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Senate Bill 1 Continues To Move Through The California Legislature

/in , , /by /AgNet Westby Brian German

Last week California Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) continued with its forward momentum, advancing from the California Assembly Appropriations Committee by a vote of 13 to five.  The legislation that some environmental groups are referring to as ‘Trump insurance’ is now headed to the California Assembly floor.  The California Environmental, Public Health, and Workers Defense Act of 2019 known as SB 1 seeks to uphold specific federal policy as it pertains to water.

 

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Proposed EPA Rules Could Limit State And Tribal Power To Block Infrastructure Projects

/in , /by /KLCC (Eugene, Ore.)by Jes Burns

The Trump administration is proposing new rules that would limit state and tribal power to block projects that they deem harmful to water quality.

The rules specifically would restrict these non-federal governments’ authority to review the water quality impacts of projects that require a federal permit or license. These projects range from pipelines to hydropower facilities to dredging — any development that result in “discharge” into U.S. waters.

Under the Clean Water Act, states have the power to regulate water quality within their borders. In Oregon, that authority falls to the Department of Environmental Quality.

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Hydropower Giant Bonneville Power Is Going Broke

/in , /by /E&E Newsby Jeremy P. Jacobs

Nearly a century ago, America embarked on a great social experiment in the Pacific Northwest, charging up the Columbia River and erecting dams.

It worked. Construction jobs pulled the country out of the Great Depression. Cheap electricity spurred the growth of cities like Seattle, Portland and Boise. And hydropower fueled the military effort to defeat the spread of fascism in World War II.

Now the system is buckling.

The Bonneville Power Administration, the independent federal agency that sells the electricity produced by the dams, is careening toward a financial cliff.

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Sacramento Had Its 3rd-Hottest Meteorological Summer In 140 Years. Will It Finally Cool Off?

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Michael McGough

The calendar has flipped to September, but Sacramento is still experiencing August heat.

Following a Labor Day high of 98 degrees, the latest National Weather Service forecasts show a slight cool-down on the way. Tuesday and Wednesday are expected to hit 96 and 95 degrees, respectively, before temperatures cool to the low 90s or high 80s by the end of the week.

The Delta breeze will help bring nighttime relief, with low temperatures expected in the low- to mid-60s through Friday.

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As Salton Sea Shrinks, Experts Fear Far-Reaching Health Consequences

/in , , /by /YubaNet

In the string of small farm towns that stretches south from California’s Salton Sea toward the border with Mexico, pretty much everyone knows someone with asthma.

As many as three of every 10 people report having the disease in places like Brawley, Calipatria and Westmorland — compared with about one of 10 in California as a whole. Bronchitis is also common, and many residents complain about coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath.

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How To Save The Colorado River From Climate Change And Chronic Overuse

/in , , /by /Timeby Lucas Isakowitz

Paul Kehmeier is a fourth-generation farmer from western Colorado. One hundred and twenty years ago, his great grandfather Wilhelm Kehmeier bought land in Delta County, dug an irrigation ditch to bring water from a nearby stream, and got to work planting. The Kehmeier family has been farming on the same land ever since, growing alfalfa, hay and oats. But a few years ago, Paul Kehmeier did something unusual: he decided not to water about 60% of his fields.

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San Diego Water Pros Aid Paradise Irrigation District Following Camp Fire

/in , , /by /Water News Network

Six water professionals from the Helix Water District and Padre Dam Municipal Water District spent one week in August assisting the Paradise Irrigation District with disaster recovery in the wake of the devastating Camp Fire.

The Camp Fire burned through the town of Paradise, California in November 2018. CAL FIRE reported the fire burned 153,336 acres, destroyed 18,804 structures and resulted in 85 civilian fatalities and several firefighter injuries. The Camp Fire is the deadliest and most destructive fire in California history, according to CAL FIRE.

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San Diego Gas And Electric Looks To Quadruple Customers’ Minimum Monthly Bill

/in , /by /pv magazine by Tim Sylvia

The utility is looking to raise its monthly minimum utility charge from $10 to $38 under the premise that distributed solar customers represent a “cost shift” to other utility customers.

Customers of San Diego Gas and electric (SDG&E) could soon see a drastic increase in their monthly electric bills, as the utility has submitted to state regulators a proposal to raise the monthly minimum utility charge from $10 to $38.

The California Public Utilities Commission, is expected to make a decision on the proposal by spring of 2020.

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Another Hot, Muggy Day In Store For San Diego County

/in , /by /Times of San Diegoby Chris Jennewein

Hot and muggy conditions are expected in most parts of San Diego County Tuesday and thunderstorms will be possible in the mountains and deserts.

A high-pressure system lingering over southern California will create a chance of thunderstorms in those two areas each afternoon through Thursday, according to the National Weather Service office in San Diego.

The chance of measurable precipitation is 40 percent in the mountains and 20 percent in the deserts.

Monsoonal moisture will remain in the region until Friday, when the high pressure system is expected to weaken and temperatures will drop through the weekend, forecasters said.

 

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Who governs California’s drinking water systems?

/in , /by /California WaterBlog by Kristin Dobbin and Amanda Fencl

A key feature of California’s drinking water system is the large number of individual water systems.

There are approximately 3,000 Community Water Systems (CWSs) in the state, meaning systems that serve a residential population year-round (the remaining 5,000 of the state’s 8,000 Public Water Systems are non-community systems serve places like schools, daycare, hospitals, campgrounds, or businesses that serve at least 25 people but have transient or non-residential populations.

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