News
State orders Chevron to stop massive crude oil release from Kern County well
KQED – July 13
Jason Marshall, the new acting head of the state's Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR), last Friday ordered Chevron "to take all measures" to stop a massive release of crude oil at a Kern County well site and prevent a recurrence. DOGGR served Chevron with a notice of violation and an order to halt some oil extraction work in the area immediately surrounding the incident, which began May 10. The release, in an oil field west of Bakersfield, has spilled an estimated 800,000 gallons of water and crude oil into a dry creek bed. The directive came the day after Governor Gavin Newsom fired DOGGR chief Ken Harris after reports of a dramatic increase in agency permits for hydraulic fracturing and allegations that some agency officials own stock in the companies they are regulating.
EPA plans to curtail the ability of communities to appeal pollution permits to agency panel
The New York Times – July 12
EPA is preparing to weaken rules that since 1992 have provided communities and citizens the opportunity to appeal pollution permits, such as permits authorizing air emissions and waste discharge, issued by EPA to sources such as power plants and factories. The draft plan, described by three sources who requested anonymity because the proposal is not yet public, would eliminate the ability of individuals or community advocates to appeal such pollution permits to the Environmental Appeals Board (EAB), a panel of agency judges, while still allowing industrial permit-holders to appeal to the EAB if they believed the permits were too stringent.
Verdict against Bayer in Monsanto Roundup case is reduced to $25 million
Los Angeles Times – July 15
U.S. District Court Judge Vince Chhabria on Monday reduced a jury’s verdict against Bayer from $80.3 million to $25.3 million in the second case to go to trial over claims that exposure to Monsanto’s Roundup weedkiller causes cancer. Judge Chhabria held that, although the jury’s decision to award punitive damages was “reasonable,” the size of the award was “constitutionally impermissible.” Last Friday he rejected Bayer's request for a new trial. The company vowed to keep defending its popular weedkiller after losing three trials since last summer.
Paint companies to pay for lead paint removal in 10 California locations
San Francisco Chronicle – July 17
Three paint companies, ConAgra, NL Industries, and Sherwin-Williams, agreed on Wednesday to pay $305 million to 10 California cities and counties to remove lead paint, which can be especially dangerous to children, from tens of thousands of older homes, settling a lawsuit by the local governments against the manufacturers. The suit was filed by Santa Clara County in 2000 and joined later by the cities of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Diego, and the counties of Alameda, Los Angeles, Monterey, San Mateo, Solano, and Ventura. A state appeals court ruled in 2017 that the companies could be held responsible for marketing lead paint for decades while knowing of its health dangers. The companies appealed unsuccessfully to the California Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Transfers of canisters filled with nuclear waste resume at San Onofre
San Diego Union-Tribune – July 15
Southern California Edison (SCE), the operator of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, announced Monday that nuclear waste transfer operations have resumed at the now-shuttered plant, almost one year after a 50-ton canister filled with nuclear waste was left suspended about 18 feet from the ground for up to an hour. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission gave SCE approval two months ago to continue moving the canisters from wet storage pools to a newly constructed dry storage facility on the plant’s premises. The canisters will remain there until the federal government identifies a site at which to store the country’s growing stockpile of spent fuel accumulated by commercial nuclear power plants.
Preparing for sea level rise in Redondo Beach could cost nearly $300 million
Daily Breeze – July 17
Redondo Beach estimates it would cost roughly $291 million to prepare for a 5.5-foot increase in sea levels by 2100, according to a recently released study. The study also finds that, if the city does nothing, on the other hand, and allows King Harbor to be inundated with sea water, which is predicted to occur over time, the damage could cost $79 million, with $7.8 million in potentially lost revenues to the city. The estimates — which accounted for extreme tide events of up to 7.5-feet above current levels — come from a report which Redondo Beach unveiled to the public during its City Council meeting on July 16 and intends to submit to the California State Land Commission as directed by Assembly Bill 691. One suggested improvement is to raise the height of the break wall surrounding the harbor, last increased in the 1990s. Other improvements include raising sea walls in the inner harbor, as well as more robust shoreline protection. If you would like to read more about local efforts to adapt to rising sea levels, the Los Angeles Times recently published a comprehensive overview of this issue.
EPA allows continued use of controversial pesticide linked to brain damage in children
Huffington Post – July 18
The EPA announced Thursday that it will allow chlorpyrifos, a widely used pesticide linked to health issues in infants and children, to remain on the market for agricultural use. In its final order, the EPA said the claims that chlorpyrifos poses a risk to brain development alleged in a petition by a coalition of environmental groups seeking a ban of the chemical “are not supported by valid, complete, and reliable evidence.” An EPA spokesperson said that the agency will continue to assess the safety of chlorpyrifos, produced by Dow Chemical Co., through 2022. In 2015, the EPA proposed permanently banning the pesticide, but former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt reversed course in 2017, signing an order to allow for its continued use.
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