Infrastructure
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Brown on Drought: Governors can’t make it rain
As the rest of the country remains in a deep freeze, California’s weather is making headlines of its own. 2013 was one of the driest years on record in California. Los Angeles, which sees average annual rainfall of 14.90 inches,
Read MoreThree cities oppose gas-fired power plants to replace San Onofre electricity
The cities of Encinitas and Del Mar in San Diego County have appealed to the California Public Utilities Commission opposing the use of gas-fired power plants to replace lost power from the San Onofre nuclear power plant. San Onofre was
Read MoreHydrowonk makes 2014 predictions for Bay Delta plan
Rodney T. Smith, PhD, is a consulting economist in Claremont for Stratecon, Inc. Smith also runs a unique blog called Hydrowonk. One of Smith’s side businesses is a new venture with Inkling Markets called Stratecon Water Policy Markets. It brings
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Brown seeks to prop up doomed bullet train with AB 32 $
As warned in this spot, Gov. Jerry Brown is conflating two of the state’s worst programs: “Brown plans to propose spending millions of dollars in fees paid by carbon producers to aid the state’s controversial high-speed rail project. “The proposal
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As consultant, bullet-train boss helped write doomed business plan
A lengthy Comstock’s profile of Jeff Morales, the former Washington D.C. and Chicago political operative brought in to save the bullet train by Gov. Jerry Brown, gets some little details about the high-speed rail project wrong and has some dubious
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Scientist says no reason to shut down San Onofre nuke plant
Can the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, whose decommissioning was announced last June, be salvaged? Cal-Tech trained geochemist and nuclear waste expert James Conca in Forbes.com says it can. Conca makes a case that Southern California electric ratepayers should not
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LAT’s Vartabedian, Skelton leave LAT editorial board looking silly
When it comes to the bullet train, The Los Angeles Times’ editorial page has been left to look foolish — by its own reporter and columnist. Nexis shows no L.A. Times’ editorials on the topic for more than two years.
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NRC leaves lump of coal in San Onofre’s stocking
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission this week cited Southern California Edison for failing to check the design of steam generators that led to the permanent shutdown of its San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. Chaired by Allison Macfarlane, the five-member commission
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Tesla gets first taste of tax break
Last week, the state of California gave Palo Alto-based electric vehicle maker Tesla a tax break valued at more than $30 million. SF Gate first reported the news. Ostensibly, the tax break will help the automaker build more cars and
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Bird deaths complicate renewable energy push
On Dec. 19, San Diego Gas and Electric filed suit against NaturEner, which operates wind farms in Montana. The suit alleged NaturEner did not meet its contractual requirements to preserve eagles, raptors, bats and other protected bird species for electricity
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