Focus
Biden bars new ‘forever chemicals’ from expedited approval
The Hill – December 4
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday issued a new regulation preventing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as PFAS, from being approved through low volume exemptions — abridged reviews given to chemicals that will only be produced in small quantities. The chemicals are used in a wide range of consumer products and have become pervasive in the environment and in human beings. Over the years, more than 600 types of PFAS have been granted low volume exemptions and been subject to less rigorous reviews prior to their approval.
News
California seeks to settle Frontier waste suit for $3.5 million
Bloomberg Law – December 6
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the District Attorneys’ Offices of Alameda County and San Mateo County on Thursday announced a settlement with Frontier California Inc. for $3.5 million. In its hazardous waste disposal lawsuit, the state alleges the telecom provider violated the state hazardous waste control law through its collection and disposal of electronic equipment, batteries, and chemicals used by its technicians.
Excessive levels of harmful radiation found at Albany Bulb in Bay Area
SFGate – December 3
A state-ordered environmental report recently revealed high levels of harmful radiation at Albany Bulb, a waterfront East Bay park that features public art installations and hiking trails. The report, ordered by the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, includes the results of walkover surveys conducted at the 31-acre former landfill on the Albany shoreline. The water board ordered the city to conduct surveys after documents from 1980 revealed that the former Stauffer Chemical Co. dumped about 11,100 tons of chemical waste at multiple current and former landfills in the Bay Area, including Albany Bulb.
Trump prepares wide-ranging energy plan to boost gas exports, oil drilling, sources say
Reuters – November 27
Donald Trump’s transition team is putting together a wide-ranging energy package that would approve export permits for new liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects and increase lease sales for oil drilling off the U.S. coast and on federal lands, according to two sources familiar with the plans. Trump also plans to repeal some key climate legislation and regulations — such as tax credits for electric vehicles and new clean power plant standards that aim to phase out coal and natural gas, the sources said.
California sets initial State Water Project allocation at 5% following hot, dry stretch
Los Angeles Times - December 2
California water managers have announced their preliminary forecast of supplies that will be available next year from the State Water Project, telling 29 public agencies to plan for as little as 5% of requested allotments. The state Department of Water Resources said this Monday that the initial allocation is based on current reservoir levels and conservative assumptions about how much water the state may be able to deliver in 2025. Last year, the state’s initial forecast was 10% of requested supplies, but the allocation was increased to 40% in the spring.
EPA urges California to protect Native culture by keeping more water in the Delta
The Sacramento Bee - November 24
EPA has urged California water regulators to protect tribal cultural practices in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta, the troubled heart of the state’s water supply. Comments to the State Water Resources Control Board by EPA regional administrator Martha Guzman at a November 24 hearing marked rare federal intervention into state water politics as regulators weigh options to regulate how much water stays in the estuary.
Environmental groups claim California’s State Water Project will harm endangered fish and the environment
Courthouse News Service – November 28
Environmental groups filed a lawsuit against the California Department of Water Resources on November 25, claiming that the California State Water Project will harm endangered and threatened fish and the environment in the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River watersheds, as well as the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary. The California State Water Project is a system of reservoirs, aqueducts, power plants and pumping plants that delivers water throughout California. The plaintiffs claim that despite extensive evidence of negative impacts, the California Department of Water Resources “implausibly concluded” that operation of the State Water Project would not have a significant impact on the environment.
Sentinel Peak sues California over move to shut down Inglewood Oil Field
Culver City Observer – December 5
The owner of the Inglewood Oil Field is suing the state of California in an attempt to invalidate a state law that will require the energy company to cease production and plug all of its wells - or pay costly fines. In a lawsuit filed this week, Sentinel Peak argues that Assembly Bill 2617 is an unconstitutional statute that will impose unreasonably high penalties on the company, forcing it to halt operations. Governor Gavin Newsom signed the measure into law in September.
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