"San Benito County's New Idria Mercury Mine Now a Superfund Site"
"Every second of every day it flows: a river of poison gushing from the hillsides."
Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel, 12/05/2011
California
Calif. Law Keeps Public from Knowing About Dangerous Pipelines
The San Francisco Chronicle revealed almost all records of the state's Public Utilities Commission, which regulates pipelines, are secret — and the PUC typically asks permission from the utility companies before releasing any information. In most other states, such information is freely available to the public.
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"Strong Winds Coming To Southern California"
"Strong Santa Ana winds, with hurricane-force gusts of 80 mph or more in some areas, could cause dangerous fire conditions and hazardous driving over the next several days."
Source: LA Times, 11/30/2011
Law Allows State California PUC To Keep Utilities Data Secret
"Californians concerned about dangerous pipelines running underneath their neighborhoods are barred from obtaining government records about them by a 60-year-old state law backed by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and other utilities, a Chronicle investigation shows."
Source: San Francisco Chronicle, 11/28/2011
BLM Says 9 Western States Have Worthy Wilderness Areas
Designating lands as wilderness or some other highly protected status always is contentious, but the BLM has identified 24 areas in 9 western states the agency says have significant local support for this idea: CA (9 areas), CO (3), ID (1), MT (1), NM (2), NV (2), OR (2), UT (3), and WA (1).
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"Flame Retardant Industry Spent $23M on Lobbying, Campaign Donations"
"A 5-month investigation by Environmental Health News reveals that the chemical industry spent at least $23.2 million over the past five years to lobby California officials and donate to campaigns in an effort to defeat bills that would have regulated flame retardants. The four top recipients, three Democrats and one Republican, never voted in favor of any of the five bills. During the years of lobbying, the flame retardants have been building up in people’s bodies, including breast milk, around the world."
Source: EHN, 11/16/2011
California Pioneers Plan for Trimming Toxics
"Long a pacesetter in efforts to control dangerous chemicals, California is moving toward sweeping new rules to reduce toxins in cleaning products, cosmetics, electronics, toys and possibly many other consumer goods."
Source: San Diego Union-Tribune, 11/14/2011
"The Energy, and Expense, of Bringing Water To the Southland"
"The twin forces of power costs and climate-change regulations are threatening Southern California's long love affair with imported water, forcing the region to consider more mundane sources closer to home."
Source: LA Times, 11/14/2011
BLM Releases Supplement to Draft PEIS for Large-Scale Solar
The agency says the remaining 17 sites covering ~285,000 acres in six states have the best solar gain and energy transmission traits, the fewest conflicts with environmental, cultural, and historic resources, and the best compatibility with each state's efforts. Public meetings commence Nov 30 and a 90-day public comment period ends Jan. 27, 2012. A variance process could be used to approve additional solar development elsewhere.
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