Focus
Deb Haaland confirmed as first Native American Cabinet secretary
NPR – March 15
Deb Haaland, a member of New Mexico's Laguna Pueblo, has become the first Native American Cabinet secretary in U.S. history. The Senate voted 51-40 on Monday to confirm the Democratic Congress member to lead the Interior Department, an agency that will play a crucial role in the Biden administration's ambitious efforts to combat climate change and conserve natural resources. The Interior Department manages roughly one-fifth of all land in the U.S., as well as offshore holdings. The extraction and use of fossil fuels from those public lands accounts for about one-quarter of the country's greenhouse gas emissions.
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News
California joins lawsuit against San Diego County over giant housing projects in fire-prone area
San Francisco Chronicle – March 17
The California Attorney General’s Office on Wednesday joined two lawsuits against San Diego County (County) pending in San Diego County Superior Court, alleging that the County Board of Supervisors wrongly approved a pair of large housing projects that will pose extraordinary fire danger to residents. The suits, which target two separate expansions of the Otay Ranch Resort Village in the dry scrublands outside of Chula Vista, are the latest show of force in the state’s crackdown on development in fire-prone places. The state claims the County did not meet its obligation under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to evaluate and require mitigation of the fire risk before approving the Otay Ranch additions.
EPA asks court to set aside rule barring imposition of greenhouse gas emissions limits
The Hill – March 17
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday asked a court to throw out a Trump administration rule that could prevent setting greenhouse gas emission limits on multiple industries. The agency’s court filing argues that under the previous administration, EPA “failed to provide any public notice or opportunity for comment on the central elements of the Significant Contribution Rule, rendering it unlawful.” The rule, finalized just before President Donald Trump left office, only allows greenhouse gas emission limits on power plants, exempting industries such as oil and gas production and iron and steel manufacturing.
Judge rules against Los Angeles in Long Valley irrigation fight
Los Angeles Times – March 15
Alameda County Judge Evelio Grillo ordered the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) to continue providing historic quantities of irrigation water to ranchers east of Yosemite, despite LADWP’s assertion that climate change is making water resources in the Sierra Nevada watershed increasingly unreliable. The court agreed with plaintiffs Mono County and the Sierra Club in finding that LADWP violated CEQA by failing to conduct an environmental review before making significant changes in water management policies. The ruling could have significant implications for water agencies statewide as they face the complex challenges of servicing ratepayers and meeting environmental requirements in a time of rising temperatures, drought, and changing water availability.
South Los Angeles oil wells worry neighbors, spark lawsuit
Desert Sun – March 11
The Redeemer Community Partnership last week sued the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) in Los Angeles Superior Court, arguing the LAFD has ignored its duty to order E&B Natural Resources Management to properly plug idle wells at the Murphy drill site in south Los Angeles. The site is located near a medical clinic, a school, and affordable and senior housing developments. Residents are concerned about potential fire and explosion risks from at least five inactive oil wells they say have not been properly sealed.
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