It’s a fuel that produces zero carbon emissions and can be stored for use during surges in electricity demand
BILL QUIRK, Mercury News
There is a lesson to be learned about California’s electrical power system from the record heat that scorched the Western United States in August – and it’s not the trumped-up assertions that the need for limited rolling blackouts was the result of this state’s commitment to renewable power.
The climate extremes we experienced – 130 degrees in Death Valley, the tinder-box condition of our wildlands – put an exclamation point on the imperative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Acting on an order from Gov. Gavin Newsom, the California Independent System Operator, the California Energy Commission and the Public Utilities Commission last week released a preliminary root-cause analysis into the first rolling blackouts in California since 2001.
The heads of the three organizations overseeing the state’s energy issues appeared before sometimes skeptical lawmakers in Sacramento this week to discuss back-to-back days in August in which California experienced statewide blackouts — and a number of near-misses that have occurred since.
“We’re pulling on every lever we have,” said Marybel Batjer, president of the California Public Utilities Commission. “I can’t say that I will pledge to you, I guarantee you, this will not happen again. I’m going to do my damnedest to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Jason Barbose, Western States Policy Manager: Union of Concerned Scientists (Blog)
With climate change here and getting worse, we must adapt our lives to live with it. One change we must make is how we account for climate change in infrastructure projects. When we fail to appropriately consider climate change in the design and maintenance of infrastructure the results are not pretty: dams break, the power goes out, roads and bridges flood, and groundwater wells dry up.
The bill, authored by Al Muratsuchi, bans the use of 24 toxic chemicals known to cause cancer, reproductive harm and hormone disruption.
Torrance, CA – Governor Gavin Newsom today signed Assembly Bill (AB) 2762, the Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act which, starting in 2025, will prohibit the manufacture or sale of any cosmetic product in the State of California containing any of 24 specified toxic chemicals, consistent with a similar prohibition previously enacted by the European Union and other countries.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday signed into law a measure to protect millions of children from the developmental and health impacts of toxic lead exposure. Assembly Bill 2276 ensures that the state screen and test the children most at risk of lead poisoning.
“We thank Gov. Newsom for ensuring that all toddlers on Medi-Cal are tested for lead,” said Susan Little, EWG's senior advocate for California government affairs. “The governor has demonstrated that safeguarding our children’s health is a priority.”
This legislation was jointly authored by Assemblymembers Eloise Reyes (D-San Bernardino), Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens), Bill Quirk (D-Hayward) and Rudy Salas (D-Bakersfield).
The city of Santa Clara presented the Muslim community with a proclamation to commemorate the five-year anniversary of the California Assembly designation of August as American Muslim Appreciation and Awareness Month.
"Muslim Appreciation Month honors generations of Muslim Americans and their many social, cultural and economic contributions to our city, the state and all across the country," Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor said.
Gillmor presented the proclamation to Council on American Islamic Relations San Francisco Bay Area government relations coordinator Sameena Usman
