Focus
California tries ‘Trump-proofing’ its climate policies
The New York Times – October 15
California officials have been working on a plan to preserve the state’s leading edge environmental and climate policies, in the event that former President Donald J. Trump returns to the White House and follows through on his promise to gut them. Whether California succeeds could affect more than a dozen other states that follow its emissions rules, and could have global impact because the state’s market muscle compels auto makers and other companies to conform to California standards. The strategy now being crafted in Sacramento includes lawsuits designed to reach wide-ranging settlements with industries that generate greenhouse gases, and new rules.
News
Supreme Court allows rule limiting pollution from coal-fired power plants to remain in effect
Associated Press – October 16
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed a Biden administration regulation aimed at limiting carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants to remain in place as legal challenges play out. The justices rejected a push from Republican-led states and industry groups to block the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule, marking the third time this month that the conservative majority has left an environmental regulation in place, at least on an interim basis. The rule requires many coal-fired power plants to capture 90% of their carbon emissions or shut down within eight years, though deadlines do not take effect for several years. The challengers argued that the EPA overstepped its authority and imposed unattainable standards.
Huntington Beach reaches $5M settlement over 2021 oil spill but critics call it bad deal
ABC7 – October 14
Three years after 25,000 gallons of crude oil spilled into the ocean off the coast of Huntington Beach, city leaders announced a $5.25 million settlement with Amplify Energy over the incident. City Attorney Michael Gates said the money will go to the city’s general fund and would not be shared with others who sued the energy company. Dissenting members of the city council asserted that attorneys’ fees and other city obligations stemming from the spill will substantially reduce the city’s net recovery.
San Diego County residents launch second suit over alleged sewage treatment plant failures
The Hill – October 16
Residents of Imperial Beach in southern San Diego County filed a lawsuit this Tuesday against the operators of an international wastewater treatment plant, alleging that the facility has failed to contain a cross-border pollution crisis. The plaintiffs said they are seeking to hold the plant’s managers accountable for severe environmental and public health effects that have resulted from an influx of untreated sewage, heavy metals, and other toxic chemicals. Tuesday’s filing is the second such lawsuit launched by Imperial Beach residents against the plant’s operator, Veolia Water, in the past two months.
California could lock in disastrous dairy methane rules, advocates warn
Canary Media – October 14
Under state law Senate Bill 1383, which passed in 2016, California must reduce emissions of methane 40% below 2013 levels by 2030. To meet that goal, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) places emissions limits on several of the state’s main sources of leaking methane, including landfills, wastewater treatment plants, and the oil and gas industry. The dairy industry, which emits enormous amounts of methane, has so far been exempt from such regulations — that is, until this year, when Senate Bill 1383 permitted CARB to start working on those rules. Now, in anticipation of an early November meeting, CARB board members have instructed agency staff to develop a formal plan for doing just that. At the same meeting, the board will also consider changes to the state’s Low-Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), which mandates that fossil fuel importers, refiners, and wholesalers purchase credits to reduce the carbon intensity of their operations. Advocates for the regulation of factory farm methane emissions assert that CARB’s proposed amendments to the LCFS could undermine the long-awaited methane limitations by exempting existing dairy methane projects and those that break ground before 2030.
Over 4,000 square miles of ocean off California's coast named a national marine sanctuary
VC Star – October 15
Over 4,000 square miles of ocean off of the California coast were recently designated as a national marine sanctuary, a decision advocates say centers on Indigenous Peoples and protects the marine environment. The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary is the fifth in the state to receive this designation and the third largest sanctuary in the National Marine Sanctuary System, according to a news release from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration last Friday. It also makes history as the first Indigenous-nominated sanctuary, according to the Northern Chumash Tribal Council. The sanctuary will prohibit new oil drilling and mining within its boundaries, provide cultural and environmental education and outreach, and protect an area that many animals call home, the council said.
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