Santa Clara County Local Sustainability News Articles and Digest

Environment Transportation Sustainability

High-Speed Rail Project Connecting SoCal to Las Vegas Wins Grant

12/05/2023
Private company Brightline secured a $3 billion grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation toward a 218-mile high-speed rail line from Rancho Cucamonga to Las Vegas. The line would allow people to make the trip to Sin City in a little over two hours.

From Morgan Hill Times...

Environment Agriculture, Food & Gardening Sustainability

Organic Growers See New Role in Age of Climate Change

12/04/2023
Image for display with article titled Organic Growers See New Role in Age of Climate Change

At the Organic Grower Summit last week, organized by Western Growers and the Organic Produce Network, over 600 growers and industry leaders, mostly from California, met in Monterey to share problems, solutions and business cards.

From SFGate...

Business, Economy & Jobs Environment Sustainability

Imperial County Might Have Enough Lithium for 375 Million Batteries

12/04/2023
A new study by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has found that approximately 3,400 kilotons of lithium are located below Imperial County in Southern California. This could produce more than $7 billion in lithium carbonate annually, helping power significant numbers of electric vehicles.

From KQED...

Business, Economy & Jobs Environment Transportation Sustainability Government

Oakland Might Have to Pay Developers Millions Over Coal Terminal

12/04/2023
An Alameda County judge ruled on Nov. 22 that the city of Oakland thwarted a proposed coal export terminal. The judge will rule if the developer who sued is entitled to $159 million in damages or moving forward with the project.

From San Jose Spotlight...

Transportation Sustainability City of San Jose

San Jose Hosts a Futuristic Vision of Mass Transit

12/02/2023
The future of transportation arrived in San Jose via a conference centered on automated, sustainable forms of public transit for the region and beyond.

From Palo Alto Online...

Land Use & Development Transportation Sustainability

Caltrans Remains On Course for El Camino Bike Lanes in Palo Alto

11/30/2023
As Palo Alto looks ahead to its next phase of bike improvements, city officials are also bracing for a bike project that they had never signed up for: the creation of an El Camino Real bikeway.

From YubaNet...

Environment Sustainability

Science Points to ‘Climate Collapse’ as UN Chief Calls for Action

11/30/2023
The world is heating up at an unprecedented pace, new climate data shows, and leaders gathered for the COP28 conference in Dubai must get us out of “deep trouble,” UN chief António Guterres said.

From YubaNet...

Sustainability Resilience

2023 Shatters Records

11/29/2023
2023 has broken climate records, accompanied by extreme weather which has left a trail of devastation, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

From YubaNet...

Environment Sustainability

DOE Analysis Confirms Salton Sea Is a Rich Domestic Lithium Resource

11/28/2023
An analysis by the U.S. Department of Energy found that with expected technology advances, the Salton Sea region’s total lithium resources could produce more than 3,400 kilotons of lithium, enough to support over 375 million batteries for electric vehicles—more than the total number currently on U.S. roads.

From Sacramento Bee...

Animals Sustainability

White House Allocates Millions for Burps from California Cows

11/24/2023
Livestock are responsible for half of all methane emissions in California. The White House is giving $21.4 million to California Dairies and $22.8 million to Dairy Farmers of America to help change this.

From Inside Climate News...

Business, Economy & Jobs Sustainability

Senators Urge IRS to Withhold Fed Funds from California Bioenergy Firm

11/20/2023
Fulcrum Bioenergy, a California-based firm that seeks to turn plastics into jet fuel, has defaulted on $289 million in bond funding and put a major project on hold. This comes as several U.S. Senators wrote to the IRS urging that similar companies not receive federal tax credits.

From YubaNet...

Parks & Recreation Sustainability

Natural Resources Agency Launches Plan to Increase Outdoor Access in California

11/15/2023
State and local leaders gathered in Los Angeles to celebrate a new plan that will increase access to the outdoors for all Californians, regardless of who they are or where they live.

From YubaNet...

Agriculture, Food & Gardening Sustainability Crime & Justice

Groups Urge Court to Strike Down Decision Greenlighting Ocean Fish Farming

11/13/2023
Center for Food Safety has filed arguments seeking to revoke the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ approval of nationwide permit 56, which authorizes industrial finfish aquaculture structures in ocean waters around the country. CFS represents a coalition of conservation, tribal, and fishing organizations.

From Sacramento Bee...

Sustainability Resilience

Tree Climbers Are Helping Replant California’s Forests

11/09/2023
More than 1.5 million acres of forest have been burned or scarred in California. Climbers go high in trees to grab pine cones that could help in reforestation.

From Metro Silicon Valley...

Sustainability City of San Jose

San José Voted Second Greenest City in the State

11/07/2023
Image for display with article titled San Jose Voted 2nd-Greenest City in California

San José was ranked “sixth-greenest city in the U.S.” based on analysis by personal finance and consumer education outlet WalletHub.

From Los Angeles Times...

Water Sustainability

California’s Drought Is Over—at Least for Now

11/07/2023
Intense rains have California out of a drought less than a year after most of the state faced water shortages. A climatologist is urging wise water usage ahead of California’s next drought.

From YubaNet...

Animals Sustainability

NOAA: New Funding to Help Bring California Salmon Back from the Brink

11/06/2023
The Office of Habitat Conservation’s Restoration Center has awarded $27.8 million to bring Central California Coast coho salmon back to California rivers, funding projects by Trout Unlimited, the San Mateo and Gold Ridge Resource Conservation Districts, and the Nature Conservancy.

From YubaNet...

Business, Economy & Jobs Sustainability

America’s Low-Carbon Transition Could Improve Employment Opportunities for All

11/03/2023
The USA is likely to see consistent job growth from the transition to net zero, but the gains will be unevenly distributed, shows a new analysis conducted by Imperial College London researchers and published in Nature Climate Change.

From Mountain View Voice...

Transportation Sustainability City of Mountain View

Mountain View Weighs New Ordinance to Cut Down on Single-Occupancy Vehicle Use

11/02/2023
In a bid to reach its sustainability and decarbonization goals, Mountain View is working on a transportation ordinance aimed at reducing drive-alone trips and parking demand in the city.

From Palo Alto Online...

Environment Sustainability State of California

State's Public Health Department Receives Grant to Help Transition Away from Leaded Aviation Gas

11/02/2023
The grant comes after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a determination that said leaded aviation gas posed environmental and health risks and should be regulated under the federal Clean Air Act.

Santa Clara County Local News: Sustainability