PORTO VELHO, Brazil — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday said he has accepted four planes from Chile to help fight Amazon fires, and he accused the French president of portraying himself as "the one and only person" concerned about the environment. In criticizing French leader Emmanuel Macron, Bolsonaro extended...
Editorial: SB 1 Is the Same Bad Legislation in a New Dress
Bad legislation is bad legislation. It doesn't matter how many times you try to dress it up. Or bring it back with a new number. We're talking about Senate Bill 1, which is officially titled the California Environmental, Public Health, and Workers Defense Act of 2019. Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins...
Weakling or Bully? The Battle Over CEQA, California’s Iconic Environmental Law
In the rugged hills to the east of the Napa Valley, chainsaws and bulldozers converted a steep hillside of scrubby oak woodland and rockpiles into another vineyard. “That was an incredible rock-hopping wonderland, with frothing, amazing, waterfalling cascades every time it rained — I mean, it should have been a...
Heating Up: Investors’ Green Targets Go Beyond Big Oil
NEW YORK — It's not just big oil and power companies that investors are pushing to do better on the environment. In the next few weeks, Amazon shareholders will vote on a proposal made by one of their own to push the company to describe how it's curbing its use...
Maine is 1st State to Ban Single-Use Foam Containers
AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine has banned single-use food and drink containers made from polystyrene foam, commonly known as Styrofoam. Maine now becomes the first state to enact a prohibition, though dozens of communities across the country, including Berkeley and New York City, already have bans in place. Some date back...
West-Side Water Ticks Up to 65% of Allocation. Is It Too Little, Too Late?
The heavy rains and snow falling on California this year are enabling the Bureau of Reclamation to boost water deliveries to growers on the west side of Fresno County. The Bureau of Reclamation announced Wednesday that it will supply South-of-Delta growers with 65% of their contracted water total. "This has...
How Electric Cars Could Make America’s Crumbling Roads Worse
U.S. roads and bridges are in abysmal shape – and that was before the recent winter storms made things even worse. In fact, the government rates over one-quarter of all urban interstates as in fair or poor condition and one-third of U.S. bridges need repair. To fix the potholes and...
Can the Valley Balance People, Water, Ag, and Environment?
The San Joaquin Valley can overcome big challenges facing agriculture, the environment, and rural public health if major stakeholders embrace creative solutions to relieve stress on its water system. However, forging agreement on these solutions won't be easy as they will involve significant changes in land use and water management. And...
Are You a Californian Looking for a New Year’s Resolution?
You might be thinking about giving up sweets or going to the gym more. But, for the good of your state, the best thing you could do is swear off this phrase: “We want to protect the character of the community.” The expressed desire to defend community character is a...
If You Recycled All Plastic Garbage, You Could Buy NFL, Apple & More
This year, I served on the judging panel for The Royal Statistical Society’s International Statistic of the Year. On Dec. 18, we announced the winner: 90.5 percent, the amount of plastic that has never been recycled. OK – but why is that such a big deal? Much like Oxford English...