News
EPA to reconsider approval of herbicide linked to Parkinson's disease
 San Francisco Chronicle – September 27
After complaints from farmworkers and environmentalists, the EPA will reconsider its 15-year re-approval of paraquat, a widely used herbicide that has been linked to Parkinson’s disease in many studies. In a September 23 filing with the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Justice Department attorneys said the EPA will look at the risks posed by paraquat before renewing long-term approval of its sale and use in the United States. Paraquat kills weeds on cotton, soybeans, almonds, grapes, and other crops, and has become one of the nation’s most commonly used herbicides, particularly in California and some Midwestern states, where its application has doubled in the past decade.
Humboldt County Board of Supervisors denies appeal of Nordic Aquafarms project
Lost Coast Outpost – September 28
Nordic Aquafarms just cleared a hurdle in its efforts to demolish a decommissioned pulp mill site in Humboldt County for the construction of a $650 million land-based fish farm on the Samoa Peninsula. At a September 28 hearing, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors denied an appeal brought by two environmental organizations and the Humboldt Fishermen’s Marketing Association over the project. In order for the project to proceed, Nordic Aquafarms California must obtain additional permits, as must the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation, and Conservation District.
Governor Newsom signs bill to stop incentives to burn trash at landfills
The Mercury News – September 27
Governor Gavin Newsom has signed legislation designed to stop burning trash as an alternative to sending it to landfills. Assembly Bill 1857, authored by Assemblymember Cristina Garcia, is aimed specifically at the Southeast Resource Recovery Facility (SERRF) on Terminal Island in the Port of Long Beach. The plant has been burning trash from Long Beach and surrounding cities for more than 30 years, using the heat to generate electricity. A second municipal incinerator is in Stanislaus County and also is impacted by the legislation. Long Beach officials have disputed Garcia’s claims that SERRF emits toxic gas and that the ash is hazardous waste.
Environmental group sues Santa Clara Valley Water District over alleged violations
CBS News – September 27
San Francisco Baykeeper filed suit on September 27 against the Santa Clara Valley Water District (also known as Valley Water) for allegedly violating the state Constitution and the Fish and Game Code through its water management practices. The lawsuit alleges that Valley Water is responsible for area creeks and rivers that support various fish species and that the district "routinely" causes temperatures in the creeks and rivers it manages to be too warm, and flow rates to be too low, which Baykeeper says is "fatal to fish." Valley Water released a statement about the suit, saying that it "smacks environmental justice in the face" by increasing project costs, which "directly impacts" water rates.
Cannabis company shuts down unpermitted diesel generators
SFGate – September 23
A Denver-based cannabis landlord has removed polluting diesel generators previously used to power its facilities in East Oakland after the regional air district's request to shut them down was backed by an Alameda County Superior Court judge. Following a September 13 hearing, Judge Evelio Grillo ruled that the Bay Area Air Quality Management District's July abatement order against the cannabis company Green Sage is "immediately enforceable" and invited the District to apply for a temporary restraining order in case the generators reappear. Green Sage had been using unpermitted diesel generators on its property since October 2020.
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