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Polluted rain runoff from big box store parking lots could see a crackdown
Los Angeles Times – June 5
Environmental groups are urging the state to start regulating polluted stormwater runoff from the parking lots of large commercial businesses, including shopping centers, industrial parks, and warehouses. The runoff, which contains metal dust and chemicals from vehicle tires and brake pads, oil and grease from engines, and bacteria from trash, washes through storm drains to creeks, rivers, and beaches. The groups want the State Water Resources Control Board to establish a statewide rule, or permit, for “commercial, industrial, and institutional” properties, which also include stadiums, malls, and private hospitals. Business groups have opposed the proposal.
News
Trump awards $75M to developers of Oakland’s coal terminal using war-time powers
San Francisco Chronicle – June 4
President Donald Trump on Thursday announced $75 million in funding for the developers of a controversial coal-export terminal at the former U.S. Army Base in West Oakland, which he said would break ground this summer and is slated to be one of the largest coal shipment facilities on the West Coast. The terminal is one of 13 U.S. coal plants and projects that will receive $700 million through the Defense Production Act. The terminal has been tied up in nearly a decade of litigation, as environmentalists have fought to limit pollution from coal dust, and keep Oakland from contributing to the fossil fuel industry.
Arizona and Nevada agree to trade for desalinated Pacific Ocean water
The New York Times – June 3
The San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) could sell some of its rights to Colorado River water to Arizona and Nevada under a deal announced this Wednesday. The SDCWA has a water surplus due to a desalination plant the utility opened a decade ago. Under the proposed deal, water wouldn’t physically move inland, but the utility wouldn’t draw as much of the water it is entitled to from the river. The deal, which still needs to be finalized, would be the first large-scale water trade between states with claims on the Colorado River — which officials said was urgently needed in light of shortages that are threatening a system of reservoirs and dams that provides water to 40 million people and 5.5 million acres of farmland across the West.
EPA reveals new superfund cleanup initiative
Waste Today – June 3
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this Tuesday announced a Superfund Solutions initiative designed to accelerate the cleanup of contaminated sites nationwide, including the more than 1,340 superfund sites on the National Priorities List. The goals of the initiative include expediting ongoing investigations at more than 500 superfund sites, increasing targeted water, soil, and air sampling, and standardizing approaches to cleanup actions. EPA says it will share site-specific cleanup progress and agency progress toward these goals. In addition to providing results through the quarterly Superfund Accomplishments Report, EPA will continue to update the public on progress made on its website.
Amid opposition, California regulators approve changes to cap-and-invest program
KQED – June 1
In a controversial move, the California Air Resources Board last Friday approved significant changes to California’s cap-and-invest program, voting to create a $4 billion fund for large emitters to invest in decarbonization projects. Governor Gavin Newsom said the move advances affordability while keeping the state on track to meet its climate targets. Climate, affordable housing, and transit advocates are skeptical as to whether the decarbonization projects will materialize and worry that the new program could result in less money for California’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund programs. Regulators said they were doing their best to strike a balance that also keeps oil and gas companies viable.
Loma Linda University Health to pay $7.5 million for illegal disposal of hazardous waste, medical records
San Bernardino Sun – June 4
Prosecutors in San Bernardino and Riverside counties announced a settlement this Wednesday with Loma Linda University Health, which has agreed to pay $7.5 million to settle a lawsuit alleging it improperly disposed of hazardous pharmaceutical waste, batteries, aerosol cans, medical waste, and confidential patient records at its facilities across the Inland Empire by disposing of them in regular trash containers. Although prosecutors noted the health care system has taken significant corrective actions, including a systemwide overhaul of its waste management program, the settlement obligates Loma Linda University Health to pay $6.75 million in civil penalties, $500,000 to reimburse the costs of the investigation, and $250,000 to fund environmental projects that benefit California communities.
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