Is ocean-water desalination a good way to solve California’s impending water crisis? Conservationists are pushing back on the idea, saying that technology is harmful to the environment because it can entrap wildlife and create byproducts heavily concentrated with salt and chemicals that would be dumped back into the ocean. Desalination also uses a lot of power. They favor conserving water at the tap. There are now nearly a dozen plans for desal plants in California, including in Marin. [DC Bureau]
Controversial environmentalist Adam Werbach says that Libyan civil unrest could push oil prices up to $200 a barrel, and that’s a good thing for the adoption of clean energy. Unlike the last time the Americans faced high oil prices (2008), today the U.S. is better positioned to seize green technology research funding, drive electric cars, and build a clean energy infrastructure. [The Atlantic Monthly]
Federal investigations into the PG&E San Bruno gas pipeline explosion found that multiple welded seams were “grotesquely at odds with industry standards and specifications.” PG&E declined to comment on the finding, but yesterday agreed to send notices to customers who live within 2,000 feet of a gas-transmission line. The National Transportation Safety Board hearings also revealed that in the 90s PG&E replaced miles of pipeline in San Bruno, stopping 300 yards short of the explosion site. [San Francisco Chronicle] [San Jose Mercury News]
Just as many Central Valley fruit trees began to bloom, temperatures dropped last week, potentially harming many fruit and nut trees at a particularly vulnerable time. In particular stone fruit, such as peaches, apricots, and plums are susceptible to frost. But farmers won’t know the extent of the damage until harvest time. Buyers will find out when they look at the prices. [Marin Independent Journal]
One of the most aggressively farmed stretches of land in the world, California’s Central Valley has a long, often unseen history of environmental health problems. Photographs by Tracy Perkins beautifully document the story and are featured in the inaugural issue of Boom: A Journal of California, published by the University of California Press and due out in March. [Boom] [California Watch]
If the current rate of extinction continues, Earth will lose some 75 percent of its species in three centuries, according to a new study by U.C. Berkeley scientists published in the journal Nature this week. Mass extinctions, such as the one predicted, have only occurred five times in the Earth’s history. The dinosaur die-off is the best known. [San Jose Mercury News]
Hundreds of people attended yesterday’s public meeting to discuss proposed stricter leash laws in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. But the dog walkers and dog lovers are also banding together online to fight the changes through two Facebook pages and a new website. Founders of the sites want to encourage more people to comment on the proposed rule changes, which include banning dogs from Muir and South Rodeo beaches. [Marin Independent Journal] [San Francisco Chronicle]
Cities in San Mateo County that want high-speed rail on the Peninsula are banding together, saying they have more sway as a group. Congressional representatives told city leaders their constant bickering has made them “the laughingstock of Washington D.C.” and that receiving federal money requires cooperation. But signs don’t look good. Many of the cities in the new San Mateo County Rail Corridor Partnership disagree about how rail plans should proceed. [San Jose Mercury News]
Rain wasn’t the only thing falling into the Bay yesterday. Some of the 10,000 red balloons released in San Francisco as part of a publicity stunt by a video game company began dropping into the Bay to the disbelief of environmentalists. The company, THQ, said the balloons were meant to simulate part of its warfare game. The EPA, Coast Guard, and city of San Francisco are investigating the incident. [San Francisco Chronicle] [KGO-TV]
Two San Francisco companies have been accused of illegally dumping more than 100 tons of debris around Bay View Hunters Point. The city has filed suit and is seeking $1 million in damages. Both companies deny the charges, but the city says it found identifying information in the rubbish that lead to the business owners. [San Francisco Chronicle]
The America’s Cup races are two years away, but San Francisco is already bracing for the massive crowds and construction that will accompany the international sailing competition. Among the first items of business is raising $32 million in private funds to pay for police, transportation, and other public services so that public coffers aren’t...
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Tags: america's cup, environmental review, golden gate audubon society, san francisco bay, san francisco baykeeper, san francisco tomorrow, yahoo
Posted in Contaminants, Living, Nature, Policy | 12 Comments »
A parody of Alicia Keys and Jay-Z's hit "Empire State of Mind," this short video will show at the San Francisco Green Film Festival March 3-6, 2011. sfgreenfilmfest.org
It’s been a point of maddening frustration for scientists and environmentalists that as the predictions on global warming grow more dire, the public seems...
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It’s been a long, cold rainy winter this year in California. But it could get worse — much worse. The USGS warned this past...
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Listen to WOW reporter Alison Hawkes’ radio story about the greening of Treasure Island, which aired on KQED’s California Watch.
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