Focus
Industry groups and seven states lose bid to reinstate rule limiting scope of Clean Water Act
Courthouse News Service – December 7
Seven states and a collection of industry groups fighting to revive a Trump-era rule limiting the scope of the Clean Water Act suffered a setback in court this Tuesday when a federal judge rejected their request to reinstate the rule pending appeal. The parties had asked Senior U.S. District Judge William Alsup of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California to stay his Oct. 22 decision, which voided the rule while the Biden administration spends the next 16 months or so reviewing and potentially replacing it. The industry groups argued that vacating the rule could scuttle important energy projects, impose burdensome costs on project developers, and hurt the economy. In his ruling, Judge Alsup dismissed that argument, finding the groups can still fully participate in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s rulemaking process, which is currently underway.
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News
Biden names Central Valley advocate to lead EPA in California, western U.S.
The Fresno Bee – December 9
The Biden administration on Thursday appointed Martha Guzman Aceves, a member of the California Public Utilities Commission for the past five years and longtime advocate for disadvantaged communities, to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 9, covering the southwestern United States and Pacific islands. Her duties on the Public Utilities Commission include fiscal oversight of utility companies, expanding access to broadband, water affordability, clean energy programs, and preventing utility disconnections in low-income communities.
Port of San Diego installing 300 ‘reef balls’ as pilot oyster living shoreline begins
Times of San Diego – December 8
The Port of San Diego (Port) last Thursday announced that it has begun installing 300 “reef balls” as part of the South Bay Native Oyster Living Shoreline Project next to the Chula Vista Wildlife Refuge. The project, in partnership with the California State Coastal Conservancy and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, is the latest of several Port projects intended to protect the shoreline from impacts related to rising sea levels and to increase the biodiversity of San Diego Bay by creating new marine habitats.
Five miles of Northern California coastline to be bought by San Francisco environmental group for $36.9 million
SFGate – December 9
In an effort to preserve the flora and restore the redwood forests, a San Francisco environmental group has signed an agreement to buy five miles of oceanfront Mendocino County land, known as the Lost Coast, in the largest coastal land preservation deal in Northern California in more than 20 years. The Save the Redwoods League announced on Thursday that it has agreed to purchase the historic DeVilbiss Ranch timberlands, just north of Rockport, for $37 million if it can raise the money by the end of the year. The group plans to save the stretch from logging and preserve it for public use.
Alameda judge orders a statewide halt to use of pesticide harmful to honeybees
San Francisco Chronicle – December 7
Alameda County Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch has sided with environmental groups and announced a statewide halt to use of the pesticide sulfoxaflor, which kills insects on many crops but is toxic to honeybees. The state Department of Pesticide Regulation, under Governor Gavin Newsom, lifted California’s ban on sulfoxaflor and approved limited use of the chemical in the spring of 2020. The department said its application on crops would have an overall beneficial effect and, in court filings, dismissed predictions of damage to bees as “speculative.”
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