Placer County Local Environment News Articles and Digest

Environment Water

Climate Change Might Lessen Bay Area Fog

01/05/2024
The Bay Area’s fog is iconic. But the latest episode of KQED podcast “Bay Curious” looks at how climate change could reduce the number of foggy days in the area.

From YubaNet...

Environment Animals

The Chickadee in the Snowbank

01/04/2024
Research shows that a mountain chickadee facing deep snow is like a canary in a coal mine—its survivability tells us about the challenges ahead.

From LAist...

Environment Water Agriculture, Food & Gardening

Bright Blue Waves Return to Southern California

01/03/2024
Bright blue waves have been spotted in Long Beach, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach and Seal Beach. The bioluminescence is caused by organisms known as dinoflagellates and can impact fish populations.

From Sacramento Bee...

Environment Water

Sierra Snowpack at 25% of Usual Levels

01/02/2024
The California Department of Water Resources has found that the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada mountains is at just 25% of normal levels for this time of year. This could potentially impact water supply and wildfire protection.

From The Mercury News...

Environment Animals Sustainability

Collisions With Buildings Are Killing Millions of Birds Nationwide

12/26/2023
A dark-sky movement to save birds from window strikes is sweeping the San Francisco Bay Area. Several cities have passed or are drafting laws restricting light pollution while making windows easier for birds to see.

From Monterey Herald...

Environment Animals

How Gruesome Seal Deaths on the California Coast Revealed a Surprise Predator

12/22/2023
Sarah Grimes investigates reports of dead marine mammals up and down the coast. So when she began finding the decapitated bodies of harbor seal pups just a few miles north of Fort Bragg in 2016, she was on the case. Grimes wasn’t able to pin down the culprit until last year, with the help of a UCSC student.

From Sacramento Bee...

Environment Water Government

Single Delta Tunnel Wins Approval from State

12/21/2023
The California Department of Water Resources has approved building a tunnel between the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The approval could signal a new wave of legal challenges to the long-running and controversial project.

From SFGate...

Environment Land Use & Development Water History

Tribe Acquires Vast Land in Northern California, Will Remove Dams

12/21/2023
The Hoopa Valley Tribe announced it is acquiring about 10,000 acres of land in Northern California for $14.1 million. As part of this, the tribe will remove dams along the Klamath River and restore salmon runs.

California Local Pin Marker From California Local...

Business, Economy & Jobs Environment Health Government

How California Dumps Hazardous Waste on a Mexican Town

12/20/2023
Image for display with article titled How California Industry Dodges Environmental Laws by Dumping Waste On a Small Mexican Town

Both private industry and state government have sent toxic waste to a plant across the border from San Diego.

California Local Pin Marker From California Local...

Business, Economy & Jobs Environment Elections & Politics Government

Big Oil Is Still a Big Winner Even in 'Green' California

12/19/2023
Image for display with article titled Big Oil is Still a Big Winner in 'Green' California: Here's How the Industry Dominates the Legislature

Image for display with article titled Big Oil is Still a Big Winner in 'Green' California: Here's How the Industry Dominates the Legislature

The oil and gas industry donated almost a half-million dollars to California legislators in 2023.

From Los Angeles Times...

Business, Economy & Jobs Environment Transportation Agriculture, Food & Gardening

Kern County Is Poised to Become Warehousing’s Next Frontier

12/19/2023
Farmland is being rezoned for industrial use, and massive warehouses are being built on spec near communities like Buttonwillow and Shafter, so goods coming through the Southern California ports can be shipped quickly throughout the western United States.

From CalMatters...

Business, Economy & Jobs Environment Water Animals Agriculture, Food & Gardening State of California

Ranchers, Tribes Clash Over Water, Salmon Ahead of Sweeping New Irrigation Regulations

12/17/2023
Salmon populations in the Scott and Shasta rivers have crashed, so state officials are about to restrict irrigation again. And the controversial rules may even become permanent.

From Sierra Sun...

North Tahoe Preservation Alliance Environment Land Use & Development

Tahoe Conservation Groups Sue Placer County

12/16/2023
Image for display with article titled Tahoe Conservation Groups Sue Placer County

Multiple nonprofits filed a petition against Placer County, alleging that several actions taken by the board regarding the Tahoe Basin Area Plan violated the California Environmental Quality Act.

California Local Pin Marker From California Local...

Business, Economy & Jobs Environment Transportation Government

EV Transition Threatens Roads With Drastic Gas Tax Revenue Cut

12/14/2023
Image for display with article titled California's Electric Vehicle Transition Means Drastic Cut in Gas Tax Revenue, Endangering Roads

Image for display with article titled California's Electric Vehicle Transition Means Drastic Cut in Gas Tax Revenue, Endangering Roads

As consumers require less gas for their cars, they'll also be paying out less in gas tax to the state.

From Capital & Main...

Environment Sustainability Government

Kern County Looks to Make Renewable Energy with Carbon Dioxide

12/12/2023
Officials in Kern County are proposing to build a carbon management facility that would be twice the size of Manhattan. By doing this, they would leverage federal tax credits to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

From SFGate...

Environment Parks & Recreation Sustainability

Yosemite Trying New Strategies to Reduce Food Packaging Waste

12/11/2023
An estimated 100,000 pizza boxes have been removed from Yosemite’s waste stream. This is because the famed park now serves pizza on trays and puts to-go portions in compostable bags, part of a move to reduce food-related waste.

From New York Times...

Environment

NY Times Meteorologist Talks California’s Big Year of Weather for 2023

12/11/2023
Judson Jones, a meteorologist and reporter for The New York Times, gave a Q&A about California’s year of intense weather. This included the state’s largest snowpack in 40 years and a “pretty astonishing” amount of precipitation.

From YubaNet...

Environment Animals

Millions of Birds Lose Precious Energy Due to New Year’s Eve Fireworks

12/11/2023
Birds are affected by the mass use of fireworks on New Year’s Eve up to a distance of 10 km away, reports an international team of researchers.

From Sacramento Bee...

Environment Water Agriculture, Food & Gardening Government

State Releases EIR for Delta Tunnel

12/08/2023
The California Department of Water Resources released an environmental impact report for a tunnel that the state would like to build through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The report identifies potential impacts to farmland, tribal remains and endangered species of fish.

From YubaNet...

Education Environment Sustainability

Research Explores Capacity of Biochar to Combat Climate Change, Improve Forest Soils

12/08/2023
A Cal Poly Humboldt professor is partnering with USDA researchers to study biochar, which results from heating dry plant-based materials at high temperatures without oxygen. The CO2 in the charcoal then stays in the soil for hundreds of years, rather than in the atmosphere.

Placer County Local News: Environment