Weekly Green: November 9, 2015

In recent headlines:

• National LCV endorses Hillary Clinton for President;
• Keystone XL pipeline will not be built;
• Oil industry spent near $11 million on lobbying during SB 350 fight;
• Plastic bag makers introduce 2nd 'poison pill' initiative; much more.

» Welcome to another edition of the Weekly Green, your no-frills news roundup provided free of charge by the California League of Conservation Voters. If you're not a regular subscriber, sign up for your free subscription today: http://ecovote.org/wg »

Top News & Features

Clinton nabs backing from deep-pocketed environmental group
Hillary Clinton received the endorsement of the deep-pocketed League of Conservation Voters Action Fund Monday in New Hampshire, the environmental group confirmed to MSNBC. Clinton was joined by the group’s president, Gene Karpinski, and former Environmental Protection Agency head Carol Browner at an “Environmentalists for Hillary” event in Nashua where she’ll officially pick up the nod.
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/clinton-pick-backing-deep-pocketed-environmental-group

Hillary Clinton Wins The Support Of A Major Environmental Group
The political arm of the League of Conservation Voters endorsed Hillary Clinton for president on Wednesday. “When it comes to fighting the climate crisis, the stakes couldn’t be higher—and we are confident that Hillary Clinton is the right person for the job,” Gene Karpinski, President of the LCV Action Fund, said in a statement. “Hillary Clinton is without a doubt the most effective leader to stand up to Big Polluters and push forward an aggressive plan to tackle climate change and get it done.”
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/11/09/3720490/lcv-endorses-hillary/

LCV press release: http://www.lcv.org/media/press-releases/LCV-Action-Fund-Endorses-Hillary-Clinton-for-President.html

Oil industry spending surged as California climate bill fight raged
Oil companies who succeeded in weakening a California climate change bill massively increased their lobbying spending during the final chunk of the Legislature’s calendar, shelling out nearly $11 million to persuade lawmakers and run a media campaign.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article42348678.html

Oil industry pumped cash into lobbying as fight over energy bill raged
During a pitched battle over climate change legislation this year, the petroleum industry dramatically ramped up its spending on lobbying, new disclosures show. More than a dozen oil companies or industry groups spent almost a total of $11.3 million on lobbying from July 1 to Sept. 30, as the fight over a key provision of the measure reached its peak.
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-oil-industry-pumped-cash-into-capitol-lobbying-campaign-20151102-story.html

Battle of the Bags: Plastic bag makers introduce 'poison pill'
Out-of-state bag makers leading the campaign to repeal a 2014 law banning their product spent $3 million on signature gathering alone -- and in a surprise move recently filed another initiative on the same topic, a highly unusual strategy that appears to be the political equivalent of a trick play in football.
http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_29062412/battle-bags-plastic-bag-makers-introduce-poison-pill

The Keystone XL pipeline is dead. Here's why Obama rejected it.
The guessing game is over. On Friday, President Obama announced that he is rejecting the Keystone XL pipeline once and for all. "The State Department has decided that the Keystone XL pipeline would not serve the national interest of the United States," Obama said. "I agree with that decision."
http://www.vox.com/2015/11/6/9681340/obama-rejects-keystone-pipeline

What critics of the Keystone campaign misunderstand about climate activism
It feels like I've been writing about the Keystone XL pipeline since dinosaurs roamed the earth. I know I'm not the only energy journalist who is profoundly relieved the whole thing is over. All the arguments, pro and con, were made, remade, and re-remade long before Obama's decision was announced; the entire debate had taken on the air of exhausted kabuki.
http://www.vox.com/2015/11/8/9690654/keystone-climate-activism

More Campaign News

Bernie Sanders leaves money on the table
The progressive contender has decided not to court California’s big money liberals, despite their willingness to play ball.
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/bernie-sanders-silicon-valley-fundraising-215619

California's ballot could be a blockbuster next November
Call it a dream for California political consultants, a nightmare for voters or an electoral extravaganza: The November 2016 ballot could feature a bigger crop of statewide propositions than at any time in the past decade.
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-me-pol-california-ballot-measures-2016-20151108-story.html

Newsom, Villaraigosa taking two paths to the same spot on ballot
Two factors are animating the presidential contest among the Democrats who control California's elections: a sharp left turn and a focus on those who continue to suffer economically. Those topics also are dominating the 2018 campaign for governor.
http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-pol-ca-california-politics-newsom-villaraigosa-20151108-story.html

Moderate Democrats don’t want you to think they’re in oil industry’s pocket
At a panel Friday hosted by business groups, including the California Business Properties Association, several lawmakers complained that their objections this session to Senate Bill 350 – the priority climate-change measure ultimately stripped of its signature initiative to reduce gasoline use by half – were viewed as a kowtow to heavy lobbying by the oil industry.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article43480308.html

Money talks, candidates listen
They were members of city councils and school boards up and down California, ranchers and attorneys, Republicans and Democrats, moms and dads – all candidates for the Legislature who’d signed up for this crash course in how things really work. High on the agenda: money.
http://calmatters.org/articles/money-talks-candidates-listen/

Rule change would hide politicians’ disclosures
The state’s political watchdog agency is mulling a rules change that would mean dropping elected officials’ economic disclosures and “behested payments” reports from its website after seven years – effectively removing them from public view.
http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2015/11/04/rule-change-would-hide-politicians-disclosures/

Bay Area lawmaker wants to legalize ‘ballot selfies’
A Bay Area lawmaker will introduce a bill making it legal for Californians to take “selfies” of their voting ballots and post them on social media.
http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2015/11/02/bay-area-lawmaker-wants-to-legalize-ballot-selfies/

Drought

To save water, an underground movement to bank El Niño's rainfall
Though groundwater storage costs can vary substantially depending on the water source, the median price is significantly less than that of major new reservoirs, according to Stanford University researchers.
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-water-storage-20151109-story.html

Jerry Brown’s tunnels meet flurry of criticism, but will it matter?
Gov. Jerry Brown’s response to the latest volley of opposition to his plan to divert water under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta lacked the cheekiness he exhibited in May, when he playfully told his critics to “shut up.”
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/delta/article43691418.html

Drought drives bears down to foothill town in search of food
Tourists and animal lovers hoping to see a bear in Sequoia National Park this fall probably stand a better chance of spotting one in this tiny town at the park's entrance.
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CALIFORNIA_DROUGHT_BEARS?SITE=CASON&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-11-09-01-13-52

Climate

Politifact: Does California have the most ambitious clean energy goals on the planet?
California is known for setting lofty clean energy goals. But are its targets the most ambitious on the planet? That’s what state Senate leader Kevin de León claimed in a speech in October after Gov. Jerry Brown signed SB 350, a landmark climate change package authored by the senator.
http://www.politifact.com/california/statements/2015/nov/03/kevin-de-leon/does-california-have-most-ambitious-clean-energy-g/

California revs up for Paris climate-change summit
In the wonky world of climate change, California’s presence at the United Nations summit in Paris next month is expected to be a star-studded affair.
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-sac-california-paris-climate-change-delegation-20151104-story.html

Climate change a likely culprit for declines in ocean fish
Fish populations off California’s coast have plummeted more than 70 percent in the last four decades, and scientists’ best guess is that climate change is to blame.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/fish-691164-ocean-water.html

More California Environmental News

State Insists High-Speed Rail Remains On Track
Opponents are accusing the High-Speed Rail Authority of hiding higher cost estimates. The state insists that costs remain on track, although the trains may not be ready to run on time.
http://www.capradio.org/articles/2015/11/05/tate-insists-high-speed-rail-remains-on-track/

Restoration work begins on part of Salton Sea
Officials last week took a step -- albeit a modest one -- toward restoring the beleaguered Salton Sea and possibly avoiding a predicted environmental and health catastrophe.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-salton-sea-project-20151108-story.html

The Buzz: How the GOP gained control of air quality board
A concerted, back-channels effort by Republican leaders has succeeded in gaining a board majority at the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which oversee the regulation and compliance of everything from power plants to gas stations.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/robinson-690995-air-quality.html

Diaz: How the state is undercutting rooftop solar
With great fanfare, Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation that will require California’s utilities to draw at least 50 percent of their electricity from renewable sources — such as wind and solar — by 2030. But, what few Californians may know, is what will not count against that requirement: the rooftop solar units they put on their homes, businesses, schools or other public buildings.
http://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/diaz/article/How-the-state-is-undercutting-rooftop-solar-6601615.php?t=fffa67126100af33be&cmpid=twitter-premium

Environmental advocates sue L.A., accusing it of 'rubber stamping' oil drilling plans
The suit was filed Friday morning on behalf of youths living near oil drilling sites in South Los Angeles and Wilmington.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-lawsuit-oil-drilling-20151106-story.html

To reduce Ocean Beach trash, Park Service removes garbage bins
In a seemingly counterintuitive move, the National Park Service has removed most of the garbage cans along Ocean Beach — in hopes of reducing litter. Park officials say the move has been successful, but neighbors and beachgoers call it a failure.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/To-eliminate-Ocean-Beach-trash-Park-Service-6616302.php

Biotoxin found in Dungeness crab, fishing season imperiled
The recreational and commercial fisheries were slated to open Saturday and Nov. 15, respectively. It is now highly likely the seasons will be delayed indefinitely until the crab are deemed safe to eat.
http://www.mercurynews.com/san-mateo-county-times/ci_29067213/biotoxin-found-dungeness-crab-fishing-season-imperiled

Fed rule would ban widely used nerve-agent pesticide
Federal regulators on Friday proposed a zero-tolerance policy for food-borne residues of a pesticide widely used on edible crops nationwide, effectively ending its application to more than a dozen crops, including tree nuts, soybeans, corn, wheat, apples and citrus.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-pesticide-ban-20151030-story.html

Jerry Brown declares emergency for dying trees
Lamenting “the worst epidemic of tree mortality” in the state’s modern history, Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday sought federal aid to remove dead trees from California forests and called for more controlled burns to reduce the risk of wildfire.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article41962989.html

Wind-power company to replace bird-killing Altamont turbines
A wind farm company with out-of-date turbines that wildlife biologists blame for the deaths of scores of raptors on the Altamont Pass has agreed after years of squawking from environmentalists and regulators to replace the bird-killing blades.
http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Wind-power-company-to-replace-bird-killing-6606370.php

UC Davis researchers say illegal marijuana farms threaten rare mammal
This study found that growers use all kinds of rat killer to protect their crops, and that poison is killing fishers, a kind of weasel that lives in the Pacific Northwest.
http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2015/11/05/uc-davis-researchers-say-illegal-marijuana-farms.html

SeaWorld to phase out killer whale show
SeaWorld intends to phase out its longstanding killer whale show at its San Diego park next year as part of a strategy to re-position the embattled company amid persistent criticisms of how it treats its orcas.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-seaworld-to-build-new-roller-coaster-20151109-story.html

California lawmaker plans to introduce bill to phase out killer whale shows
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) said Friday that he plans to introduce a bill to prohibit the breeding of captive orcas, end the capture of wild orcas and stop the import and export of the killer whales.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-bill-to-end-killer-whale-shows-20151106-story.html

Thanks for reading the Weekly Green from the California League of Conservation Voters. If you're not a regular subscriber, don't forget to sign up today! Get your free subscription here: http://ecovote.org/wg

• Next Weekly Green
•  
• Previous Weekly Green