Assemblyman Jim Beall on Thursday proposed raising the beer tax by $1.80 per six-pack, or 30 cents per can or bottle. The current tax is 2 cents per can. That's an increase of about 1,500 percent. CC Times 4/11/08
No commercial or recreational salmon fishing will be allowed off the coast of California and most of Oregon this year.The Pacific Fishery Management Council voted Thursday to cancel the chinook fishing season in an effort to reverse the catastrophic disappearance of California's fabled run of the pink fish popularly known as king salmon. Just hours after the vote, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency and sent a letter to President Bush asking for his help in obtaining federal disaster assistance. SF Chronicle
Many of these chemicals, such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers, phthalates, nonylphenols and musks, are a class of contaminants known as endocrine disrupters that were detected in all parts of the Bay in a study done in 2002. Wastewater treatment plants don't screen for them because the Environmental Protection Agency doesn't require them to, and they end up in the Bay after flowing down the drain or being ting flushed down the toilet. Even less is known about the effects pharmaceuticals are having on the Bay. Inside Bay Area 4/11/08
New research shows the steps that California companies rely on to protect consumers do not kill dangerous bacteria inside the leaves, whereas zapping them with radiation wipes them out. Irradiation, which involves bombarding food with high-energy gamma or electron beams to disrupt the DNA of pathogens, has its supporters and critics. But the new research suggests that it may be the only way to penetrate leafy greens and kill bacteria hiding inside. LA Times 4/11/08
Nine Marin County cities and sanitation districts must repair and upgrade decrepit sewer pipes to the tune of tens of millions of dollars under orders handed down Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency. The orders followed the federal agency's investigation of two sewage spills - totaling 5 million gallons - into the bay resulting from a series of strong storms in January. If the cities and sewer districts fail to comply with the orders, the EPA could impose fines of $32,500 per violation. SF Chronicle 4/11/08
State environmental health authorities said Thursday they are unable to determine whether respiratory problems reported by hundreds of citizens in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties in autumn were linked to an aerial spraying against the light brown apple moth. A 32-page report released by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment found that the 487 complaints gathered after the spray campaigns were not detailed or consistent. As a result, the analysis was inconclusive. SF Chronicle 4/11/08
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