From CalMatters...
As Storms Hit California, Reservoirs are Healthy. But Water Forecast Remains Unclear
11/16/2023Unlike a year ago, water storage is above average. Whether the year is wet or dry, though, remains uncertain despite El Niño conditions.
From CalMatters...
In Rare Strike by Civil Servants, State-Employed Scientists Walk Out for Better Pay
11/15/2023More than 4,000 state scientists have worked under an expired contract for three years. Average wages in 2020 were $83,586, 27% less than state engineers’ pay. The state filed an unfair labor practice charge to stop the strike.
From CalMatters...
Families Struggle to Pay Power Bills, but California Regulators May Hike Prices
11/14/2023Millions of people across the state struggle to pay electric bills as California regulators decide on proposed rate increases. PG&E wants a rate hike to bolster the safety and reliability of its services.
From The Guardian...
Southern California Has Wolves Again, for the First Time in Nearly 150 Years
11/13/2023A 2021 fire has helped bring wolves back to Southern California for the first time since the 19th century. A rancher is worried about how to keep wolves, which are federally protected, from harming cattle.
From Los Angeles Times...
A Proposed Development Might Threaten California’s Oldest Tree
11/06/2023A shrubby Palmer oak tree in Riverside County is around 13,000 years old, making it California’s oldest tree and one of the longest-lived organisms on earth. Some people are concerned that a proposed development could threaten the tree.
From YubaNet...
Nevada County RCD Offers No-Cost Prescribed Fire Training
11/03/2023The Nevada County Resource Conservation District is launching a multi-year education program for private landowners to learn how to use prescribed fire as a tool to reduce wildfire hazard and promote healthy ecosystems.
From New York Times...
UCLA Scientist: California’s Redwoods Might Not Last Another Century
10/31/2023A UCLA climate scientist says California’s redwoods might not last in their current groves for another 100 years. An effort is afoot to plant redwoods elsewhere in more potentially hospitable climates, such as the Pacific Northwest.
From YubaNet...
Scientists Find Two Ways That Hurricanes Intensify
10/26/2023Forecasters have struggled to understand why tropical storms sometimes blow up into major hurricanes. Scientists have shed some light on this forecasting challenge.
From CalMatters...
Western States’ Water Cuts Should Hold Off Colorado River Crisis—For Now
10/25/2023Wet weather and planned cuts by California, Arizona and Nevada averted declines that could have threatened water deliveries and power production—but long-term threats to the Colorado River remain.
From CalMatters...
Despite Newsom Veto, State Takes Steps to Ban Artificial Turf Due to ‘Forever Chemicals’
10/17/2023California cities can ban synthetic turf under a law Gov. Gavin Newsom signed. He rejected a bill to ban PFAS in fake lawns.
From CalMatters...
10/15/2023Massive ocean wind farms off Morro Bay and Santa Barbara County—which could transform these quiet coastal towns and affect marine life—face a turbulent path.
From CalMatters...
10/15/2023Gov. Newsom vetoed bills to outlaw caste discrimination and to consider gender affirmation in child custody cases. Advocates wonder if he’s thinking about his national political profile.
From CalMatters...
San Joaquin Valley Groundwater Pumpers Need to Slow Down or Face Fines, State Says
10/12/2023Hundreds of wells in Tulare Lake aquifer are at risk of going dry. Today's recommendation is the first time that state officials have moved to crack down on local plans that fail to stop excessive groundwater pumping.
From CalMatters...
Climate Change Took Them to ‘Dark Places.’ Now These Californians are Doing Something About it
10/09/2023The facts of climate change can lead to feelings of hopelessness and despair. Some California activists are creating communities for people to talk about those feelings.
From CalMatters...
Public Utilities Commission to Vote on Plan That Could Make it Harder to Power Homes With Solar
10/05/2023The CPUC is considering a rule that would gut the payments that solar panels on apartment buildings receive, and many housing groups are blazing mad about it.
From CalMatters...
The Bay-Delta Ecosystem is Collapsing. Now California Has Dueling Plans to Save It
09/28/2023A long-awaited, controversial report weighs updates to standards that state officials say have failed to protect fish and wildlife. But environmentalists, Native tribes and others already are furious about how long this has taken—and the state is years away from taking action.
From CapPublicRadio...
Why California Rivers Saw Fewer Harmful Algal Blooms This Year
09/20/2023Outbreaks have wreaked havoc on the state’s river ecosystems for years. But this year was different. Faster, colder river waters led to fewer outbreaks of the harmful algae.
From YubaNet...
Study: Near-Surface Permafrost Will be Nearly Gone by 2100
09/15/2023An international team found that the amount of near-surface permafrost could drop by 93% compared to the preindustrial period of 1850 to 1900. Permafrost may exist only in the eastern Siberian uplands, Canadian High Arctic Archipelago and northernmost Greenland—as it did in the mid-Pliocene Warm Period.
From CalMatters...
Your Lawn May be Gone. New Bill Bans Irrigation of ‘Ornamental’ Lawns
09/13/2023The irrigation bill, which aims to force businesses and institutions to remove their lawns, now goes to the governor.
From CalMatters...
Lawmakers Strike $106 Million Deal for Hydrogen Vehicle Fueling Stations
09/13/2023Hydrogen fueling stations will get 15 percent of funds in a state program — even though Californians own only about 12,000 hydrogen cars. The funds come from fees paid by drivers.
From CapPublicRadio...
Meet California’s (Possible) Future State Bat
09/12/2023There’s an official state bird, mineral, tree, fish, insect, lichen, fabric, sport, dance, soil and even dinosaur.
From CalMatters...
Climate Bill Forcing Companies to Reveal Carbon Emissions Passes, Newsom Yet to Say if He’ll Sign it
09/12/2023About 5,300 companies would file annual emissions reports. The aim is to hold corporations accountable for the role they play in climate change.
From CalMatters...
California’s Wildfire Smoke and Climate Change: 4 Things You Need to Know
09/04/2023California wildfires every year emit as much carbon as almost 2 million cars, posing a threat to efforts to battle climate change.
From Daily Democrat...
Wildfire, Soil Emissions Increasing Air Pollution in Remote Forests
08/30/2023Satellite data from across California’s landscapes reveal an increase in nitrogen dioxide levels in remote forest areas, and wildfire and soil emissions are likely the reasons why, according to a paper from UC Davis published in the journal Environmental Research Letters.
From CapPublicRadio...
Vast Marine Sanctuary Proposed in Partnership with California Tribe
08/27/2023The Biden administration is one step away from designating the first national marine sanctuary nominated by a tribe. Tribal members of the Chumash, who have lobbied for the creation of this Central Coast preserve for more than a decade, would be involved in managing it.
Ancient Fires Drove Large Mammals Extinct, Study Suggests
08/17/2023In a new study published Aug. 17 in the journal Science, fossil records at La Brea Tar Pits indicate that the disappearance of California’s sabertooth cats, dire wolves and other large mammals nearly 13,000 years ago was linked to rising temperatures and fire activity spurred by people.
From CalMatters...
08/17/2023With only 12,000 hydrogen cars on the road, and just two models for sale, California lawmakers are debating how much state money should support them.
From Tahoe Daily Tribune...
Aquatic Robot 'PixieDrone' Cleans Lake Tahoe’s Waters
08/02/2023To Keep Tahoe Blue, the League to Save Lake Tahoe teamed up with ECO-CLEAN Solutions and the Tahoe Keys Marina to introduce an aquatic robot that glides across the surface, removing water-borne debris and aquatic weeds.
From CalMatters...
Medical Cannabis Paved the Way for Legalization in California. Now Patients Feel Left Behind
07/31/2023Frustration runs deep among medical cannabis patients and advocates who say the commercial market created by Proposition 64 in 2016 isn’t meeting their needs.
From Tahoe Daily Tribune...
Clean Up the Lake Launches Environmental Dive Center
07/28/2023Clean Up the Lake, known for its 72-mile cleanup project around the shores of Lake Tahoe, has opened its Environmental Dive Center at Lake Tahoe.
From YubaNet...
Litigation Now a Key Tool in Seeking Climate Justice
07/27/2023The total number of climate change court cases has more than doubled since 2017 and is growing worldwide. These findings, published by the UN Environment Programme and the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University, show that climate litigation is becoming an integral part of securing climate action and justice.
From Sierra Sun...
18th Annual Tahoe Bike Month Draws Record Participants
07/19/2023With a record number of participants this year, the 18th annual Tahoe Bike Challenge got more people than ever out of their cars to help improve Lake Tahoe's environment and communities.