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Heat To Build, Elevate Fire Danger In Southwestern US Next Week

/in , /by /Accuweatherby Renee Duff

Near-record heat will set the stage for a heightened risk of wildfires in the southwestern United States, including Southern California, next week. While the Southwest is no stranger to intense heat in the summer months, the upcoming pattern is likely to put several decades-old high temperature records to the test. The area of high pressure that has brought record-breaking temperatures to the South Central states will build westward from Sunday into the middle of next week, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Ken Clark.

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OPINION: Why A Regional Power Grid Brings Energy Security

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Allan Zaremberg

Reliable energy infrastructure is a hallmark of a modern world, and affordable power is vital for economic development and social cohesion. Ensuring that electricity is both affordable and reliable are ultimately the responsibility of our state government leaders when they set the ground rules for how electricity is generated and how it is transmitted around the grid.

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OPINION: Why Energy Policy Must Include Environmental Justice

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Carolina Martinez and Diana Vazquez

In 2010, San Diegans won a huge victory in decommissioning the South Bay Power Plant. The natural-gas fired plant raised concerns about poor air quality and asthma in the surrounding Latino/a community of Chula Vista for too long. It occupied precious San Diego Bayfront land, and perpetuated our state’s dependence on fossil fuels at a time when we needed to turn towards renewable energy.

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Orange County Officials Give Early Approval To Huntington Beach Desalination Plant Contract

/in , /by /The Orange County Registerby Martin Wisckol

Concerns over the cost and environmental impacts of desalinated water were overridden by the desire to fortify water supplies when the Orange County Water District board voted 6-2 Wednesday to approve non-binding contract terms with Poseidon, which has spent 20 years on the desalination plant proposal for Huntington Beach. The plan for the $1 billion plant and water distribution infrastructure would increase the monthly bill for the average residential customer receiving the water by an estimated $3 to $6. It would help ensure the area has water during droughts when supplies from Northern California and the Colorado River are curtailed.

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LA County Voters To Decide On New Stormwater Tax In November

/in , /by /89.3 KPCC (Pasadena)by Sharon McNary

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 Tuesday to place the measure on the Nov. 6 ballot. If two-thirds of voters in the Los Angeles County Flood Control District agree, property owners would be charged a new tax of 2.5 cents for every square foot of land shedding water. That includes roofs, patios, driveways and other hard surfaces.

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OPINION: Climate Change Has Come To Your Neighborhood, and the Sizzle May Never Subside

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Steve Lopez

A colleague once observed, many years ago, that California has two seasons. Green and brown. We are in the latter, and death has visited my neighborhood this summer. Half the ground cover in my frontyard has burned to a crunchy crisp. Across the street, a neighbor draped white sheets over shrubbery that hadn’t already gone brittle. The Los Angeles-area forecast offers no relief. After weeks of relentless heat, including record-shattering temperatures more commonly associated with Palm Springs, it’s supposed to get hotter over the next several days.

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Electeds See Commitment, Momentum at Salton Sea

/in , /by /Water News Networkby Darren Simon

Momentum for Salton Sea restoration is growing quickly these days and the effort could amass $600 million in state funding by the end of 2018 – a huge increase from just a few months ago.

On June 5, California voters supported Proposition 68, the $4.1 billion water bond that specifically included $200 million for Salton Sea restoration. During a recent press conference, state Senator Ben Hueso, who represents portions of San Diego and Imperial counties, thanked voters for passing Proposition 68 and said the State of California is committed to funding restoration efforts at the sea.

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Is the Cost of a Huntington Beach Desalination Plant Too High? As Vote Looms, Some Officials Say Yes

/in , /by /Press-Telegram (Long Beach)by Martin Wisckol

Water officials throughout drought-prone Southern California are eager to bolster supplies and diversify sources, but some say desalination in Huntington Beach isn’t the way to do it.

Concerns of those skeptics, particularly cost, will be front and center Wednesday, July 18, when new contract terms are considered for Poseidon Water’s proposal. Officials may want greater water security, but not necessarily at any price.

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L.A. County Votes to Put New Property Tax Before Voters to Clean Storm Water

/in , /by /San Diego Union-Tribuneby Nina Agrawal

Los Angeles County supervisors voted Tuesday to place a property tax before voters in November to raise money for projects to capture and clean storm water.

The measure would allow the county to levy a tax of 2.5 cents per square foot of “impermeable space” on private property. Government buildings, public schools and nonprofit organizations would be exempt.

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Stonepeak, Brookfield Weigh Desalination-Plant Sale

/in , /by /Bloomberg Newsby Gillian Tan

The owners of Carlsbad Desalination Plant in California have hired an adviser ahead of a potential sale, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant, named after a former mayor, is owned by Orion Water Partners LLC, which is a joint venture comprising Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners and Poseidon Water, an affiliate of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners LP. The plant could fetch more than $1 billion, including the assumption of debt, said the people, who asked not to be named. Representatives for Stonepeak and Brookfield declined to comment.

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