Focus
Environmental groups sue BLM over California drilling plan
Reuters – October 30
The Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity this Wednesday sued the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) over its approval of a plan that would allow oil and gas leasing in more than 720,000 acres of federal land spanning 11 counties in the Central California coastal region. The move ended a five-year moratorium on leases in the state that was prompted by a legal challenge by the same environmental groups, which resulted in a ruling that BLM had improperly issued leases without analyzing the environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking.” In the papers filed in federal court in San Francisco this week, the groups argued that BLM violated the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) by failing to analyze the harm drilling would cause to groundwater supplies, climate change, and the potential for earthquakes caused by fracking.
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News
Service King settles suit alleging it mishandled hazardous waste
The Mercury News – October 26
District attorney offices throughout the state, including prosecutors representing Alameda and Santa Clara Counties, last Friday announced a $2.35 million settlement with Service King Paint and Body over the alleged mishandling of hazardous waste and confidential customer information. Investigators began undercover operations in 2016 of Service King trash containers, which revealed the illegal dumping of hazardous materials including sanding dust, sanding pads, automotive paints, clear coats, solvents, and aerosols. As part of the settlement, Service King was ordered to pay $1.35 million in civil penalties, $500,000 for new equipment, and $150,000 toward other environmental projects.
DOI removes controversial proposed change from final FOIA rule
The Hill – October 25
The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) has removed controversial language from the final version of its public records rule. The final iteration of the agency’s Freedom of Information Act regulation issued last Friday removes several proposed changes that watchdog groups argued would place an unlawful burden on public records seekers and offered the agency broader authority to reject requests that did not fit the more narrow request format. The changes in the final rule come as DOI faces mounting scrutiny over its public records policies, including an investigation by DOI’s inspector general into the agency’s use of an “awareness review” policy that allows political appointees to view documents in which they are referenced prior to release.
DTSC approves plan to cap, not remove, contaminated soils from East Bay brownfield
East Bay Times – October 28
Despite vocal opposition, California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) announced Friday that it approved the final cleanup plan for the former AstraZeneca site in Richmond, California, which allows the 86-acre brownfield site to be capped over with concrete in anticipation of construction of a 4,000-unit apartment complex, following removal of some of the more “heavily contaminated” soil, rather than requiring all impacted soil be removed. Groundwater and soil vapor will also be treated. The contamination stemmed from historical pesticide and pharmaceutical manufacturing at the site, which resulted in releases of benzene, arsenic, and polychlorinated biphenyls until the manufacturing practices ceases in 1997. According to the DTSC, removing the soil would have taken about 10 years to complete and require about 64,370 truck trips to haul and dispose of the soil, which could “create more harmful impacts to the community” including air pollution, traffic, and dust.
GM, Toyota, and Chrysler side with White House in fight over California fuel standards
The Washington Post – October 28
A coalition of international automakers, including General Motors, Toyota, Fiat Chrysler, Nissan, Subaru, and Hyundai, on Monday announced plans to intervene on behalf of the federal government in its fight with California over fuel efficiency standards. According to the Association of Global Automakers, the intervention is not necessarily a challenge to California's fuel standards, but rather a statement of support that the federal government alone should have the authority to set national standards. The move could pit the powerful manufacturers against other industry giants such as Ford, Honda, and Volkswagen, which this summer struck a deal with California regulators to produce more fuel-efficient cars and trucks through 2025.
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