Weekly Green: January 5, 2016

In recent headlines:

• A single gas well leak is California's biggest contributor to climate change;
• California cut water use 20.3% in November; with the rain, what will happen?
• 'Citizens United' advisory measure can go on ballot, California high court says;
• 2015: The Year We Found Out #ExxonKnew
• ... and much more.

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TOP NEWS

A single gas well leak is California's biggest contributor to climate change
The single biggest contributor to climate change in California is a blown-out natural gas well more than 8,700ft underground, state authorities and campaign groups said Monday. The broken well at the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage site has released more than 77,000 metric tons of the powerful climate pollutant methane since the rupture was first detected on 23 October, according to a counter created by the Environmental Defense Fund.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jan/05/aliso-canyon-leak-california-climate-changeA single gas well leak is California's biggest contributor to climate change

California cut water use 20.3% in November; with the rain, what will happen?
The savings, compared with 2013, was the lowest in six months of reporting and moved California’s cumulative savings down to 26.3%, still slightly above the 25% standard called for by Brown.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-water-conservation-20160105-story.html

'Citizens United' advisory measure can go on ballot, California high court says
The California Supreme Court cleared the way Monday for the Legislature to place an advisory measure on the November ballot asking voters their views on campaign spending.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article52956125.html

2015: The Year We Found Out #ExxonKnew
The lengthening list of Americans calling for more investigations of ExxonMobil’s behavior on climate change includes members of Congress, three presidential candidates, dozens of climate scientists and Glenda Poliner, a San Diego grandmother. She was one of almost 9,000 people who signed a petition calling on California Attorney General Kamala Harris to investigate whether Exxon misled the public on global warming.
READ THE ARTICLE: http://insideclimatenews.org/news/23122015/2015-exxon-mobil-climate-change-science-research-exxonknew-investigation-petition
TAKE ACTION WITH CLCV: http://ecovote.org/ExxonKnew

CALIFORNIA NEWS

California gas leak called the biggest disaster since BP
The leak was discovered outside Los Angeles in late October, at a natural gas storage site owned by Southern California Gas Co. It has been bleeding methane at a rate of up to 110,000 pounds per hour for the past two months.
http://grist.org/article/california-gas-leak-called-the-biggest-disaster-since-bp/

Leaking gas well in Porter Ranch area lacked a working safety valve
A leaking natural gas well that has displaced thousands of residents in Porter Ranch lacked a working safety valve, sparking new questions about how the facility was maintained.
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-0104-gas-leak-20160104-story.html

Assemblyman Mike Gatto plans hearings on Porter Ranch gas leak
A member of the state Assembly from Southern California plans to hold a hearing in January on Southern California Gas Co.’s response to a gas leak in Aliso Canyon that has forced the evacuation of thousands of Porter Ranch residents.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-hearing-porter-ranch-gas-leak-20151229-story.html

California’s Drought Is Stressing Out Nearly a Billion Trees
The drought in California has killed off as many as 12.5 million trees, and according to new research, it’s stressing out nearly a billion more.
http://www.takepart.com/article/2016/01/04/california-trees-stressed-out-drought

Lawmakers look Down Under to help state get over the drought
Don’t be surprised to see a flurry of new legislative proposals in 2016 that push toilet water recycling, rooftop water tanks and underground systems to filter sewer sludge for field irrigation in California. Call it the Australian plan.
http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Lawmakers-look-Down-Under-to-help-state-get-over-6732072.php

California snowpack at 136 percent of normal
Officials in drought-stricken California say the water content of the Sierra Nevada snowpack has measured 136 percent of normal for this time of year. Frank Gehrke of the Department of Water Resource said Wednesday he is encouraged by the manual measurement taken Wednesday in the Central Sierra, which includes Lake Tahoe.
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CALIFORNIA_DROUGHT_SNOWPACK_SURVEY?SITE=CASON&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-12-30-15-14-25

First big El Niño storms hit California, bring hope of easing historic drought
After a year of hype and hope, El Niño's punch is finally arriving in California, bringing a series of storms to soak the Bay Area and most of the rest of the drought-stricken state through this week and probably into next.
http://www.mercurynews.com/drought/ci_29343070/first-big-el-nino-storms-hit-california-bring

Op-Ed: The return of wolves to California is endangered by new plan
Wolves traveled hundreds of miles dodging untold threats to recolonize California. Now the state must go the extra mile and take the necessary steps to make sure they are managed not as an inconvenience but as a valued public trust to be celebrated.
READ THE OP-ED: http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article50626625.html
TAKE ACTION WITH CLCV: http://ecovote.org/GrayWolf

Toxic chemical discovered in San Francisco's fog
“On a relative scale, the levels of mercury are quite low and of no health concern,” said Peter Weiss-Penzias, a professor at UC Santa Cruz. “But it does bioaccumulate,” or build up in organisms.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/The-toxic-chemical-in-San-Francisco-s-fog-6734283.php#item-44548

Forest Service reviews Nestle's California bottled-water operation
For more than 120 years, the Arrowhead bottle water brand, under many different owners, has been fueled by spring water from the San Bernardino Mountains and other springs around the state.
http://www.mercurynews.com/drought/ci_29338673/forest-service-reviews-nestles-california-bottled-water-operation

Elephant seal found on Highway 37 gives birth to pup at Point Reyes
The seal, a 900-pound adult female seal named "Tolay" after the creek where she held would-be rescuers at bay over the course of two days, gave birth at Point Reyes National Seashore on Saturday, park service officials said.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/breaking-news/ci_29341710/marin-county-elephant-seal-found-highway-37-gives

The Most Important New California Laws of 2016
It was a big year, legislatively, in Sacramento: With the budget wrapped up in June, lawmakers passed hundreds of laws dealing with everything from climate change to workers rights. Here’s KQED’s annual roundup of highlights.
http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2016/1/1/the-biggest-new-laws-of-2016

New laws to have wide-ranging impact on life in California
More renewable power, equal pay for women, and restrictions on police searches of cell phones, computers and electronic data highlight a list of new California laws for the new year.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/New-laws-to-have-wide-ranging-impact-on-life-in-6730999.php

Committee musical chairs begins in California Assembly
New Assembly leadership means new committee assignments, and the reshuffle started on Tuesday.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article52134835.html

California cranks out new businesses and jobs despite criticism
California has spawned new businesses at one of the fastest rates in the nation over the last decade, and faster than the U.S. economy overall, the report found. The state is also a leader in job creation tied to those new businesses.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-business-climate-20160102-story.html

Solar is in, biomass energy is out — and farmers are struggling to dispose of woody waste
It should have been a good year for turning wood and waste into electrons. A record-setting drought forced growers to bulldoze thousands of acres of trees, and hardly anyone in the Central Valley has permission to light bonfires anymore.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-biomass-closing-20160101-story.html

Biomass Power Could Help California's Dying Forests
Millions of dead trees in California create a huge risk of wildfire. It’s led Governor Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency that will require utilities, power plants and state agencies to work together. Biomass power plants can create energy from those dead trees, but the biomass plants alone may not be able to solve the crisis.
http://www.capradio.org/63471

Can Gavin Newsom close California’s last nuclear plant?
Gavin Newsom has a prediction about California’s last nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon: It won’t stay open another 10 years. And due to a quirk of Diablo’s complicated history, he could have a hand in closing it.
http://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Can-Gavin-Newsom-close-California-s-last-6734454.php

Criminal probe focuses on San Onofre response
A state criminal investigation into the California Public Utilities Commission centers around former President Michael Peevey’s persistent intervention into the process to assign costs for the failure of the San Onofre nuclear plant, newly released court documents show.
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/dec/29/diaz-affidavit-cpuc-probe/

Koch Brothers Group Can't Keep Donor List From California
California can ask a nonprofit group started by conservative billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch for the names and addresses of its donors, but the state can’t publicly disclose that information.
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-12-29/koch-brothers-group-can-be-asked-for-donor-list-by-california

SeaWorld sues Coastal Commission over 'no-breeding' clause added to orca project
SeaWorld San Diego has followed through on its promise to sue the California Coastal Commission for approving a new orca enclosure, but only with the condition that the park stop breeding and transferring its killer whales
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-seaworld-sues-coastal-commission-20151229-story.html

U.S. government, firms reach $22-million settlement to clean up Superfund site in South Gate
The Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of the Justice have reached a $22-million settlement to clean up a former industrial site 10 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-22-million-settlement-to-clean-up-superfund-site-20151229-story.html

Rain-driven salmon run in Marin brings hope, but coho still hurting
The celebrated coho salmon of West Marin are leaping up waterfalls and wriggling around the rain-animated rapids of Lagunitas Creek this week in numbers that might make people think the end is no longer near.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Rain-driven-salmon-run-in-Marin-brings-hope-but-6724462.php

Oil politics aside, Oklahoma governor offers thanks to Jerry Brown
Republican Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin has oil wells outside her statehouse office. Earlier this year, she issued an executive order barring agencies from going along with President Barack Obama’s climate change plan.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article51753640.html

Father to Many, Condor Is Set Free
Biologists believe AC-4 was 5 to 7 years old when they captured him for the breeding program. He fathered the first chick born in the program and 30 over all that have been successfully released into the wild. This year, biologists recorded 19 wild condor nests in central and Southern California, more nests than at any time this century.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/02/us/california-father-to-many-condor-is-set-free.html

NATIONAL & GLOBAL NEWS

Big Oil Braced for Global Warming While It Fought Regulations
As many of the world’s major oil companies — including Exxon, Mobil and Shell — joined a multimillion-dollar industry effort to stave off new regulations to address climate change, they were quietly safeguarding billion-dollar infrastructure projects from rising sea levels, warming temperatures and increasing storm severity.
http://graphics.latimes.com/oil-operations/

China Clamps Down on Coal
China says it will not approve any new coal mines for the next three years. The country’s National Energy Administration (NEA) says more than 1,000 existing mines will also be closed over the coming year, reducing total coal production by 70 million tons.
http://ecowatch.com/2016/01/02/china-clamps-down-on-coal/

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