Focus
By redefining ‘harm’ in the Endangered Species Act, federal agencies aim to end longstanding wildlife protections
The New York Times – April 16
The Trump administration is moving to effectively eliminate a crucial protection in the half-century-old federal Endangered Species Act by redefining a single word: harm. A proposed rule, issued this Wednesday from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, would repeal a longstanding interpretation of what it means to harm imperiled plants and animals to exclude the destruction of habitat as a basis for harm. Administration officials called the current definition of harm to endangered species overly broad, siding with businesses that have long argued that the language imposes a burden. Habitat loss is the single biggest reason that many species face extinction. Environmental advocates said the changes would make it all but impossible to protect the forests, grasslands, rivers, and other habitats that threatened species rely upon to survive.
News
California will try to extend cap-and-trade despite Trump’s threats
The Sacramento Bee - April 16
A week after the White House said it would target state environmental regulations for “threatening national security,” Governor Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders on Tuesday said they will try to extend cap-and-trade, California’s flagship environmental regulation program, beyond 2030 when it is set to expire. The program requires certain businesses to buy carbon credits or reduce their greenhouse gas output. A judge dismissed Trump’s previous effort to weaken the program in 2020. Newsom said his office would release details of the proposed extension in the next few weeks.
LA County approves $3 million for Eaton fire-area soil testing after lead found in samples
Los Angeles Daily News – April 16
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved reallocating $3 million from the Lead Paint Hazard Mitigation Program settlement fund toward soil testing in the Eaton fire burn area following the results of a county study which found higher levels of lead on parcels downwind of the fire. According to the county, the Department of Public Health will contract with certified laboratories to conduct soil testing. In Palisades, while there were hotspots of heavy metal and chemical impacts to soil, there was no evidence of widespread contamination.
Clean Water Act lawsuit over Port of LA pollution tentatively settled
Daily Breeze – April 16
The Port of Los Angeles must significantly improve its management of stormwater and groundwater to ensure that toxic pollutants stay out of the harbor, according to a tentative settlement filed on Wednesday in a lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles, which accused the city of violating the federal Clean Water Act. The lawsuit, brought by an environmental advocacy group, alleged that since 2019 there had been more than 2,000 illegal discharges of stormwater containing copper and untreated bacteria-laden wastewater into the harbor. If approved by U.S. District Judge Consuelo Marshall in Los Angeles federal court after a 45-day waiting period, the settlement will require the city to treat stormwater to ensure that fecal bacteria are not discharged into the harbor and to redirect groundwater contaminated with toxic pollutants to the Terminal Island Water Reclamation Plant, where the water can be beneficially reused after treatment, according to the plaintiff.
Valero announces possible closure of its Benicia refinery
San Francisco Chronicle – April 17
Valero Energy Corp. announced on Wednesday that the company may close its Bay Area facility in Benicia, six months after California air quality regulators handed the facility a record-setting fine for unlawful toxic emissions. Valero company officials said the company had given notice to the California Energy Commission “of its current intent to idle, restructure, or cease refining operations at Valero’s Benicia Refinery by the end of April 2026.” Two weeks ago, Benicia city leaders voted to create a new oversight program for the refinery in response to the company’s pollution problems. Benicia’s refinery facilities, which include a deep water port, could be attractive to other industries if Valero does opt to leave, according to a city council member.
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