California

"In recent years, California’s Agassiz’s desert tortoise population has been decimated by shootings, residential and commercial development, vehicle traffic, respiratory disease and predation by ravens, dogs and coyotes. Now, dwindling populations of the reptiles with scruffy carapaces and skin as tough as rhino hide are facing an even greater threat: longer droughts spurred by climate change in their Sonoran Desert kingdom of arroyos and burrows, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey study."

"The U.S. Department of Justice filed a motion in federal court Wednesday asking a judge to dismiss a lawsuit alleging the Environmental Protection Agency has failed to follow through on upholding an environmental justice pledge."

"About 70 people were taken ill after a sulphuric acid leak at a chemical company in California late on Monday, Los Angeles County Fire Department officials said."

"On paper, California's rules on the transport and disposal of hazardous waste are among the nation's strictest. But there are huge holes in the system."

"Thirsty California may get a smidgen of rain this coming week, but it is not likely to change what, so far, has been the driest calendar year in recorded history."

"Lone Pine, Calif. -- Rancher John Lacey eyed a rising pasture where water once flowed when his great-grandfather settled in the Owens Valley to find gold. A century after Los Angeles diverted the Owens River, grass once suitable for feeding cows has long been replaced by desert shrubs."

"LOS ANGELES -- A record number of 21 endangered California condors were treated at the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens for lead poisoning in October -- more than half of what the center sees in a typical year, officials reported."

"Pacific Gas and Electric Co. should pay a $6.75 million fine for delaying the disclosure of record-keeping flaws on a San Carlos gas pipeline that were 'distressingly similar' to problems that contributed to the San Bruno gas line disaster of 2010, a regulatory judge ruled Wednesday."

"MODESTO, Calif. – The students filing into Bret Harte Elementary School every morning barely notice the flags fluttering by the school's main entrance. There is the American flag, the California state flag and the color-coded asthma flag – green when the air is clear, red when it is a respiratory nightmare, as it so often is here."

"Pesticides, flame retardants and other chemicals used in homes and businesses have been found in San Francisco Bay at levels that could pose hazards to aquatic life if they go unchecked, according to a new report."