State legislators plan to tackle widespread problems of groundwater overpumping in rural Arizona this session, proposing bills that would make it easier to limit well-drilling in farming areas where residents have asked for help from the state to safeguard their dwindling water supplies. At least four bills have been filed or are planned to strengthen groundwater […]
Early this month, scientists announced a surprising discovery: The “fingerprint” of climate change is now detectable in everyday weather. In fact, evidence of global warming can be found in the planet’s weather every day, minute, and second since 2012. But wait —you, a person who actually paid attention in your high school atmospheric science class, […]
Officials in Shasta County are preparing to apply for federal emergency management funds to repair a dam from which they can no longer release water, that officials say is in danger of flooding during a major storm event. Twenty miles west of Redding, near the communities of Igo and Ono, the Misselbeck Dam holds back […]
Last year was the warmest year on record for the world’s oceans, part of a long-term warming trend, according to a study released Monday. “If you look at the ocean heat content, 2019 is by far the hottest, 2018 is second, 2017 is third, 2015 is fourth, and then 2016 is fifth,” said Kevin E. […]
Court dockets are ballooning with litigation over PFAS, a vexing family of chemicals used in many consumer and industrial products. Some types of the man-made per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are called “forever chemicals,” a shorthand for their ability to build up and stick around indefinitely in people and the environment. Health risks of some types […]
A fight over the management of a diked island in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is shining a light on a growing conundrum for California water managers, farmers and environmentalists over the best way to restore natural habitat on cropland created more than a century ago by draining marshes. The courtroom battle over 9,000-acre Staten […]
Legislature Plans to Address Groundwater Crisis in Rural Arizona
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Arizona Republicby Ian James and Rob O'DellState legislators plan to tackle widespread problems of groundwater overpumping in rural Arizona this session, proposing bills that would make it easier to limit well-drilling in farming areas where residents have asked for help from the state to safeguard their dwindling water supplies. At least four bills have been filed or are planned to strengthen groundwater […]
Is Climate Change Showing Up In The Daily Weather Forecast? It’s Complicated
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Grist by Zoya TeirsteinEarly this month, scientists announced a surprising discovery: The “fingerprint” of climate change is now detectable in everyday weather. In fact, evidence of global warming can be found in the planet’s weather every day, minute, and second since 2012. But wait —you, a person who actually paid attention in your high school atmospheric science class, […]
Officials Seeking FEMA Funds To Repair Problem Shasta County Dam
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Jefferson Public Radioby Erik NeumannOfficials in Shasta County are preparing to apply for federal emergency management funds to repair a dam from which they can no longer release water, that officials say is in danger of flooding during a major storm event. Twenty miles west of Redding, near the communities of Igo and Ono, the Misselbeck Dam holds back […]
2019 Was A Record Year For Ocean Temperatures, Data Show
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /The New York Times by Kendra Pierre-LouisLast year was the warmest year on record for the world’s oceans, part of a long-term warming trend, according to a study released Monday. “If you look at the ocean heat content, 2019 is by far the hottest, 2018 is second, 2017 is third, 2015 is fourth, and then 2016 is fifth,” said Kevin E. […]
Forever Litigated ‘Forever Chemicals’: A Guide To PFAS In Courts
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Bloomberg Environmentby Ellen M. GilmerCourt dockets are ballooning with litigation over PFAS, a vexing family of chemicals used in many consumer and industrial products. Some types of the man-made per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are called “forever chemicals,” a shorthand for their ability to build up and stick around indefinitely in people and the environment. Health risks of some types […]
The Delta’s Sinking Islands
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /San Francisco Chronicle by Peter FimriteA fight over the management of a diked island in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is shining a light on a growing conundrum for California water managers, farmers and environmentalists over the best way to restore natural habitat on cropland created more than a century ago by draining marshes. The courtroom battle over 9,000-acre Staten […]