Daily Green

Hello and good afternoon all. In today’s news:

• Valero key player in bid to suspend climate-change law;
• Prop 23 is a Threat to California’s Climate Change Progress;
• California writing new rules on greenhouse gas, sprawl;
• Boxer unapologetic for reputation as a fighter;
• Boxer, Fiorina fundraising reflects contrasting ideologies;
• Brown calls on Whitman to state view on Prop. 23;
• Janis R. Hirohama: Vote no on Prop. 26 - 'Polluter Protection Act';
• Cracking the Corporate Anti-Regulatory Consensus;
• LA Daily News: No on Prop. 23: Proponents can't make a case for delaying emissions rules;
• Group to rally voters of color against Prop. 23;
• Judge invalidates regulation allowing more piers on Lake Tahoe;
• Fewer groundwater wells being drilled, despite increased interest;
• And much more in state, national and international environmental and political news.

Top News

Sacramento Bee 9/20/10
“Valero key player in bid to suspend climate-change law”
“Valero Energy Corp. CEO Bill Klesse once jokingly suggested oil industry executives should fight global warming by holding their breath. Now, his company has emerged as a major force behind the November ballot measure to suspend California's climate change law.”
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/09/20/3041759/valero-key-player-in-bid-to-suspend.html

New York Times 9/19/10
“A Threat to California’s Climate Change Progress”
“California’s ambitious climate change agenda could evaporate in a vote in November that pits renewable energy advocates and allies against oil companies and manufacturers.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/20/business/energy-environment/20green.html

Capitol Weekly 9/20/10
“California writing new rules on greenhouse gas, sprawl”
“Two years after approving a landmark anti-sprawl law to cut greenhouse gases, California is poised to adopt long-awaited rules targeting land-use and vehicle pollution in regions across the state.”
http://www.capitolweekly.net/article.php?_c=z5a0qyx3bk9rmz&xid=z59zaish8dxfrt&done=.z5a0qyx3bkyrmz

San Francisco Chronicle 9/20/10
“Boxer unapologetic for reputation as a fighter”
“‘I'm a fighter for the people I represent,’ Boxer said. ‘I have a very strong sense of when they're being hurt, and I'm not afraid to go up against the people that are trying to hurt my people. That's why I've got a lot of special interests that want me gone. Polluters want me gone. The far right, they want me gone.’”
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/09/20/MNJL1F5PNH.DTL

San Jose Mercury News 9/19/10
“Boxer, Fiorina fundraising reflects contrasting ideologies”
“On issue after issue, the battle for the Senate seat in California between incumbent Democrat Barbara Boxer and Republican Carly Fiorina is a study in contrasts. That is no less true when it comes to who is bankrolling their campaigns… ‘We're one of Barbara Boxer's major contributors and dirty energy is one of Carly Fiorina's major contributors,’ said Tony Massaro, political director of the League of Conservation Voters, which has raised $33,468 for Boxer this election cycle. ‘I would leave it to California voters to decide who represents their views more.’”
http://www.mercurynews.com/politics-government/ci_16119533&nclick_check=1

Associated Press, Los Angeles Times 9/20/10
“Brown calls on Whitman to state view on Prop. 23”
“Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown is challenging Republican Meg Whitman to take a stand on a November ballot initiative that would undermine California's landmark global warming law.”
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/09/20/politics/p110814D46.DTL
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2010/09/brown-calls-on-whitman-to-take-a-position-on-proposition-23.html

State Environmental News

San Francisco Chronicle (opinion) 9/19/10

Janis R. Hirohama: “Vote no on Prop. 26 - 'Polluter Protection Act'”
“Proposition 26 is another attempt by the oil, alcohol and tobacco industries to shift onto taxpayers the burden of paying for the pollution and public health impacts of their businesses. It is so broad and so poorly written that it will negatively affect virtually every area of state and local government operations. Conservatives and liberals alike have good reason to oppose Prop. 26.”
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/09/19/INQB1FDVD7.DTL&type=green

The Atlantic 9/20/10
“Cracking the Corporate Anti-Regulatory Consensus”
“Could the closely watched ballot vote to repeal AB32, California's landmark global warming emissions law, signal a historic shift in the corporate coalition? The battle appears to be the latest front in the war of the emerging clean economy against the incumbents.”
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2010/09/cracking-the-corporate-anti-regulatory-consensus/63213/

Los Angeles Daily News (editorial) 9/20/10
“No on Prop. 23: Proponents can't make a case for delaying emissions rules”
“To change a law that went through more than a year of hearings, was passed by the state Legislature and signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger four years ago, you need a solid proof and an ironclad, compelling argument. Proposition 23 on the Nov. 2 ballot does not meet that requirement.”
http://www.dailynews.com/opinions/ci_16112565

Political Blotter blog 9/20/10
“Group to rally voters of color against Prop. 23”
“An Oakland human rights nonprofit is coordinating a new coalition to work against Proposition 23, the measure on November’s ballot to roll back California’s landmark greenhouse gas emissions law.”
http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2010/09/20/group-to-rally-voters-of-color-against-prop-23/

Los Angeles Times 9/20/10
“Judge invalidates regulation allowing more piers on Lake Tahoe”
“Federal judge says the planning agency did not conduct an adequate environmental review of the effect of the rules, which permit building 128 private piers and nearly 1,900 moorings.”
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-tahoe-20100920,0,4640134.story

San Diego Union-Tribune 9/20/10
“Fewer wells being drilled, despite increased interest”
“Drilling for groundwater has decreased over the past decade in San Diego County and statewide, but the reason isn’t a lack of desire to pursue the valuable resource.”
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/sep/20/fewer-wells-being-drilled-despite-increased-intere/

Oakland Tribune 9/20/10
“A closer look at the Delta”
“The toxic blue-green algae floating in the scientist's jar is a symptom of a disturbing shift in the West Coast's biggest estuary. Common in lakes and reservoirs around the world, this kind of algae is less likely to be found in estuaries where rivers and ocean tides tangle in a restless ebb and flow. But the slime has spread in an increasingly stagnant Delta.”
http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_16026343

San Francisco Chronicle 9/20/10
“Wildcat Creek cleanup gets $1.8 million grant”
“Wildcat Creek in San Pablo is home to more shopping carts than fish, but that's soon to change thanks to a windfall from the state.”
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/09/19/BAK81FF4Q9.DTL

Los Angeles Times 9/20/10
“Wal-Mart pairs with SolarCity to put panels on stores in California, Arizona”
“Shopping for discounts at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is about to become even more of a sunny activity.”
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2010/09/wal-mart-pairs-with-solarcity-to-solarize-stores-in-california-and-arizona.html

California Watch 9/20/10
“Gas stations fuming about order to remove nozzle latches”
“California gas station owners are fuming about new emission-trapping pump nozzles required by the state’s pollution regulator, the Air Resources Board, after more than a dozen customers were sprayed with gasoline. The state fire marshal is so concerned about the malfunctioning devices that it has ordered the removal of all the latches on the nozzles – despite a state law requiring them.”
http://californiawatch.org/watchblog/gas-stations-fuming-about-order-remove-nozzle-latches-4781

San Jose Mercury News 9/19/10
“PG&E tells San Jose and other cities they have high-risk gas line segments”
“As PG&E prepares to release its list of the 100 highest-risk natural gas pipelines as early as today, the utility informed San Jose on Sunday that two of those lines lie in the northern part of the Bay Area's largest city.”
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_16119712

San Jose Mercury News 9/19/10
“Google's official beekeeper keeps the company buzzing with excitement”
“‘I am the official Google beekeeper,’ said Bill Tomaszewski, sounding as if he couldn't quite believe it himself. Dripping honey from his hands, from his white, sting-retardant bee suit and even from his face, he looked like a giant, slightly deranged Pooh Bear. He also looked happy. As he stood in one of the cafes on the search giant's Mountain View campus, Tomaszewski held a jar of the golden nectar from Google's first honey harvest.”
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_16119724

Quest 9/20/10
“Backyard Seed Banks”
“Fall is harvest time in Northern California. But there’s one thing most backyard gardeners don’t harvest: seeds. Seed saving is a technique that has fallen by the wayside in modern agriculture. The idea is to preserve biodiversity and develop plants that are suited for the Bay Area's micro-climates. As Lauren Sommer reports, a handful of people are starting their own seed-saving efforts.”
http://www.kqed.org/quest/radio/backyard-seed-banks

State Politics

Los Angeles Times 9/20/10
“Clinton brushes off Brown jab, says Whitman has made him 'a household face again'”
“Former President Bill Clinton said he understood the frustration that led Jerry Brown to make a joke about Clinton's dalliance with a White House intern and said that any lingering tension with Brown from their 1992 presidential primary has long been forgotten.”
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2010/09/bill-clinton-brushes-off-jerry-browns-monica-lewinsky-jab-says-meg-whitman-has-made-him-a-household-face-again.html

Capitol Alert 9/20/10
“Meg Whitman talks pensions, prisons, unions with Bee editorial board”
“Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman told The Sacramento Bee editorial board this morning that, if elected, she'll negotiate with the three biggest public employee unions to create 401(k)-style retirement plans for new state workers.”
http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2010/09/meg-whitman-talks-pensions-pri.html

Los Angeles Times 9/20/10
“Whitman's economic plan will do little to bring jobs to California, experts say”
“The GOP gubernatorial candidate promises to cut spending and suggests that lower taxes and less regulation will spur business. But experts say the bleak economy is mostly due to the real estate crisis.”
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/politics/la-me-governor-economy-20100919,0,3792044.story

Los Angeles Times 9/20/10
“Fiorina serves up what 'tea party' voters in Clovis want to hear”
“In her campaign to unseat Barbara Boxer, she actively courts core conservatives.”
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0919-fiorina-20100919-18,0,3039728.story

National Environmental News

Los Angeles Times 9/20/10
“BP well sealed, but gusher of uncertainty remains”
“The spill will leave a legacy of environmental, legal, economic, political and social consequences.”
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-oil-spill-legacy-20100919,0,3841436.story

Los Angeles Times 9/20/10
“FDA advisors to vote on genetically engineered salmon”
“It grows faster, eats less and has sparked intense debate about modifying animals for our food supply.”
http://www.latimes.com/health/la-na-salmon-fda-20100919,0,6280863.story

David Allgood’s Cure for Insomnia

The Big Spill Day 149:

BP's catastrophic Macando well pronounced dead.
www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/sep/19/gulf-oil-spill-bp-well-dead

Despite creating biggest oil disaster in Gulf history, BP wants to drill more holes in sea floor.
www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-19/dudley-faces-battle-to-drill-in-gulf-of-mexico-as-bp-says-goodbye-macondo.html

BP well is dead, problems linger.
www.environmentalhealthnews.org/

News from the Homeland:

Meet the climate change denier and the Senate and Congressional seats the could win.
http://thinkprogress.org/2010/09/17/meet-the-deniers-2010/

Companies see opportunity, profits in climate change disaster.
www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-19/siemens-texas-instruments-find-opportunity-in-climate-change-study-says.html

Genetically modified salmon, a drug with gills?
www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/a-drug-with-gills-us-agency-reshapes-debate-on-biotech-fish/article1714206/

As FDA considers approval of GM salmon, safety questions need to be answered.
www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129939819

Surprise: Businesses whine about new EPA air pollution rules.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704858304575497724034346304.html

Local News from the Golden State:

San Joaquin Valley groundwater levels lowest since 1992, solution sought.
www.lodinews.com/news/article_e1589474-7c69-5e50-9198-6027277ee437.html

Flying squirrels threatened by climate change.
www.pe.com/localnews/stories/PE_News_Local_D_squirrel20.2fab386.html

Contamination limits re-use of land formerly used as dumps.
www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_16111337

EPA gives Kettelman waste site more time to cleanup PCBs.
www.hanfordsentinel.com/news/local/article_edde6d22-c273-11df-9be1-001cc4c03286.html

City of Malibu to lobby against sewers, sewage treatment plant prefers human waste to be dump into ground.
www.malibutimes.com/articles/2010/09/18/news/news1.txt

News from the EU:

Thousands march in Berlin to protest nuclear policy.
www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-18/thousands-of-protesters-join-berlin-march-against-merkel-s-nuclear-plan.html

Portugal shows way to clean, safe domestically controlled energy.
www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/sep/19/portugal-renewable-energy

News from the Land of 1.4 Billion People:

Blackouts used to meet energy goals.
www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/19/china-blackouts-energy-efficiency

Honk Kong air pollution may rise to record levels.
www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-20/hong-kong-s-air-pollution-may-climb-to-record-as-pressure-for-action-rises.html

News from the Damp Isles:

British firm wins $500 million deal to convert household waste to fuel.
www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/sep/20/tmo-renewables-bacteria-biofuel-fiberight

News From The Land Of the Four O’Clock Sun:

British Columbia hopes to avoid California-like taxpayer revolt that ruined state finances for last 30 years.
www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/bc-hopes-to-avoid-californias-slippery-slope/article1711012/

Federal scientists free to speak once Ottowa tells them what to say.
www.thewesternstar.com/Canada---World/Business/2010-09-19/article-1774148/Federal-scientists-free-to-speak,-once-Ottawa-tells-them-what-they-can-say/1

Study shows manganese in water lowers kids IQs.
www.metronews.ca/ottawa/canada/article/639540--manganese-in-water-can-harm-kids-iq-study

News From the Rest of the World:

Children caught in Pakistani floods face starvation.
www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jop6cFZlezy-CTUrCbDKTCj1eGUwD9IBA86G0

Tigers can thrive in the Himalayas.
www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/8011950/New-footage-shows-tigers-can-thrive-in-Himalayas.html

Cholera epidemic still rages in Nigeria.
www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/sept/20/national-20-09-2010-009.htm

Can biofuels beat drug crops in Afghanistan?
www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/09/16/afghanistan.biofuel.eco/

Frogs In The News:

New frog species discovered in Arnhem Land.
www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/09/20/3016622.htm?section=justin

Carbon dioxide absorbing foam inspired by frog. 
www.justmeans.com/CSR-eco-innovation-inspired-by-frogs/31659.html

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