Focus
Federal fishery agencies weaken endangered species protections for California salmon and delta smelt
Los Angeles Times – October 22
In a move that would boost water deliveries to San Joaquin Valley agricultural interests and Southern California cities, federal fishery agencies this week issued biological opinions which conclude that increased delta pumping operations will not jeopardize the continued existence of Chinook salmon and delta smelt. The finding is contrary to a report issued and then withdrawn by the marine fisheries service in July of this year. The fish protections partially govern operations of the giant federal and state pumping plants in the Northern California Delta that help supply more than half the state’s population with drinking water and fill irrigation canals stretching across millions of acres of cropland. The water exports have helped push native fish, such as the delta smelt and winter-run Chinook salmon, to the brink of extinction. The rollback of federal protections increases pressure on Governor Gavin Newsom's administration to adopt stronger delta protections under the state Endangered Species Act.
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News
U.S. DOJ sues California over cap-and-trade agreement with Quebec
San Francisco Chronicle – October 23
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) sued California this Wednesday, accusing the state of unlawfully entering into an agreement with the Canadian province of Quebec to cap greenhouse gas emissions and require companies to buy pollution credits. Cap and trade plays a prominent role in California’s goal of drastically cutting greenhouse gas emissions in the coming decades to fight climate change. The DOJ claims that foreign relations are reserved exclusively for the federal government and must be kept free from local interference, and that California's cap-and-trade program with Quebec in 2013 without approval from Congress was unlawful. Also named in the lawsuit are Governor Gavin Newsom, the California Air Resources Board, and the Western Climate Initiative Inc., which oversee the cap-and-trade program.
President Trump affirms plans for U.S. withdrawal from Paris climate accord
Reuters – October 23
President Donald Trump this Wednesday affirmed plans to pull the United States out of the Paris climate accord, less than two weeks before his administration can formally start the process. The United States, under former President Barack Obama, had pledged under the Paris accord to cut greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 28 percent from 2005 levels by 2025 to help slow global warming. Opponents of leaving the agreement say it harms U.S. global leadership on the transition to a cleaner economy with technologies to boost wind and solar power, advanced batteries, and energy conservation. Withdrawing takes one year, which would mean the United States would leave the agreement one day after the November 2020 presidential election. Trump says the deal was costly for the United States, the world’s second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases after China.
Imperial County declares Salton Sea emergency, demands California take action
Desert Sun – October 22
The Imperial County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted unanimously to declare a local state of emergency at the Salton Sea, the state's largest lake, and said they will likely seek an emergency declaration on the badly polluted New River, which flows into the Salton Sea, in coming weeks. The supervisors, county staff, and a local environmental group said that they hoped the declaration, which will be sent to Governor Gavin Newsom, will help California officials break through 14 years of bureaucratic wrangling and red tape to begin dust suppression and habitat projects.
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