides ,
Salton Sea ,
Water ,
Wind Farm ,
Wind Power
Environmental and Policy Focus: Coastal California residents using far less water - Associated Press - Nov 4:
Residents in coastal communities use far less water than their inland counterparts, but still find ways to...more
12/8/2014
/ Air Pollution ,
Automotive Industry ,
CEQA ,
Clean Air Act ,
Coastal Real Estate ,
Drought ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Hyundai ,
Kia ,
San Diego ,
SCAQMD ,
Water
Environmental and Policy Focus - Coastal California residents using far less water: Associated Press - Nov 4:
Residents in coastal communities use far less water than their inland counterparts, but still find ways to...more
Environmental and Policy Focus - Obama to designate portion of San Gabriel Mountains a national monument: Los Angeles Times - Oct 8:
President Obama plans to announce Friday that he will set aside roughly half of the...more
Environmental and Policy Focus: Federal agency to resume leasing for hydraulic fracturing in California: ABC News - Aug 28:
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management will resume issuing oil and gas leases next year for...more
Environmental and Policy Focus: U.S. EPA settles case over destruction of rare Central Valley wetlands: EPA - Aug 14:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Justice today announced a...more
8/27/2014
/ Clean Water Act ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Department of the Interior ,
Endangered Species Act (ESA) ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
National Park Service ,
Oil & Gas ,
Redevelopment ,
Settlement ,
Water ,
Water Supplies ,
Wetlands
Environmental and Policy Focus - Governor proposes $6 billion water bond for California: Bloomberg - Aug 6:
California Governor Jerry Brown has called on lawmakers to put a $6 billion “no-frills” bond measure on the...more
Environmental and Policy Focus - Appellate court upholds environmental work for high-speed rail via Pacheco Pass: Fresno Bee - Jul 24 --
State appeals justices on Thursday upheld a lower court's approval of an...more
8/11/2014
/ CEQA ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) ,
Environmental Policies ,
Fracking ,
Fracking Bans ,
High-Speed Rail ,
Marijuana ,
Oil & Gas ,
Railways ,
Water
Environmental and Policy Focus - Richmond approves massive Chevron refinery project with $90 million in community benefits: Contra Costa Times - Jul 30:
Chevron's five year-plus quest to initiate a $1 billion upgrade...more
8/6/2014
/ Caltrans ,
Chevron ,
Desalination ,
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Fracking ,
Fracking Bans ,
Highways ,
Infrastructure ,
Municipal Bonds ,
Oil & Gas ,
Refineries ,
Trade Associations ,
Waste Treatment Facilities ,
Water ,
Well Drilling
Environmental and Policy Focus: House holds hearing on proposed ‘Waters of the United States’ rule - Association of California Water Agencies - Jul 9:
The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a hearing...more
7/14/2014
/ Cap-and-Trade ,
Chemical Safety Board ,
Chevron ,
City of Los Angeles ,
Clean Water Act ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Legislative Committees ,
Water ,
Waters of the United States
Environmental and Policy Focus - Second leg of California bullet-train line approved: SFGate.com - Jun 27:
On June 27, 2014, the U.S. Department of Transportation gave its approval for work to begin on the second leg...more
7/10/2014
/ Bonds ,
California Air Resources Board ,
Cap-and-Trade ,
Carbon Off-Set Credits ,
Department of Transportation (DOT) ,
Drought ,
High-Speed Rail ,
Offsets ,
Surface Transportation ,
Surface Transportation Board ,
Trains ,
US Fish and Wildlife Service ,
Water ,
Water Resources Control Board
Environmental and Policy Focus: U.S. officials cut estimate of recoverable Monterey Shale oil by 96% - Los Angeles Times - May 23:
Federal energy authorities have slashed by 96 percent the estimated amount of...more
5/28/2014
/ California Air Resources Board ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Clean Air Act ,
Diesel Fuel ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Environmental Review ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Monterey Shale ,
NRDC ,
Oil & Gas ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Refineries ,
Surface Transportation ,
Trucking Industry ,
Water
Environmental and Policy Focus: Expanding the definition of "waters of the United States" – EPA's proposed new rule -- Allen Matkins - Apr 23:
On April 21, 2014, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)...more
5/19/2014
/ Chromium-6 ,
Clean Water Act ,
Diesel Fuel ,
Drinking Water ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Groundwater ,
Jurisdiction ,
Trucking Industry ,
US Army Corps of Engineers ,
Water ,
Waters of the United States
Environmental and Policy Focus - California drought: plan would reverse aqueduct flow to send water back to farms: San Jose Mercury News - May 8:
Water has flowed from Northern California's snow-capped peaks to the...more
Environmental and Policy Focus - DWR must acquire properties before testing tunnel for diversion of water to Southern California -
CourtHouse News - Mar 17:
A California appellate court ruled last week that, before...more
Environmental and Policy Focus -- Court of Appeals upholds determination: Reuters - Mar 14 -
The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday rejected a challenge to a determination by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service...more
Environmental and Policy Focus - California lawmakers pass $687 billion drought plan -- San Francisco CBS Local - Feb 27:
California lawmakers have passed a $687 million plan to provide immediate relief to...more
Environmental and Policy Focus - Sens. Feinstein, Boxer propose emergency drought legislation: SFGate - Feb 13:
Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer proposed emergency drought legislation Tuesday ahead of President...more
Environmental and Policy Focus -Federal Shutdown Impacts EPA Staff: The Guardian - Oct 2 --
Nearly all of the 16,205 employees of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) across the country, with oversight of air...more