Millions needed to restore salmon to San Joaquin River

By Alison Hawkes

02/25/2011

The salmon that used to swim their way along the San Joaquin River are long gone after the Friant Dam was built in the 1940s. But a $1 billion river restoration effort has conservationists planning for the chinook’s return. One cost estimate was put at $20 million to bring back 40,000 fish with a fish hatchery. Officials plan to start up a spring run late next year. [Fresno Bee]

The 33% renewable energy standard is back

By Victoria Schlesinger

02/25/2011

A measure that requires California utilities to purchase 33 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2020 is up for debate again. Yesterday the state Senate approved a bill introduced by state Senator Joe Simitian from Palo Alto that mirrored the 33 percent measure vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger last year. Democrats are cautiously optimistic the bill will pass under Jerry Brown, who has championed green energy, despite the state’s fiscal woes. [Christian Science Monitor] [Los Angeles Times]

Cleantech investors reboot

By Victoria Schlesinger

02/25/2011

A new trend in cleantech investing promises to put money into helping companies with proven technologies expand rather than focusing on risky, nascent ideas, according to Earth2Tech. Venture capital funds are also looking to invest their cleantech money not just in California but China, India and Europe. [Earth2Tech]

Muni under investigation for safety

By Victoria Schlesinger

02/25/2011

The much maligned San Francisco Muni is under attack not by grousing riders but the California Public Utilities Commission, which accused the rail system of repeatedly violating safety regulations. Inspectors said Muni was endangering the public, citing problems with the track, train control system and the agency’s slow reaction to the issues. [San Francisco Chronicle]

Waiting for d’snow

By Victoria Schlesinger

02/25/2011

Like Vladimir and Estragon in Samuel Beckett’s famous play Waiting for Godot, the Bay Area is watching and hoping today for snow to hit San Francisco streets for the first time in more than thirty years. Forecasters say that if the white stuff does reach such low elevations it will not be until later this afternoon or evening. [San Francisco Chronicle]

“Science was subverted” in strawberry pesticide approval

By Victoria Schlesinger

02/25/2011

The lead scientist hired by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation to independently review the health impacts of methyl iodide, a controversial fumigant, concluded “there is no safe level” of the pesticide. UCLA chemical toxicology professor John Froine went on to say during a California Assembly Committees on Health and Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials hearing that the DPR inappropriately approved methyl iodide last December. [Monterey County Weekly]

West Marin’s new film festival highlights water

By Victoria Schlesinger

02/24/2011

The theme of West Marin’s first Geography of Hope film festival will be “Reflections on Water” and it will feature 50 independent films, shorts and documentaries this weekend at the Dance Palace in Point Reyes Station. The film festival is a prelude to the town’s literary conference with the same theme in late March. [Marin Independent Journal]

Putting green into grey urban school yards

By Victoria Schlesinger

02/24/2011

Bay Area school districts are working to put gardens, ponds and nature trails into school playgrounds, replacing the asphalt yards and metal play structures that have become synonymous with city schools. Money from San Francisco school bonds has funded 15 such renovations with another 29 under way. The work is being done by environmental planner Sharon Danks and her Berkeley-based firm Bay Tree Design. [The Daily Californian]

Solar powered Superfund clean up in Davis

By Victoria Schlesinger

02/24/2011

Officials unveiled a solar-powered cleaning system yesterday installed at the Frontier Fertilizer Superfund site in Davis, California, championed as a model for other toxic clean up sites. Solar energy will power a water pump and filtration system that is purifying tens of millions of gallons of contaminated groundwater. The water will initially be treated through electrical resistive heating, a process that will shorten the clean up time by 170 years and save millions of dollars, according to officials. [San Francisco Chronicle]

Cockfighting found in seven Bay Area counties

By Victoria Schlesinger

02/24/2011

New data on cockfighting in California has revealed that in 34 of the state’s 58 counties law enforcement was called regarding the illegal practice, and that some 20,000 fighting birds were found, according to the Humane Society of the United States. Seven Bay Area counties were among those listed: Sonoma, Napa, Contra Costa, Alameda, San Mateo, and Santa Clara. [California Watch]

Report says to let some fish die to save Delta ecosystem

02/24/2011

By Alison Hawkes

A leading California think tank proposes letting some fish species die off in order to save the larger Delta ecosystem. The report by the Public Policy Institute of California states that some species — notably the Delta smelt — may be too far gone to save. The plan also suggests a 30 percent cut to urban water use, which would affect Bay Area communities, but no comparable demands for agriculture to conserve. Fish populations have taken a nosedive in the Delta for a variety of reasons, including the exporting of water for farms and consumers. [Bay Area News Group via the Oakland Tribune]

Tags: central valley farms, delta, delta smelt, water