Environment

$Environmentalists use Porter Ranch disaster to target CA fracking$

Environmentalists use Porter Ranch disaster to target CA fracking

The California Public Utilities Commission is considering closing the massive 3,600-acre natural gas storage location in the Porter Ranch area of Los Angeles County, anxious that the Southern California Gas Co. has been unable to stop massive leaks of methane from the

Gas leak ruling provides secrecy and legal defense to SoCal Gas

Tori Richards January 26, 2016

Government officials have ordered the Southern California Gas Co. to shut down its leaky Aliso Canyon well, yet the ruling is far from a victory for the thousands of sickened Porter Ranch residents, an attorney charges. On Saturday, Jan. 23, the

Brown declares emergency over gas leak

James Poulos January 7, 2016

Gov. Jerry Brown has intervened as activists, analysts and residents decried a massive ongoing leak in a Los Angeles-area gas pipeline. “More than two months after a natural gas leak began emitting large amounts of a greenhouse gas near a wealthy neighborhood here, Gov. Jerry Brown declared a

CA fish-farming: Concept praised, but project opposed

Chris Reed December 28, 2015

Eating fish is very healthy. Risks of overfishing are growing. For both these reasons, government officials around the world have frequently offered broad, general praise for aquaculture — fish farming — and its potential to provide a large new supply of healthy

Brown juggles constituencies on climate

James Poulos December 9, 2015

Relishing the opportunity to take a signature issue to a world stage, Gov. Jerry Brown had his political work cut out for him in taking California’s approach to environmental policy to the next level amid the United Nations’ so-called COP21

CA regulators demand VW recall

James Poulos December 3, 2015

California’s powerful environmental regulator has ordered the recall of all Volkswagens, Audis and Porsches equipped with software secretly installed to defeat emissions tests. “On November 25, the California Air Resources Board sent an In Use Compliance letter notifying Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche to

CA delegates bring big agenda to climate talks

James Poulos December 2, 2015

With an outsized delegation from California in attendance, the United Nations Conference on Climate Change began its work toward what environmentalists expect will be a significant new framework for policy. Although “it remains to be seen whether the gathering of

CA looms large in Paris climate talks

James Poulos November 20, 2015

California was poised to take center stage at the global climate talks hosted later this month in Paris. “Gov. Jerry Brown plans to lead a delegation of eight lawmakers, including Eduardo Garcia, one of the Coachella Valley’s representatives in the State Assembly,” the

Solar plant nearly forced to buy carbon emission rights

Chris Reed November 18, 2015

The giant $2.2 billion Ivanpah solar plant off Interstate 15 just west of the California-Nevada border has apparently won its fight with state regulators and won’t be classified as a heavy polluter that is required to buy carbon-emissions rights in

Coal and California: State not as green as it may seem

Chris Reed November 17, 2015

California regularly wins national acclaim for AB32 and other state laws pushing the Golden State toward the use of cleaner renewable power. A recent New York Times editorial page blog post was typical. But on niche websites devoted to energy