Daily Green

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

• California League of Conservation Voters endorses Jerry Brown;
• Whitman continues pushing for suspension of state law requiring companies to lower greenhouse gases;
• NY Times: “The Brothers Koch and AB 32”;
• How important are the Koch brothers?
• Democrats fighting election battles ask environmentalists, 'Where are you guys?'
• Meg Whitman, in meeting with SJ Mercury News editorial board, flip-flops on whether she would’ve vetoed AB 32;
• Whitman “bobbing and weaving” on Prop 23, which would kill CA climate law;
• Winey owner: Prop. 23 is a step backward for wine industry;
• BPA is even worse than we thought, according to new study;
• State water board to vote on proposal requiring Malibu to install its first central sewer system;
• At USC, smartphone cameras taking aim at dirty skies;
• County offers new mobile site on West Nile virus;
• PG&E releases maps of major gas pipelines and a list of problem segments;
• State politics;
• David Allgood’s Cure for Insomnia is the creamy filling in your news Twinkie^TM.

Top News

Groundswell (CLCV blog) 9/21/10
“California League of Conservation Voters endorses Jerry Brown”
“The California League of Conservation Voters (CLCV)—the non-partisan political arm of the environmental movement in California—today announced its endorsement of Jerry Brown for Governor of California. ‘CLCV is proud to endorse Jerry Brown to become California’s next Governor,” said CLCV Chief Executive Officer Warner Chabot. “As Attorney General and as a former Governor of our great state, Jerry Brown has a stellar record of protecting the environment and public health through his leadership on and tough enforcement of our state’s environmental laws.’”
http://www.ecovote.org/blog/clcv-endorses-jerry-brown-governor

To watch CLCV’s video endorsement on YouTube, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLaQG7Fqgtg

E&E Daily News, Climate Wire 9/21/10
“CLCV endorses Jerry Brown for Governor”
“California's top political environmental group today endorsed Democrat Jerry Brown as the state's next governor. The California League of Conservation Voters decided to pick Attorney General Brown, governor from 1975 to 1983, over his Republican rival, former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, primarily because Brown is defending the state's climate change law from an oil industry-backed effort to suspend it.”
http://www.eenews.net/eenewspm/2010/09/21/7/

Contra Costa Times 9/21/10
“Whitman continues pushing for suspension of state law requiring companies to lower greenhouse gases”
“Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman repeated her call to suspend AB32, the state law that requires companies to lower greenhouse gases, saying she wants to ‘figure out how to be smart and green.’ Also, facing heat from both sides of the issue, Whitman said she would take a stand later this week on the controversial Proposition 23, the initiative financed by out-of-state-oil companies to all but kill Assembly bill 32.”
http://www.contracostatimes.com/politics-government/ci_16126900

New York Times (editorial) 9/21/10
“The Brothers Koch and AB 32”
“Four years ago, bipartisan majorities in the California Legislature approved a landmark clean energy bill that many hoped would serve as a template for a national effort to reduce dependence on foreign oil and mitigate the threat of climate change. Now a well-financed coalition of right-wing ideologues, out-of-state oil and gas companies and climate-change skeptics is seeking to effectively kill that law with an initiative on the November state ballot. The money men include Charles and David Koch, the Kansas oil and gas billionaires who have played a prominent role in financing the Tea Party movement.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/21/opinion/21tue1.html?hp

The New Republic 9/21/10
“How Important Are The Koch Brothers?”
“By the way, the California debate is interesting because not all the oil companies are lined up alongside the Kochs. The big oil giants, such as ExxonMobil, BP, and Chevron, are all staying neutral. Shell actually opposes  the repeal campaign. It's mainly the mid-sized refiners—Koch Industries and Valero and Tesoro—that are fighting hardest to scrap the climate law.”
http://www.tnr.com/blog/the-vine/77806/the-koch-brothers-vs-the-climate

Los Angeles Times 9/21/10
“Democrats fighting election battles ask environmentalists, 'Where are you guys?'”
“Energy companies and businesses are ramping up spending on candidates and issues, while environmental groups face lagging donations and enthusiasm for campaigns key to climate change action.”
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-environmental-election-20100921,0,4154116.story

State Environmental News

Political Blotter 9/21/10
“Liveblogging our meeting with Meg Whitman”
“Asked to backtrack to an earlier question, Whitman said she would not have vetoed AB 32 – and then, after taking a moment to think about it, decided to parse her answer. Back then she wouldn’t have, she said; today, with unemployment as it is, she would. ‘I probably would, I need to think about it.’ But she said she’s ‘leaning against’ Proposition 23.”
http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2010/09/21/liveblogging-our-meeting-with-meg-whitman/

Calbuzz 9/21/10
“The Death of Truth II; Meg’s Big Decision; Bill 4 Jerry”
“Meg Whitman kept bobbing and weaving on Proposition 23 Monday, telling the Sacramento Bee editorial board she was pretty sure she’d be making her stance on the most high-profile measure on the November ballot clear any day now.”
http://www.calbuzz.com/2010/09/the-death-of-truth-ii-megs-big-decision-bill-4-jerry/

Napa Valley Register 9/21/10
Jon-Mark Chappellet: “Prop. 23 is a step backward”
“California leads the world in many ways. Our agricultural economy is productive and diverse, we have made big gains in the quality of our air and water, and we are at the forefront of the clean energy industry. We should be using this leadership and innovation to keep moving forward and to help with our economic recovery. Proposition 23 takes us backward because it would derail California’s landmark clean air and energy policies and slow the growth of the clean energy economy. So what does this have to do with the wine industry and agriculture generally?”
http://napavalleyregister.com/news/opinion/mailbag/article_c7c2c9da-c53e-11df-a7a1-001cc4c03286.html

The Thin Green Line 9/21/10
“BPA is even worse than we thought, according to new study”
“A hot-off-the-presses study published the NIH journal Environmental Health Perspectives argues for the validity of rodent studies when considering the effects of BPA exposure on human health. That's bad news, because rodent studies have documented a lot of serious health effects.”
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/green/detail?entry_id=72794

Los Angeles Times 9/21/10
“State water board to vote on proposal requiring Malibu to install its first central sewer system”
“The proposal would also cease permits for new septic setups and phase out hundreds of existing small-scale systems. The city presents an alternative plan that would cover fewer homes and businesses.”
http://www.latimes.com/news/la-me-adv-malibu-septic-20100921,0,3354913.story

Greenspace 9/21/10
“At USC, smartphone cameras taking aim at dirty skies”
“On a clear day, you should be able to see close to 140 miles across our warm western skies.  That's about the distance from Malibu to Palm Springs.”
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2010/09/at-usc-smartphone-cameras-taking-aim-at-dirty-skies.html

San Diego Union-Tribune 9/21/10
“County offers new mobile site on West Nile virus”
“San Diego County residents and visitors can now access updates on the West Nile virus on their cellphones, thanks to a new county mobile website.”
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/sep/21/county-offers-new-mobile-site-west-nile-virus/

Los Angeles Times 9/21/10
“PG&E releases maps of major gas pipelines and a list of problem segments”
“The utility acts after an explosion Sept. 9 killed at least four people. Corrosion is the top reason a pipe segment is listed, followed by concerns about ground movement and design characteristics.”
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-pipeline-20100921,0,6876538.story

State Politics

Wall Street Journal 9/21/10
“Fiorina Hopes to Harvest Valley's Votes”
“The San Joaquin Valley, often considered one of California's political backwaters, is shaping up to be a key battleground in the state's hotly contested U.S. Senate race.”
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704362404575479871913712774.html?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_5

San Francisco Chronicle 9/21/10
“First Lady Michelle Obama to campaign for 3 days in California -- part of major campaign swing”
“Yet another sign that California represents critical territory for Democrats and the White House in November: First Lady Michelle Obama will spend nearly half of her announced upcoming campaign schedule in the Golden State to fundrais for incumbent U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, the Democratic National Committee and House candidates.”
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/nov05election/detail?entry_id=72790

California Progress Report 9/21/10
Robert Cruickshank: “Whitman's Economic Plan: All Power to the Plutocrats”
“Contrary to Whitman's claims, California remains an excellent place to do business. Just ask Meg Whitman, who had 10 years to move eBay out of California - but never did. California is still successful at attracting businesses, including manufacturing: for example, Tesla is using part of the NUMMI plant to make its electric cars.”
http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/site/?q=node/8181

Los Angeles Times 9/21/10
“EBay founder won't endorse Meg Whitman for governor”
“Pierre Omidyar, who created EBay and hired Meg Whitman as his company's chief executive, said Tuesday that he would not endorse her and would find it "difficult" to vote for her for governor if he still lived in California.”
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2010/09/ebay-creator-pierre-omidyar-wont-endorse-meg-whitman-for-governor.html

Los Angeles Times 9/21/10
“California awaits budget while its legislators rake in millions”
“Lawmakers have taken in $6.9 million in campaign contributions — many from companies with business before the state — since the fiscal year began July 1. Meanwhile, the state's bills go unpaid.”
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fundraising-20100921,0,5799332.story

Political Blotter 9/21/10
“Dueling ads launched for, against Prop. 25”
“The campaign for Proposition 25 – the measure on November’s ballot that would reduce the legislative vote threshold for passing a state budget from two-thirds to a simple majority – released its first television ad today.”
http://www.ibabuzz.com/politics/2010/09/21/dueling-ads-launched-for-against-prop-25/

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