Yolo County Local Environment News Articles and Digest

Environment Water Sustainability

California Republicans Fighting Again to Raise the Shasta Dam

07/17/2023
Raising Shasta Dam to increase its capacity would provide 634,000 more acre-feet of water per year, legislators say. But that assumes there will always be enough precipitation, and the move risks flooding sacred Native American lands and harming local habitats.

From CalMatters...

Economy & Jobs Environment Water

Ending Mono Lake Diversions to Los Angeles: Good for the Environment, Bad for the Climate

07/12/2023
The environmental costs of ending water diversions from Mono Lake to Los Angeles would be mixed: It might help a shore bird habitat but would require changes that increase carbon emissions.

From The Galt Herald...

Environment Animals

Invasive Nutria Making Inroads in Sacramento County

07/12/2023
A rodent posing a serious threat to levees and native marshlands has found its way to Sacramento County. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife first sounded the alarm on nutria in 2017, when the large South American rodents were detected in the San Joaquin Valley.

California Local Pin Marker From California Local...

Economy & Jobs Environment Land Use & Development Housing Government

California YIMBY Housing Bill Threatens Coastal Commission Powers

07/06/2023
Image for display with article titled How California’s Housing Crisis Chips Away at Powers of Coastal Commission

New bill could strip some environmental protection powers in favor of new housing development.

From Benito Link...

Environment Animals

CDFW Confirms Detection of Snake Fungal Disease

07/06/2023
Research by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s snake fungal disease project indicates that the pathogen is occurring in more locations and impacting more snakes in California than previously known.

From CalMatters...

Economy & Jobs Environment Government

State, Truck-Makers Strike Deal Over Zero-Emission Vehicles

07/06/2023
Truck manufacturers won’t file legal challenges over California's controversial mandate, and in return, the state air board will relax some smog-fighting requirements.

From YubaNet...

Environment Parks & Recreation Sustainability

California Legislature Passes Joshua Tree Protection Law

06/28/2023
California lawmakers passed the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act, permanently protecting the iconic and imperiled species.

California Local Pin Marker From California Local...

Business, Economy & Jobs Environment Government

$15.5 Billion ‘Climate Bond’ Headed for 2024 Ballot

06/27/2023
Image for display with article titled $15.5 Billion ‘Climate Resiliency Bond’ Getting Ready for Voters on 2024 Ballot

After cuts to climate change spending in budget, state to propose massive bond issue.

California Local Pin Marker From California Local...

Economy & Jobs Environment Health Government Resilience

How California Protects Workers From Rising Heat

06/26/2023
Image for display with article titled The Heat is On! What California is Doing to Protect Workers From Rising Temperatures

Hot temperatures kill employees every year and climate change is making work more deadly.

California Local Pin Marker From California Local...

Economy & Jobs Environment Land Use & Development Sustainability Housing Government

Should Zoning Laws Be Abolished?

06/21/2023
Image for display with article titled Should Zoning Be Abolished? How the Land Use Laws We Take For Granted Are Hurting Us

Zoning laws create segregation, inequality and unsustainability. So why do we keep them?

From YubaNet...

Public Safety Environment

First-of-Its-Kind Fund Provides Support to Reduce Wildfire Risks

06/19/2023
The State of California will provide new protections for prescribed fire and cultural burning practitioners. The $20 million allocated for the Prescribed Fire Liability Claims Fund Pilot will cover losses in the rare instance that a prescribed or cultural burn escapes control.

From Tahoe Daily Tribune...

Public Safety Environment Water

Judge Allows Use of Fire Retardant While Permit Pends

06/06/2023
The U.S. District Court for the District of Montana ruled the U.S. Forest Service can continue to use aerial fire retardant to fight wildfires while waiting on a Clean Water Act permit.

California Local Pin Marker From California Local...

Economy & Jobs Environment Sustainability Government

California Inches Toward Renewable Energy Goal

05/31/2023
Image for display with article titled California Inches Toward Renewable Energy Goal, But Still 13th Nationwide

In 2021, California drew 37 percent of its electricity from clean, renewable sources.

From Monterey Herald...

Economy & Jobs Environment Health Sustainability

California Lawmakers Block Bill Allowing People to Sue Oil Companies Over Health Problems

05/19/2023
California legislative committees in the Assembly and Senate blocked two big climate bills. One would have made the state’s greenhouse gas emission reduction targets more ambitious. Another would have allowed people to sue oil companies over health problems if they meet certain criteria.

California Local Pin Marker From California Local...

Environment Land Use & Development Housing

CEQA Must Be Changed

04/26/2023
Image for display with article titled Future Of California at Risk While Landmark CEQA Law Remains Unchanged

By almost any measure, the balance between advancing projects critical to California's future and environmental protection under the California Environmental Quality Act has been lost. The failure to reform CEQA is not for a lack of knowing what the solutions are.

From The Mercury News...

Environment Water Sustainability

California Snowpack Data Debunked: 2023 Was No Record Year

04/23/2023
And neither was 1952. The top honor should really go to 1983, which clinched first at 231% of normal, an analysis by the Bay Area News Group found.

California Local Pin Marker From California Local...

Economy & Jobs Government Environment

Storms Could Make Newsom’s Budget Problems Worse

03/03/2023
Image for display with article titled Climate Change-Driven Storms Could Make Newsom’s Climate Spending Problems Worse

Extended tax deadlines for storm-hit counties could create a cash-flow issue.

From CalMatters...

Environment Water Sustainability State of California

Why Is Sites Reservoir Still on the Drawing Board?

02/26/2023
A $4.4 billion project on the Sacramento River to add dams and store more water that will be sent south, the Sites Reservoir is still years away from completion. The final environmental report is expected this year.

From YubaNet...

Environment Sustainability

Study Reveals Climate-Related Crisis for Conifer Forests

02/22/2023
A new Stanford-led study shows that about a fifth of all Sierra Nevada conifer forests are a “mismatch” for their regions’ warming weather. These “zombie forests” are likely to be replaced other tree species after one of California’s increasingly frequent catastrophic wildfires.

From YubaNet...

Animals Environment

Climate Change Study Predicts Threats to Songbirds’ Breeding Season

01/16/2023
Climate change models indicate that California’s Central Valley will experience conditions that could threaten the reproductive success of songbirds, according to a study from UC Davis.

Yolo County Local News: Environment