Santa Cruz County Environment Digest

Read on to learn more about the fire which broke out on January 16 at a battery storage plant located on the grounds of the Moss Landing power station.

Key moisture measurements are only 2% to 5% of average, leaving dusty soils. And the recent swing from wet to dry is among the most extreme on record. This combination of climatic conditions crossed into a danger zone, priming much of Southern California for wind-whipped fires.

In a striking setback to reduce California’s air pollution but a win for trucking companies, state regulators have walked away from their ambitious plan to phase out diesel trucks less than a week before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House.

Public comment is open on the environmental impact report for the Santa Cruz Downtown Plan Expansion. Read on to learn how you can access and comment on the draft report.

Read on to learn about the two new California National Monuments to be declared by outgoing President Biden.

As efforts to clean up and take stock of damage to the Santa Cruz Harbor from the storm swells on December 23 continue, the estimate of damages stands at $26 million. Read on to learn more.

UCSC Professor Gary Griggs recounts a histories of the tsunamis which have struck the City of Santa Cruz. Read on to learn more, and about his thought on tsunami risk computer models.

Lookout Local asked a meteorologist to learn why the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for San Francisco, where a tornado failed to appear, and not Scotts Valley, where a tornado touched down on December 14. Read on to learn the answer.

Use this explainer by the National Science Foundation-sponsored National Center for Atmospheric Research to understand atmospheric rivers and how they'll change as the climate warms.

The US EPA granted California’s waiver, which the incoming Trump administration is likely to try to overturn in the courts. The state’s zero-emission vehicle mandates have been the driving force behind California’s progress in cleaning up dangerous air pollutants.

Some rural California communities are resisting efforts to streamline permitting for wind and solar farms and battery storage for environmental or safety reasons.

The Supreme Court justices agreed to review whether oil companies have standing to try to overturn a federal waiver for a California clean-car rule that ramped up electric car sales. The standards are the cornerstone of California’s efforts to clean its air and combat climate change.

When disaster strikes, California gets federal funding to hire temporary workers to clean debris. But the jobs are tough, and some agencies struggle to manage the grants.

The Biden administration is awarding Inflation Reduction Act money to help clean the air before President-elect Trump takes over.

Santa Cruz County Supervisor Justin Cummings has been named as the new chair of the California Coastal Commission. Read on to learn more.

Learn more about federal plans to extend protection to 289 acres across multiple sites in Santa Cruz for overwintering monarch butterflies.

California has an aggressive mandate for zero-emission trucks, which are powered by electricity or hydrogen. But trucking companies face big obstacles — and people are still breathing dangerous diesel exhaust.

Most ships discharging ballast water into California waters are inspected, but state officials have tested the water of only 16 ships. Experts say invaders like mussels are inevitable under current rules and enforcement.

Experts don’t know how much gas prices may rise from the revised California climate program, which tightens standards and gives incentives for low-carbon fuels. The board ordered an annual review of the cost impacts.

A lot is at stake with the new Trump administration: California’s water projects, its unique authority to clean its air, federal support for offshore wind and disaster aid for wildfires.

Learn more about how the just-passed $10 billion climate bond measure will fund resiliency projects across the state.

Sixty years ago, I was a reporter for the Klamath Falls (Oregon) Herald and News and with my family lived in a small house on the Link River, which flows out of Upper Klamath Lake, draining a large portion of the Cascade mountain range.

Growers support a federal and state proposal for operating California’s massive systems that send river water south. But it could harm more salmon and other endangered fish.

Capturing and storing carbon underground is a big part of California’s efforts to tackle climate change but community members and environmentalists say it prolongs the life of fossil fuels.

A project to restore native plant species and sensitive habitat has led the City of Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation department to close the San Lorenzo Park Benchlands to public access.

In their October 8 meeting, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors advanced a proposal to ban the sale of filtered cigarettes in the unincorporated parts of the county.

How to apply rebate as part of the recent $80 million state program to electrify homes.

The 41-acre Año Nuevo Vista parcel has been acquired by the Sempervirens Fund land trust providing a possible future link between Año Nuevo and Butano state parks.

The three year project to bring treated water from the Santa Cruz Wastewater Treatment Facility to a purification facility in Live Oak for injection to recharge the groundwater aquifer has been completed.

The California state goal to conserve 30% of its land and coastal waters has advanced, with conserved lands reaching 25% and coastal waters 16%.

The EPA must grant a waiver before the diesel truck measure can be implemented. It’s one of California’s most controversial measures to clean up air pollution and greenhouse gases.

Legislators and Gov. Newsom are working behind the scenes to draft energy legislation before the end-of-the-month deadline.