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Colorado River Stakeholders To Face Tribal Rights, Environmental Protection and Climate Change

/in , , /by /Inside Climate Newsby Judy Fahys

Charismatic is hardly the best word to describe the humpback chub, a fish with a frowny eel face jammed onto a sportfish body in a way that suggests evolution has a sense of humor. Nor did tastiness build a fan base for this “trash fish” across its natural habitat throughout the Colorado River Basin. But, in 1973, the humpback chub became famous by winning federal protection under the Endangered Species Act.

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House Rejects Trump Cuts, Proposes Boost for Environmental Agencies

/in , , /by /The Hillby Rachel Frazin

The Democratic-led House Appropriations Committee on Monday proposed a funding bump for the Interior Department and Environmental Protection Agency, soundly rejecting cuts proposed by President Trump.

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IID Applauds New California State Budget

/in , , /by /KYMA-TV, Yuma, Arizonaby Lisa Sturgis

The Imperial Irrigation District is celebrating California’s new state budget. In spite of coronavirus-caused spending cuts, it will get the funding it needs for two important environmental projects.

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Opinion: Without Agreements on Water, California Needs to Set New Objectives and Protections for Delta

/in , /by /CalMattersby Jon Rosenfield and Jeanette Howard

For more than a decade, California’s governors have pushed for “voluntary agreements” to establish rules for water diversions by major urban and agricultural water districts, and to redress their environmental impacts. Our organizations joined those discussions to craft a scientifically sound plan that would restore San Francisco Bay’s fisheries and water quality –  and with the understanding that any agreement would satisfy all applicable laws, including the federal and state Clean Water Acts, as part of an update of the State Water Board’s Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan.

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Who’s Suing Over Trump’s WOTUS Rule?

/in , /by /E&E Newsby Pamela King and Hannah Northey

Opponents of the Trump administration’s new definition of which waterways and wetlands are protected under the Clean Water Act have lined up in court to make their grievances known.

Don’t expect clarity on the rules anytime soon.

The Trump administration’s Navigable Waters Protection Rule is already on hold in one state — Colorado — and could still be frozen by any one of the various federal judges who are now examining the regulation. Unlike lawsuits over Clean Air Act rules, which land in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Clean Water Act challenges can be heard in any of the nation’s nearly 100 federal district courts.

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Judge: California Can’t Require Cancer Label for Weed Killer

/in , /by /AP News

California can’t require a cancer warning label on Roundup, the world’s most widely used weed-killer, a federal judge ruled Monday. U.S. District Judge William Shubb issued a permanent injunction against the labeling, saying the state couldn’t meet a legal standard for such a requirement, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

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Opinion: California Can Lead the World to a More Sustainable Agriculture Industry

/in , , /by /Cal Mattersby Steve Shimek

As a biologist and environmental advocate, even before the pandemic, I was scared by the headlines about our planet:  A 75% decline in insect biomass with a 40% loss of insect species predicted; a United Nations warning of the imminent extinction of 1 million species worldwide; a 3 billion loss of birds in United States and Canada over the past half-century; the growth of dead zones on our coasts and the decline in the oxygen held by the world’s oceans.  Climate change will only worsen these environmental problems.

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California and EPA Tussle Over Water-Quality Protections

/in , , /by /Courthouse News Serviceby Matthew Renda

Attorneys for 18 states and two major cities were in federal court Thursday asking a judge to grant a preliminary injunction that would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from removing protections from temporary streams, wetlands and other minor water bodies.

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Filling Trump Void, California Steps in to Protect Birds, Wetlands

/in , , /by /Cal Mattersby Julie Cart

The Trump administration has rolled back dozens of long-standing environmental protections. Now California is trying a new tack: Writing its own rules.

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Opinion: Time for San Diego County to Finally Craft a Legal Climate Action Plan

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union Tribune

California has been a global leader in heading off global warming, enacting laws to slash the state’s greenhouse gas emissions linked to climate change by 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050. To do so, local governments must draft formal Climate Action Plans that document how to meet their own mandates.

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