EJToday is SEJ's selection of new and outstanding stories on environmental topics in print and on the air, updated every weekday. SEJ also offers a free e-mailed digest of the day's EJToday postings, called SEJ-beat. SEJ members are subscribed automatically, but may opt out here. Non-members may subscribe here. EJToday is also available via RSS feed. Please see Editorial Guidelines for EJToday content.
10 Years After Toxic Plume, Morgan Hill Community Works for Normalcy
San Jose Mercury News, 01/28/2013"MORGAN HILL -- Ten years ago this month, community leaders were shocked by the discovery that a company that manufactured road flares here had disposed of toxic chemicals improperly, creating a 10-mile-long underground plume of perchlorate, a chemical used in rocket fuel."
"After Years of Discord, Calif. and Nevada Agree on Tahoe Development"
NY Times, 01/15/2013After years of disagreement, planners from California and Nevada seem to have finally agreed on a plan that will allow development while protecting Lake Tahoe's crystalline waters.
"Kettleman City Reaps Toxic Harvest of Calif. Castoffs"
Fresno Bee, 01/14/2013KETTLEMAN CITY -- Maria Saucedo cried as she spoke of the two babies she has lost in Kettleman City -- one to birth defects and the other in a miscarriage. There's no proof, but she blames the toxic landscape surrounding her town. She and others who have suffered in Kettleman City say they live in a nasty soup of pollution. They make a compelling case."
"Customers Have Paid More Than $1 Billion for Idle San Onofre Plant"
LA Times, 01/10/2013"The California Public Utilities Commission held an initial meeting Tuesday in an investigative process that could eventually result in ratepayers getting a refund for a portion of the bills they have paid during the San Onofre nuclear plant's year-long outage."
Outbreak Of Brain Cancer from New Virus Hits West Coast Raccoons
Huffington Post, 01/10/2013"A mysterious new virus on the West Coast is believed to be causing fatal brain cancer in raccoons -- an alarming sign given the animals' frequent interactions with humans and the fact that tumors of any type were previously rarely found in the animals."
"Together a Century, City and Oil Giant Hit a Rough Patch"
NY Times, 01/04/2013"RICHMOND, Calif. -- The Chevron refinery’s massive oil storage tanks sit on the hills overlooking this small, impoverished city in San Francisco’s East Bay. Painted earthen red to blend with the natural surroundings, the tanks cannot help dominating the city’s skyline, much the way the oil giant itself has long shaped Richmond’s identity, economy and politics."
EPA Grants Calif. Clean Air Act Waiver for Clean Car Emissions Rules
Bloomberg BNA, 01/02/2013"The Environmental Protection Agency has granted California a Clean Air Act waiver allowing the state to set new standards to control emissions of various pollutants, including greenhouse gases, for passenger vehicles through 2025."
Calif. Groups Sue EPA over Rules on Pesticide Emissions
Ventura County Star, 01/02/2013"A group of community organizations has sued the Environmental Protection Agency about new rules on pesticide emissions, saying the regulations do too little to protect public health."
"Parties Renew Agreement To Restore Klamath Basin"
AP, 01/02/2013"GRANTS PASS, Ore. -- A companion agreement to a historic deal to remove four dams from the Klamath River has been renewed, giving supporters another two years to try to get Congress to pay for the work, officials said Monday."
"California Law Tests Company Responses to Carbon Costs"
NY Times, 12/26/2012"LOS BANOS, Calif. — The Morning Star Company’s three plants in California emit roughly 200,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year — about the same amount as the Pacific Island nation of Palau — as they turn tomatoes into ketchup, spaghetti sauce and juice used by millions of consumers around the world."
"California Agency Raises Issues Over Proposed Solar Project"
Reuters, 12/26/2012"California Energy Commission staff on Friday said BrightSource Energy's proposed 500-megawatt Hidden Hills solar thermal power project would have 'significant' impact on the environment."
"U.S. Will Let Otters Roam Along Southern California Coastline"
LA Times, 12/20/2012"After 25 years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided to end its program of relocating the mammals, calling the effort a failure. Fishermen complain."
"California Releases First-Ever Fracking Regulations"
San Jose Mercury News, 12/19/2012"Wading into one of the hottest environmental debates in the nation, California on Tuesday released its first-ever regulations for hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," the increasingly common -- and controversial -- practice of freeing oil and gas from rock formations by injecting chemicals under high pressure into the ground."
"EPA Finds Contamination at Former Rocket Test Site"
AP, 12/13/2012"SIMI VALLEY, Calif. -- Lingering radioactive contamination exists at a former rocket test lab outside of Los Angeles that was the site of a partial nuclear meltdown, federal environmental regulators said Wednesday."
"Petsmart Selling Unregistered Pesticide Products Despite State Order"
California Watch, 12/06/2012"About two months after the state's environmental agency ordered a major pet products retailer to immediately cease selling unregistered pesticide products, many of those products remain on the retailer's shelves and website."

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