By Sierra Club CA, on November 1st, 2011 SACRAMENTO – Most California Democratic legislators voted consistently to protect our air, water and wild places, while the vast majority of their Republican counterparts continued to be obstacles to environmental progress, Sierra Club California’s annual Legislative Report Card finds.
Sierra Club California tracked the votes of California’s Assemblymembers and Senators, recording each Earth-friendly vote as a positive score. From clean energy to water conservation to protecting state parks, the measures addressed many of California’s most urgent 2011 environmental priorities.
“Overall, . . . → Read More
By Sierra Club CA, on January 27th, 2012 Last weekend, Sierra Club California members took part in a statewide effort to document extreme high tides along California’s coast, known as King Tides. As part of the California King Tides Initiative, activists took to the beaches to snap pictures of the coastal erosion, flooded beaches and streets, and property damage that often accompany these high tides. The photographs from the King Tides Initiative help us visualize the impact of rising waters on California’s coast. While the high waters last weekend were associated with seasonal high tide event, they offer us a sneak peak into the future where higher water levels could become our new normal. . . . → Read More
By Renee Covey, on January 19th, 2012 SCCA Director Kathryn Phillips has sent a letter to the HSRA outlining our concerns with the California High-Speed Rail Program Draft 2012 Business Plan, released November 1, 2011.
In the letter, she explains that while “in general, Sierra Club California supports transportation projects and systems that will help Californians reduce environmental impacts as we achieve mobility and access to work, school and services,” Sierra Club CA urges the HSRA to reconsider the Draft 2012 Business Plan because “as currently proposed, the . . . → Read More
By Sierra Club CA, on January 12th, 2012 Public Utilities Commission orders utilities to use renewable sources before electricity from fossil fuels
San Francisco – The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) voted unanimously today to strengthen a key clean energy policy in California called the Loading Order. The Loading Order sets a priority list for electricity sources. California’s utilities must first employ energy efficiency and conservation to meet customer demand; then energy from renewable sources such as wind, solar and geothermal. Only after all . . . → Read More
By Annie Pham, on January 5th, 2012 A few months ago, the California Department of Toxics and Substance Control (DTSC) released draft regulations on the Green Chemistry Initiative, which was passed in 2008 to identify toxic chemicals in consumer products and analyze alternatives. Sierra Club California has been working diligently since its passage to ensure proper enforcement of the law that aimed to put safer consumer products on the market. Our goals are to make manufacturers responsible for eliminating chemicals that are harmful to humans and environment . . . → Read More
By Sierra Club CA, on January 5th, 2012 Protect California Campaign: Restoring Environmental Strength
Since the mortgage markets collapsed in 2008, attacks on environmental policy have been strong at the legislature and at state agencies responsible for protecting the environment. Opportunists who have never supported environmental protection have used the down economy to lash out. They’ve used economic uncertainty to attack environmental protections they couldn’t defeat in the past during public regulatory and law-making sessions.
Meanwhile, lawmakers have been anxious to show they are acting to stop job . . . → Read More
By Kathryn Phillips, on January 5th, 2012 Reading legislative tea leaves will be more challenging this year than most.
First, it’s an election year, but not just any election year. This year there are new district lines and a number of incumbents are facing a new electorate as a result.
Second, the state’s primary election system shifts to an open system that means that the top two vote getters will go to the general. We could see Democrats challenging Democrats and Republicans challenging Republicans in . . . → Read More
By Sierra Club CA, on December 14th, 2011 Governor Jerry Brown is hosting his first significant event related to climate change this week. On December 15, he’s holding a day-long, invitation-only conference about the effects of extreme weather events and what the state needs to do to prepare. That is, the topic is climate adaptation.
You can participate in the event even if you’re not there. It will be webcast and the link to sign on will be available at the governor’s main website (http://www.gov.ca.gov) on the . . . → Read More
By Sierra Club CA, on November 14th, 2011 For Immediate Release: November 11, 2011
Contact: Kathryn Phillips (916) 551-1100 x 102, or 916-893-8494 (mobile)
SACRAMENTO—California Congressman Darrell Issa this week levied an attack on California’s historic authority to reduce air pollution from automobiles. Through the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which he chairs, Rep. Issa expanded his investigation into development of new federal auto fuel economy standards to include the California Air Resources Board. In a letter dated November 9, Congressman Issa implies that California’s clean air . . . → Read More
By Sierra Club CA, on November 1st, 2011 Roseville Becomes Fully Metered City
by Jim Metropulos
Roseville, a fast-growing city outside of Sacramento entered a new era in water conservation last month. On October 18, the city installed the last water meter to complete its 10-year water meter retrofit program to help customers track their water use and save water on their utility bills.
Since 2001, Roseville has installed 16,000 water meters on residences through its retrofit program. That program was given a . . . → Read More
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San Francisco Chronicle:
Suit over Pardee Reservoir expansion goes to court
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