California’s largest new reservoir project in 50 years moves forward after judge rules against environmental groups

The Mercury News – June 5

Plans to build the largest new reservoir in California in 50 years have taken a significant step forward following a judge’s decision last Friday to dismiss a lawsuit filed by environmental groups challenging the adequacy of the project’s environmental impact report. The $4.5 billion project, known as Sites Reservoir, is planned for rolling ranchlands about 70 miles northwest of Sacramento. Sites would be California’s eighth largest reservoir, providing water to 500,000 acres of Central Valley farmlands and 24 million people. The adjudication of the lawsuit was expedited under a law enacted last July to expedite construction of water, solar, wind, and transportation projects. Under that law, lawsuits filed to challenge such projects under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) must be decided within 270 days. The Sites Reservoir lawsuit was decided in 148 days.

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Regulators reject Berkeley plan that would have allowed ‘excessively high’ radiation at park

AOL/Los Angeles Times – June 4

Months after discovering that radioactive waste and toxic pesticides may be buried under two popular Bay Area parks, state regulators have rejected Berkeley’s plan to test for contaminants as insufficient to adequately characterize any such waste and chemicals. In January 2024, the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board informed the cities of Albany and Berkeley that a former chemical plant had disposed of 11,100 tons of industrial waste at their municipal landfills—now Berkeley’s César Chávez Park and Albany’s “Bulb”—decades ago. The revelation came after the Department of Toxic Substances Control shared a 1980 document detailing the disposal records of Stauffer Chemical Co.’s Richmond plant. The Water Board demanded the cities submit plans by April to scan these areas for cancer-causing gamma radiation and to sample for banned pesticides including DDT. Berkeley’s proposal was denied as the Water Board cited major concerns with the city’s methodology.

EPA moves to limit toxic chemical used in hundreds of products

The New York Times – June 5

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday proposed limits on the use of N-Methylpyrrolidone, a solvent found in products ranging from arts and crafts supplies to paint remover. The chemical, also known as NMP, has been linked to miscarriages, reduced male fertility, and damage to the liver, kidneys, and immune and nervous systems. If finalized, the rule would ban some commercial uses of NMP, such as in automotive and cleaning products, and limit the concentration of NMP allowed in some consumer products, such as glue. It would also establish safeguards, including protective equipment requirements, for workers exposed to NMP.

San Diego legislators push for federal help in Tijuana River pollution crisis

KPBS – June 4

Four San Diego-area legislators on Tuesday introduced an amendment to the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act to bring federal assistance to the ongoing Tijuana River Valley sewage pollution crisis. Reps. Juan Vargas, Scott Peters, and Sara Jacobs, all D-San Diego, and Mike Levin, D-Dana Point/northern coastal San Diego County, penned the amendment, which would establish a federal program — the Tijuana River Public Health and Water Quality Restoration Program — to plan, coordinate, and provide grants for public health and water quality restoration projects in the Tijuana River Valley. Some county beaches have been closed for more than 900 consecutive days due to sewage contamination.

Rising temperatures, CO2 levels, raise significant climate change concerns

CBS News – June 6

Scientists from NOAA and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego on Thursday released a new report about the dangers of human-caused climate change. The scientists found that carbon dioxide, a potent greenhouse gas, is surging faster than ever and accelerating to levels far above any levels previously experienced during human existence. This study follows the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) confirmation in January that 2023 was the hottest year ever recorded on earth. Late last month, a new analysis released by The Associated Press showed 2023 set a record for the highest number of heat-related deaths in the United States.