Transportation Daily News July 31

Emissions:

 

*States, environmentalists to sue EPA over greenhouse gases -- California, New York City, three other states and a coalition of environmental groups will file notice Thursday that they'll sue the Environmental Protection Agency to push it to regulate pollution from ocean ships and aircraft that's causing global warming.  Under the Clean Air Act, a U.S. district court can compel the EPA to take action to protect the public's welfare if the agency delays doing so for an unreasonably long time. The law requires that a notice of intent to sue be filed 180 days in advance, the step that the groups are taking now. McClatchy 7/31/08

 

Planned suit would target ships' and planes' pollution -- California, New York City, three other states and some environmental groups plan to file notice today that they'll sue the Environmental Protection Agency to push it to regulate pollution from ocean ships and aircraft causing global warming. Sacramento Bee 7/31/08

 

*LA utility wary of California's emissions strategy -- The Department of Water and Power relies on cheap, out-of-state coal for some of its energy, which has helped keep its electricity rates among the lowest in the state. But it's one of the dirtiest ways to generate power, making coal-fired plants a major liability for the utility as California forges ahead with a strategy to cut carbon emissions dramatically under the greenhouse gas law Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed in 2006. The debate has exposed a rift between the state's largest utilities and divided the politicians who helped craft the law, which has received international acclaim. AP 7/31/08

 

Transit and infrastructure:

 

California's gas consumption falling -- Gasoline consumption in California, the most populous state, dropped in April from the same month a year earlier, a sign this could be the third straight year of declining demand, according to a state agency report. Inside Bay Area 7/31/08

 

*PLAN AFOOT TO GET S.F. WORKERS OUT OF CARS -- Businesses with more than 20 employees working in San Francisco would be required to help their workers ditch their cars and commute to work on transit or in vanpools under a proposal being considered by city officials. The goal of the plan, which would be the first in the nation, is to cut greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality by getting more people out of polluting cars. SF Chronicle 7/31/08

 

Californians fight cost by reducing their driving -- As gasoline prices climbed in April, Californians continued a trend of using less gasoline, according to figures released Wednesday. The California Board of Equalization said 2.2 percent less gasoline was used in the state in April than in the same month in 2007. Sacramento Bee 7/31/08

 

Agricultural Daily News July 31

Immigration and labor:

 

Stark proposes law helping immigrant foster kids get green cards -- Attempting to avoid situations in which undocumented foster children end up deported, Rep. Pete Stark, D-Fremont, proposed a new law this week that would help abused and neglected children get green cards. The bill by Stark and Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Los Angeles, would not change federal immigration law, but would force states and local child welfare agencies to pay more attention to an existing law, on the books since 1990. Inside Bay Area 7/31/08

 

*Is U.S. losing its appeal for illegal immigrants? -- With a stagnating economy and hundreds of miles of new fences along the Mexican border, the United States - and California - may have become a less inviting destination for illegal immigrants from Latin America. Two key signals - an unprecedented slowdown in money sent by immigrants back to Mexico, and a new report that claims the nation's illegal immigrant population has dropped significantly since last summer - indicate a possible change. SJ Mercury 7/31/08

 

Bill would require paid sick days for most – A bill - AB2716 by Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, D-San Francisco - was modeled on the paid sick leave law that took effect last year in San Francisco. The bill passed the state Assembly in May and is scheduled for a hearing next week in the Senate Appropriations Committee. Business groups led by the California Chamber of Commerce oppose the sick leave bill, saying it is a complicated and costly mandate that could force companies to cut wages or lay off workers. SF Chronicle 7/31/08

 

*Sanctuary policy under review -- A call by Mayor Gavin Newsom to change how city departments interpret San Francisco’s Sanctuary City Ordinance was set against a clash outside of City Hall that ended with two arrests. The ordinance became the target of national ridicule after federal authorities learned that juvenile felons weren’t being reported to immigration authorities. Following an impassioned speech in his office Wednesday in which Newsom supported the spirit of the Sanctuary City Ordinance, the mayor said there would likely be changes in the way city departments interpret the ordinance. Examiner 7/31/08

 

Agriculture:

 

After 7 Years, Talks on Trade Collapse -- World trade talks collapsed here on Tuesday after seven years of on-again, off-again negotiations, in the latest sign of India’s and China’s growing might on the world stage and the decreasing ability of the United States to impose its will globally. After nine consecutive days of high-level talks, discussions reached an impasse when the United States, India and China refused to compromise over measures to protect farmers in developing countries from greater liberalization of trade. Supporters of the so-called Doha round of talks, which began in 2001, say a deal would have been a bulwark against protectionist sentiments that are likely to spread as economic growth falters in much of the world. NY Times 7/30/08

 

Food and nutrition:

 

Restaurant Chains Close as Diners Reduce Spending -- Several national restaurant chains were shuttered on Tuesday, possibly offering an early taste of what’s in store this year for businesses that depend on free-spending consumers whose budgets are now being squeezed. The restaurants are the latest casualties in the so-called casual dining sector, considered a cut above fast food. Soaring food costs and a surfeit of locations have hurt the companies’ bottom lines just as Americans are choosing to take more meals at home. NY Times 7/30/08

 

Analysts blame easy credit for restaurant woes -- Restaurant companies may have depended too much on easy-to-borrow money to back aggressive expansion plans, industry experts say a move that may lead to more bankrupt chains and fewer new eateries opening in the months to come. AP 7/31/08

 

Lunch money going online at Sacramento-area schools -- Starting this year in Elk Grove, in a trend spreading throughout the region, parents have a new option for making sure their children get fed at noontime: They can prepay online through a service called myLunchMoney.com. Instead of sending checks or cash to school, they can use debit or credit cards to make payments, and monitor online when accounts need replenishing. Students punch in personal identification numbers to trigger food purchases. Sacramento Bee 7/31/08

 

 

Health:

 

America on pace for 90 percent to be fat by 2030 -- A new study, based on national surveys done over the past three decades, warns that 9 out of ten Americans will be overweight or obese in less than 25 yearsif the nation's weight-gain trends since the 1970s continue until 2030. The research was carried out by scientists at John Hopkins University and the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and published online in the journal Obesity. CC Times 7/31/08

 

West Nile found in Natomas 'sentinel' chicken -- A chicken in Natomas has tested positive for the West Nile virus, the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District has announced. The "sentinel" chicken is part of 15 six-bird flocks that are maintained in Sacramento and Yolo counties by the district to monitor possible spread of West Nile. The district collects and tests blood samples from the chickens each week. Sacramento Bee 7/31/08

 

Water:

 

*51% of Californians back offshore drilling -- A majority of Californians favor more oil drilling off the coast, according to a statewide survey released Wednesday, for the first time since oil prices spiked nearly three decades ago. The support by 51 percent of residents polled this month by the Public Policy Institute of California represents a shift caused by renewed Republican advocacy for drilling as well as motorists' reaction to soaring pump prices, according to the pollster. SF Chronicle 7/31/08

 

Transportation Daily News July 30

Emissions:

 

Senate Democrats urge EPA chief to resign over air pollution rulings, alleged false testimony -- Four Democratic senators called Tuesday for Stephen Johnson to resign as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and asked Attorney General Michael Mukasey to begin an investigation into whether he lied in testimony to a Senate committee. The senators, all members of the Environment and Public Works Committee, said Johnson — the first career scientist to head the agency — had repeatedly succumbed to political pressure on decisions vital to protecting health and the environment. AP 7/30/08

 

*EPA tests show no danger in West Oakland -- A neighborhood in West Oakland can breathe easier after tests for dangerous levels of hazardous compounds in the air came back negative, according to federal environmental officials. The results of those tests showed no high levels of trichloroethylene, cis-dichloroethene, trans dichloroethene or vinyl chloride that would require the agency to take immediate action. Inside Bay Area 7/30/08

 

Shipping:

 

Respite at Port of Oakland gives seafarers much-needed break -- At the port, these men are welcomed by the staff of the International Maritime Center, a multi-denominational organization that provides counseling, phone cards and free rides to the shops at Emeryville. With a pool table and beers for sale, the center gives respite from a long, lonely voyage, said the Rev. David Ross, an Episcopal deacon who volunteers there. Inside Bay Area 7/28/08

 

‘Good Jobs, Clean Air!’ Rally backs clean, safe ports plan -- If a broad coalition of labor and community activists, health advocates and environmentalists has its way, pollution from ports around the country will be cut drastically in coming years, while at the same time, a group of port workers wrongly called “independent contractors” will gain a living wage and benefits.  The Port of Los Angeles has already approved a Clean Trucks Program, and in the coming months, Oakland could become the nation’s second port to do so. PWW 7/28/08

 

*ATA sues California ports -- The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach announced their Clean Trucks Program stays on schedule, despite an American Trucking Associations lawsuit against it. The ATA filed a complaint July 28 for declaratory judgment and injunctive relief in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The group charged that the Clean Trucks Program unlawfully re-regulates the industry by limiting port access to trucking companies in port-approved concession contracts. Etrucker 7/30/08

 

Transit and infrastructure:

 

*Bay Area transit projects threatened by state budget proposal -- The construction of a fourth bore of the Caldecott Tunnel, widening of Highway 4 in Antioch and other transportation projects could face expensive delays if California lawmakers raid gas tax funds to close a state budget gap, says the Bay Area's transportation commission. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission has urged Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and lawmakers to reject a proposal under consideration in state budget talks to borrow gasoline state tax revenues meant for transportation projects. CC Times 7/29/08

 

 

Agriculture Daily News July 30

Water:

 

3 West Coast governors oppose new offshore oil drilling -- West Coast governors urged the federal government Tuesday to keep new oil drilling rigs out of their waters and to spend more money on programs to restore the health of the Pacific Ocean.  Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, joined with Democratic Govs. Ted Kulongoski of Oregon and Chris Gregoire of Washington to reaffirm their opposition to opening undersea oil fields to new drilling, as part of an elaborate action plan for preserving coastal waters. LA Times 7/30/08

 

Brown threatens to sue to block Nestle's water-bottling plant -- Attorney General Jerry Brown said Tuesday that he will sue to block a proposed water-bottling operation in Northern California unless its effects on global warming are evaluated. Nestle Waters North America wants to pump about 200 million gallons of water a year from three natural springs that supply McCloud, a Siskiyou County town about 280 miles north of San Francisco. Brown's office said that is enough to fill 3.1 billion 8-ounce plastic bottles. SF Chronicle 7/30/08

 

*California considers ban on plastic bags to protect marine life -- Secretary of Resources Mike Chrisman is head of a cabinet-level panel - the California Ocean Protection Council - that is mulling over a list of proposals, including a ban on plastic bags, to improve the health of the ocean. While the panel has no power to impose such a prohibition, its recommendation would give the idea a tremendous shot of momentum. SJ Mercury 7/30/08

 

Parks and forests:

 

Court denies stay in Pacific Lumber case -- Billionaire founders of San Francisco's Gap Inc. are expected to take control of some of the most valuable timberland in the country within days, after a federal appeals court Tuesday shot down some of the last legal arguments from opponents to a plan to reorganize the storied Pacific Lumber Co. SF Chronicle 7/30/08

 

Food:

 

Court overturns ruling that allowed Whole Foods-Wild Oats merger -- The purchase of Wild Oats Markets Inc. by rival organic foods purveyor Whole Foods Market Inc. turned a bit wilder than anticipated on Tuesday when a federal appeals court overturned a lower-court ruling that allowed the merger to go through.The ruling comes almost a year after Whole Foods in Austin, Texas, purchased the 110-store Wild Oats chain for $565 million and brings up questions about whether it would be possible to unwind the merger so long after the fact. LA Times 7/30/08

 

L.A. blocks new fast-food outlets from poor areas -- The Los Angeles City Council has approved a one-year moratorium on new fast-food restaurants in a low-income area of the city. The moratorium unanimously approved Tuesday is a bid to attract restaurants that offer healthier food choices to residents in a 32-square-mile area of South Los Angeles. AP 7/30/08

 

Health:

 

*Board passes tobacco ban in pharmacies -- San Francisco lawmakers voted Tuesday to make the city the first in the nation to ban the sale of tobacco products at most pharmacies, a move that backers hope will lead to similar laws across the country. The ban passed the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on an 8-3 vote, with some supervisors predicting it would be a "first step" toward additional bans on the sale of tobacco in the city. SF Chronicle 7/30/08

 

Senate Democrats urge EPA chief to resign over air pollution rulings, alleged false testimony -- Four Democratic senators called Tuesday for Stephen Johnson to resign as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and asked Attorney General Michael Mukasey to begin an investigation into whether he lied in testimony to a Senate committee. The senators, all members of the Environment and Public Works Committee, said Johnson — the first career scientist to head the agency — had repeatedly succumbed to political pressure on decisions vital to protecting health and the environment. AP 7/30/08

 

EPA tests show no danger in West Oakland -- A neighborhood in West Oakland can breathe easier after tests for dangerous levels of hazardous compounds in the air came back negative, according to federal environmental officials. The results of those tests showed no high levels of trichloroethylene, cis-dichloroethene, trans dichloroethene or vinyl chloride that would require the agency to take immediate action. Inside Bay Area 7/30/08

 

Agriculture:

 

*New farming method to help 'grow' wetlands in delta area -- Thanks to a grant from the California Department of Water Resources, a new farming method in the delta is attempting to "grow" wetlands. The DWR has invested $12.3 million to explore "carbon-capture" farming, which traps atmospheric carbon dioxide and rebuilds lost soils in the delta. A partnership with U.S. Geological Survey and U.C. Davis will take methods that have been used in a pilot program on Twitchell Island for 10 years and will use them in areas of the western delta.  The Reporter 7/30/08

 

Bay Area firm develops spray-on sunscreen to protect fruit and vegetable crops -- A Fremont company called Purfresh has created a sunscreen that's applied to fruits and vegetables to protect the harvest. Called Purshade, it's made of multi-crystalline calcium carbonate crystals, which ward off the sun's harmful rays, but still allow the photosynthesis that lets fruits and vegetables to grow. SJ Mercury 7/30/08

 

Almond growers short water urged to conserve for post-harvest irrigation -- Water rationing until Sept. 1 is forcing some almond growers in California's western San Joaquin Valley (SJV) to make tough water use choices this summer and fall which will likely result in reduced almond yields through next year. Surface water supplies are limited due to two continuous years of below-average rainfall. Another reason is severe water restrictions caused a federal court ruling last year on the endangered Delta smelt that limited federal and state pumping from the Delta into the San Luis Reservoir. Water supplies are also low since this past spring was the driest on record. Western Farm Press 7/30/08

 

Transportation Daily News July 29

Transit and infrastructure:

 

Less driving forces gas prices down -- Shocked by prices that reached $4.11 per gallon nationwide and $4.61 in California, drivers stopped buying as much fuel. That cut the demand for gasoline's raw material, crude oil. Crude prices dropped as a result, taking gasoline prices with them. SF Chronicle 7/29/08

 

Steel net preferred for halting bridge jumpers -- According to an unscientific online poll commissioned by the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District to gauge public reaction to five design options for a suicide barrier, almost 75 percent of the 1,600 respondents are opposed to any being built at all. But of the design options, the net seems to be the most preferred. SF Chronicle 7/29/08

 

*BART bigwig blasts Muni’s big dig -- A $1.3 billion, four-stop Central Subway would connect Little Hollywood and Visitacion Valley with Union Square and Chinatown by 2016. To lay tracks for it, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency must dig underneath Powell Street station to within six feet of it. Construction is slated to begin in two years. BART board member and longtime Central Subway opponent Tom Radulovich said the draft environmental impact report released last year did not adequately address the problems inherent with displacing groundwater during construction. He said digging underneath the Powell Street station could cause damage to the BART stop and possibly cause it to sink or collapse. Examiner 7/29/08

 

Agriculture Daily News July 29

Parks and forests:

 

Air tanker drops in wildfires are often just for show -- Fire commanders say they are often pressured to order planes and helicopters into action on major fires even when the aircraft won't do any good. Such pressure has resulted in needless and costly air operations, experienced fire managers said in interviews. LA Times 7/29/08

 

Agriculture:

 

*Aerial spray credited with reducing West Nile threat -- Aerial pesticide spraying has reduced the number of mosquitoes plaguing the Sacramento area, the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District said Monday. The two species that most effectively carry West Nile virus declined around the county after spraying, but much more sharply in sprayed areas, district data showed. Sacramento Bee 7/29/08

 

Sunscreen for fruits, veggies? Farmers try it -- Sunscreen for fruits and vegetables is being tested in Australia and Chile, and now California farmers are checking it out courtesy of a local vendor. A California company is finding positive results with an SPF 45 product made of multicrystaline calcium carbonate crystals that are engineered to specifically deflect ultraviolet and infrared light from the plants and trees on which it is sprayed. MSNBC 7/29/08

 

Strawberry Festival celebrates California's top export -- Aiming to rival the Gilroy Garlic Festival, the Monterey Bay Strawberry Festival is getting back to its roots, dedicating more than 100 feet of booths to strawberry desserts alone this year. Live entertainment, gooey strawberry pie-eating contests, arts and crafts vendors, and carnival rides will fill Ramsay Park this weekend. SJ Mercury 7/29/08

 

Bee research aims for diverse bee genetic pool -- University of California Davis bee breeder-geneticist Susan Cobey and Steve Sheppard, a professor and apiculturist at Washington State University, Pullman, Wash., are investigating several races of the Western or European honey bee (Apis mellifera), which European settlers brought to America in 1622. The Cobey-Sheppard research team has received semen from the Italian bee, shipped from Italy; the Carniolan bee, from Germany; and the Caucasian bee, from the Caucasus region of Eurasia. The Italian bee is a honey-colored bee that's the most common honey bee in the United States. The Carniolan and the Caucasian bees are darker in color. Western Farm Press 7/29/08

 

Food and wine:

 

Wine: Iconic winery being sold; Napa's Crimson receives biomass test grant -- Jim Barrett, who purchased the Calistoga winery in 1972, is talking to Michel Reybier, who owns Chateau Cos d'Estournel in the Saint-Estephe appellation of southwestern France, about an acquisition of Chateau Montelena, according to a joint announcement last week. Crimson Wine Group of Napa was awarded a $560,000 federal grant to convert vineyard foliage to fuel at Pine Ridge Winery. Press Democrat 7/29/08

 

*California schools get fruit and vegetable grants -- State Supt. of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today announced grants today for schools to get kids to eat more fruits and vegetables. Twenty-five grantees, four of them in Los Angeles County, will share $184,100 in Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program grants. LA Times 7/29/08

 

FTC: Kids target of $1.6 billion in food ads -- The nation's largest food and beverage companies spent about $1.6 billion in 2006 marketing their products _ especially carbonated drinks _ to children, according to a Federal Trade Commission report. The report, to be released Tuesday, stems from lawmakers' concern about growing obesity rates in children. It gives researchers new insight into how much companies are spending to attract youth to their products, and what venues the companies are using for their marketing. AP 7/29/08

 

Staff breaks not duty of restaurants, court decides -- A state appellate court has ruled that the owner of Chili's restaurants is not responsible for ensuring employees take mandatory meal breaks. As a result, Dallas-based Brinker Restaurant Corp. will not face a class-action lawsuit from employees who say they were denied paid and unpaid breaks. The court did not rule on the merits of the case filed in San Diego against Brinker, which operates more than 175 restaurants in California, including Chili's, On the Border, Maggiano's Little Italy and Romano's Macaroni Grill. San Diego Union Tribune 7/29/08

 

Water and fishing:

 

Fish farmers fear feed costs -- It's been a struggle for California's catfish farmers, as they try to cope with rapidly rising feed bills.  Farm-raised catfish eat feed that's composed of soybean meal and corn, two commodities that have risen steeply in price.  Central Valley Business Times 7/29/08

 

*Canal in state's future -- A QUARTER CENTURY after it was soundly defeated by California voters, the Peripheral Canal is making a comeback. This time around it has the support of some environmentalists as well as the backing of the respected Public Policy Institute of California. What has changed over the past 26 years since the defeat of the canal is the viability of the Delta ecosystem. CC Times 7/29/08

 

Transportation Daily News July 28

Transit and infrastructure:

 

California school districts ending or reducing bus service for students -- Thousands more California students will have to find their own way to school this fall, as districts slash bus routes to cope with budget shortfalls and high fuel costs. Critics worry that the cuts will increase traffic around schools, shift costs to parents already struggling with rising gas prices and prompt more absenteeism, hurting students' academic achievement. But paramount is the fear that the reductions will endanger students as more walk or drive to school. LA TImes 7/28/08

 

Funds for Highways Plummet As Drivers Cut Gasoline Use -- An unprecedented cutback in driving is slashing the funds available to rebuild the nation's aging highway system and expand mass-transit options, underscoring the economic impact of high gasoline prices. The resulting financial strain is touching off a political battle over government priorities in a new era of expensive oil. A report to be released Monday by the Transportation Department shows that over the past seven months, Americans have reduced their driving by more than 40 billion miles. WSJ 7/28/08

 

Emissions:

 

*State bid to limit emissions hits court snag -- California's effort to limit vehicle emissions of gases that contribute to global warming hit a snag Friday when a federal appeals court ruled that the state and environmental groups acted too early when they sued the Bush administration in January for blocking the law. The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco dismissed a lawsuit filed by California, 15 other states and five environmental groups over the Environmental Protection Agency's refusal to let the state enforce its limits on greenhouse gas fumes from new cars and trucks. SF Chronicle 7/26/08

 

*EPA conducts tests on air in Oakland neighborhood -- Federal environmental officials paid visits to a handful of West Oakland homes early Friday, testing for possible dangerous levels of hazardous compounds in the air. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tested about a half dozen homes, a business and a day care center near the former Lane Metal Finishers site on 30th Street and San Pablo Avenue. The state Department of Toxic Substances Control earlier found elevated levels of volatile organic compounds in five samples taken 8 feet below the surface of the former metal plating location. SJ Mercury 7/26/08

 

Shipping:

 

*Navy fears Calif. shipping rule will affect range -- The Navy now fears its testing grounds could be irreparably compromised with a law passed Thursday by California air regulators. They have ordered cargo ships to use cleaner-burning - but more expensive - fuel within 24 nautical miles of the coast. At issue is the sea lane used by cargo ships entering and exiting the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. With the new air regulation, shipping companies looking to save money by burning less of the cleaner fuel could take a more direct path between the ports and international waters. That would put them on course for the Navy's training ground. Modesto Bee 7/26/08

 

 

Agriculture Daily News July 28

Parks and forests:

 

*As wildfires get wilder, the costs of fighting them are untamed -- A century after the government declared war on wildfire, fire is gaining the upper hand. From the canyons of California to the forests of the Rocky Mountains and the grasslands of Texas, fires are growing bigger, fiercer and costlier to put out. And there is no end in sight. In response, firefighting has assumed the scale and sophistication of military operations. Wildfire costs are busting the Forest Service budget. A decade ago, the agency spent $307 million on fire suppression. Last year, it spent $1.37 billion. LA Times 7/27/08

 

 

Food and wine:

 

State ban on serving trans fat first in U.S. -- California became the first state to outlaw trans fat in restaurants and food facilities Friday when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill banning the artery-clogging oils and shortenings. Bakers have an extra year to adhere to the ban because pastries are the most difficult products to make without trans fat-laden oils and shortenings. Packaged foods are not affected by the law. SF Chronicle 7/26/08

 

California food industry fears impact of Bush's worker ID order -- A new White House order that federal contractors verify employees' identity documents has some businesses sweating over the potential impact – especially California's huge food industry. President Bush has ordered businesses and institutions with federal contracts – from janitorial companies to the state of California – to use E-Verify, a database that checks if workers' names, Social Security numbers or other ID match. The U.S. food industry acknowledges that illegal immigrants are in their work force. Workers with fake documents began filling farm jobs as immigrants who had received amnesty in 1986 moved out, representatives say. Sacramento Bee 7/26/08

 

Tenderloin struggles to get local grocery store -- A local nonprofit has been working with city officials for two years to open a grocery store here, an area more known for drug dealers and prostitution than for its thousands of children and families. That admittedly well-deserved reputation, combined with the neighborhood's poor residents, security concerns and a lack of parking and financing, has made it nearly impossible. SF Chronicle 7/28/08

 

Water and fish:

 

*State panel recommends strict measures to reduce plastic marine debris in California -- California's leaders should ban smoking on beaches, forbid fast-food joints from distributing polystyrene cups and containers and require markets to recycle plastic bags or ban them outright as part of an aggressive campaign to reduce plastic marine debris. These and dozens of other recommendations are included in a report to be released next week by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's Ocean Protection Council, a policy body designed to coordinate the patchwork of local efforts to protect California's waters and beaches. LA Times 7/26/08

 

Salmon, steelhead catch limits increased -- State wildlife officials have increased salmon and steelhead catch limits on the Klamath and Trinity rivers for the fishing season that starts Aug. 15. The action is possible because fish runs on those rivers are strong this year. This makes up somewhat for a sharp decline in Central Valley salmon stocks, which prompted all other waters of the state to be closed to salmon fishing.

 

Water wars examined in new book -- In "Bottlemania,'' Elizabeth Royte looks at the water wars: between bottled water and tap water, between big corporations and local water interests, between consumers who say they want the convenience, cleanliness and even status of bottled water, and environmentalists who condemn bottled water as "the moral equivalent of driving a Hummer,'' producing tons of plastic bottles, racking up huge transportation fees and leaving behind a significant carbon footprint. NY Times 7/25/08

 

Lake Tahoe warming faster than oceans -- A 2004 study by the University of California, Davis found the lake water warmed about 1 degree over a 33-year period ending in 2002, a rate roughly twice the levels of warming recorded for the world's oceans. Officials with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency are incorporating climate change into some of the agency's most fundamental efforts, including a plan guiding land use across the region and a $2 billion-plus list of environmental improvement projects over the next decade. Reno Gazette Journal 7/28/08

 

*Study: come up with a plan or face water shortages -- Local and regional water agencies and water companies must jointly develop a strategy to avoid water shortages now that the Southland's traditional sources are drying up, according to a study released today.  The recommendation was among the preliminary findings of a study -- "Where Will We Get The Water? Assessing Southern California's Future Water Strategies" -- carried out by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation for the Southern California Leadership Council, a business advocacy organization founded in 2005, and other sponsors.  CC Times 7/28/08

 

Agriculture:

 

Pending California farm bill would open range for animals -- California voters will consider the most comprehensive farm animal rights law in the country, a measure that would ban cramped metal cages for egg-laying hens, metal gestation crates for pregnant sows and veal crates for lambs — standard industry practices in which the animals are kept so confined that they can barely move. Waco Tribune 7/28/08

 

California unveils grape chart toppers -- The California Table Grape Commission has unveiled a new variety chart for the 2008 season.The brightly coloured wallchart, pictured, features full-colour photography of all the major varieties available from the Golden State this season, with details for shippers and receivers of their harvest calendar. Fresh Info 7/28/08

 

Agriculture Daily News July 25

Agriculture:

 

*The Illogic of Farm Subsidies, and Other Agricultural Truths -- Last week we solicited your questions for agricultural economist Daniel Sumner. Sumner has answers for questions about organic produce, biofuels, the logic of locavores, whether the U.S.'s attachment to cotton is emotional or financial, and how to talk to farmers about the economics of agriculture. Freakonomics Blog 7/25/08

 

*Tomato Industry Seeks Compensation -- Rep. Tim Mahoney, a Democrat from Florida, a big tomato producer in the U.S., introduced legislation Wednesday night that would give the nation's tomato growers and shippers $100 million to compensate for losses they incurred in the outbreak. The Agriculture Department would decide who qualifies, much like the way disaster assistance is carried out. WSJ 7/25/08

 

Grower-Shipper Association, Salinas, and Monterey County to research rail feasibility -- The Monterey County Board of Supervisors on July 22 approved to match Salinas' investment in a rail feasibility study that will be administered by the Grower-Shipper Association of Central California (GSA). The county and city are each contributing $15,000 to this study which will evaluate the feasibility and industry interest in using rail carriers for the transport of agricultural products. This study will determine whether returning some shipments to a rail delivery system is a more cost-effective method of providing much of the nation and surrounding countries with the Central Coast's fresh produce. Western Farm Press 7/25/08

 

Farm animal rights law would require room to roam -- This fall, California voters will consider the most comprehensive farm animal rights law in the country, a measure that would ban cramped metal cages for egg-laying hens, metal gestation crates for pregnant sows and veal crates for lambs. A showdown between proponents and opponents of the California measure, initiated by the Humane Society of the United States, looms. The egg industry, the fifth largest in the country, is preparing an all-out campaign to defeat the measure. SJ Mercury 7/25/08

 

*Budget cutbacks blamed for lack of study on moth -- State agriculture leaders Thursday blamed budget cuts since the 1980s for setting back study of the invasive light brown apple moth and allowing the pest to establish itself in Northern California. Now, researchers are scrambling to learn whatever they can about the Australian pest that set up residence in Santa Cruz County and parts of the Bay Area last year, as well as the threat the moth poses to crops and other plants. SJ Mercury 7/25/08

 

Food:

 

Garlic beckons health buffs -- Not everyone agrees on the health benefits of garlic.  Christopher Gardner, an associate professor of medicine at Stanford University, said that while there have been "literally thousands" of studies on garlic's purported effects, the medical community has "no consensus" on any of them. SJ Mercury 7/25/08

 

*Schwarzenegger signs trans fat ban -- California will be the first state to ban trans fats in restaurants and bakeries under legislation signed today by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The measure requires restaurants to quit using trans fats by January 2010, and for bakeries to follow suit one year later. The legislation, Assembly Bill 97, was proposed by Democratic Assemblyman Tony Mendoza of Artesia and opposed by most Republicans. Sacramento Bee 7/25/08

 

California's Largest Family Owned Restaurant, Scoma's on San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf, Concerned About State Water Policy and Decline of Salmon -- Yesterday, another report was issued—this time by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), "Fish Out of Water: How Water Management in the Bay-Delta Threatens the Future of California's Salmon Fishery," describing how the State Water Project and Central Valley Project contribute to declining salmon populations. Bennett, who has been with Scoma's for 15 years and is their fish buyer, said that "In the business model when Scoma's started in 1965 and I'm sure for years and years, sea food was plentiful, inexpensive, and it wasn't very popular. Now it's gotten to where seafood is extremely popular, it's expensive. It's extremely hard to come by." California Progress Report 7/25/08

 

Water:

 

*State plans land surveys for possible Delta canal routes -- State water officials today are sending letters to about 1,000 property owners in the Delta – a heads up that surveyors may need to access private land to begin planning a canal to ferry fresh water to Southern California. Surveys won't begin until next year, but the letters confirm the seriousness of efforts to lay a controversial canal around the Delta. Sacramento Bee 7/25/08

 

Senator wants unified federal effort on quaggas mussel invasion of waterways including two Inland lakes -- Federal agencies should take a stronger role in the fight against a species of mussel that has invaded Western waterways, including two Inland lakes, and develop a plan to eradicate the pest, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said. PE 7/25/08

 

 

 

Transportation Daily News July 25

Shipping and water:

 

*California adopts stiff pollution rules for ships -- California regulators adopted the world's toughest pollution rules for oceangoing vessels Thursday, vowing to improve the health of coastal residents and opening a new front in a long battle with the international shipping industry. The rules, which take effect in 2009, would require ships within 24 nautical miles of California to burn low-sulfur diesel instead of the tar-like sludge known as bunker fuel. About 2,000 vessels would be affected, including container ships, oil tankers and cruise ships. LA Times 7/25/08

 

Ships docking in state must use cleaner fuel -- California air regulators on Thursday approved the nation's toughest rules to reduce harmful emissions from ocean-going ships using the state's ports. The regulations require domestic and foreign cargo ships, tankers and cruise vessels sailing in and out of California ports to use cleaner fuel to power their engines and boilers. SJ Mercury 7/25/08

 

Agencies practice oil spill skills -- Trainees from two dozen federal, state and local agencies converged at the mouth of Bolinas Lagoon on Thursday to test oil spill skills as they prepared for the next disaster.  The emergency response drill coordinated by the Marin County Parks and Open Space Department capped several days of classroom training aimed at preparing participants for an oil spill. SJ Mercury 7/25/08

 

Emissions:

 

*Air board OKs toughest limits on ship exhausts -- The shipping association wants to wait for the matter to come before the International Maritime Organization, the body that regulates international shipping, said T.L. Garrett, the association's vice president. SF Chronicle 7/25/08

 

Boxer: Public needs to see EPA findings on threat of greenhouse gases -- The head of the Environmental Protection Agency told the White House in December that high levels of manmade heat-trapping gases are causing global warming and endanger the American people, Sen. Barbara Boxer said Thursday after she reviewed the EPA finding, which has not been made public. Boxer said the key excerpt was: "In sum, the administrator is proposing to find that elevated levels of greenhouse gas concentrations may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public welfare." Sacramento Bee 7/25/08

 

Transit and infrastructure:

 

*BART to begin modernizing of stations -- BART plans this year to begin a $400 million modernization of its stations over 10 years to make them more attractive and reliable. Crews will install new lighting, windows, walls, trash can enclosures, furniture and entrance signs in an effort to make the stations more appealing than their cold, warehouselike architectural style, BART managers told the transit board Thursday. CC Times 7/25/08

 

How Healthy Are Truckers? -- Members of the House of Representatives discussed the health of the nation's commercial truck drivers on Thursday. The congressional hearing comes after a government investigation identified several truckers who suffer from conditions that should have disqualified them from working on the road. How healthy do you have to be if you want to become a truck driver? Slate 7/24/08

 

Air travel:

 

JetBlue to halt Sacramento-to-New York flight in January -- etBlue will cancel its service from Sacramento to New York starting Jan. 5 until May, JetBlue CEO Dave Barger has announced. Debuting in 2004, it was the first carrier to fly nonstop from Sacramento to New York in airport history. The route would not be profitable for the company during the winter off-season because of gas prices. Sacramento Bee 7/25/08

 

*It saves to fly out of San Francisco -- While domestic airfares rose 4.4 percent nationwide over the past year, passengers flying out of San Francisco International Airport actually saved money, according to data released by the U.S. Department of Transportation this week. Fares out of SFO dropped 6.2 percent from the first quarter of 2007 to the first quarter of this year, bringing the average domestic airfare ticket from $422 to $396. The numbers are based on a combination of round-trip and one-way tickets. Unusually high fees and trips taken with frequent flyer miles were excluded. Examiner 7/25/08

 

Agriculture Daily News July 24

Water:

 

Rally demands state face up to water crisis -- Wednesday's rally was designed to give a human face to the state's water woes. At least 300 farmworkers, most from the Valley's parched west side, marched and carried homemade signs declaring "agua es vida," or water is life, and "agua = trabajo," water equals work. Sacramento Bee 7/24/08

 

Park Service skewed data on oyster farm -- National Park Service officials overstated scientific data and deleted a key e-mail in a bitter dispute over an oyster farm's ecological impact on Drakes Bay in Marin County, according to a federal investigation. However, the report issued Wednesday by the U.S. Department of the Interior's inspector general found no evidence Park Service officials aimed to shut the Drakes Bay Oyster Co. before 2012 - when the company's permission to operate within Point Reyes National Seashore expires. SF Chronicle 7/24/08

 

UPDATE: Park Service cleared in probe of oyster farm fight -- A federal investigation found no evidence that National Park Service officials tried to prematurely close an oyster company engaged in a dispute with the agency over its ecological impact. SF Chronicle 7/24/08

 

*Attorneys: Projects don't threaten fish -- Attorneys representing state and federal water projects said Wednesday they could prove the massive system of pumps, dams and canals isn't harming three threatened fish species. U.S. District Judge Oliver W. Wanger gave them until Aug. 29 to submit reports showing that's true. Wednesday's action was the latest in a long-running fight between environmental groups and the state and federal governments over the projects' effect on winter-run chinook salmon, spring-run chinook salmon and Central Valley steelhead, all of which are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Sacramento Bee 7/24/08

 

*Carbon dioxide project could help the Delta -- Government scientists and researchers at UC Davis will test a novel way to capture a gas associated with global warming before it gets into the air, and possibly help shore up levees in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The California Department of Water Resources on Wednesday said it has awarded $12.3 million to a project that aims to discover whether carbon dioxide can be stored in marsh plants and soils while also restoring Delta islands and, in the process, protecting levees. Sacramento Bee 7/24/08

 

Labor and immigration:

 

Worker's death costs Merced Farm Labor $263K; biggest farming fine ever -- The company that hired a pregnant teen who died of heat stroke this spring after working in a San Joaquin County vineyard was hit Wednesday with the highest fine ever issued to a California farming operation. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health fined Atwater-based Merced Farm Labor $262,700 on Wednesday afternoon for violating eight workplace safety requirements. Modesto Bee 7/24/08

 

Health:

 

*Budget impasse threatens Medi-Cal clinic funding -- California lawmakers' inability to pass a budget on time is threatening the cash flow of health clinics that are funded by Medi-Cal and serve some of the state's poorest residents. Most clinics funded by Medi-Cal, a health care program for the poor, bill for reimbursement and get a weekly check. When the fiscal year began July 1 without a state budget, an emergency fund of $2 billion kicked in. That amount included $1 billion in matching federal money. SJ Mercury 7/24/08

 

Transportation Daily News July 24

Emissions:

 

*California joins big carbon-trade partnership -- California, six other Western states and four Canadian provinces launched plans on Wednesday for one of the world's largest carbon-trading systems, a sweeping effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. The North American program, like a similar market-based system in Europe, focuses on heavy polluters such as electric utilities, oil refineries and large industrial and commercial facilities. SF Chronicle 7/24/08

 

Carbon market takes shape -- California officials are counting on that market magic to shrink the state's carbon footprint by 35 million metric tons by 2020. That's a fifth of the total reductions mandated under Assembly Bill 32, the omnibus global-warming law passed in 2006. Sacramento Bee 7/24/08

 

*Judge: EPA must regulate ship water discharge -- An appeals court Wednesday upheld a ruling ordering the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate the water discharged from ships as a way to protect local ecosystems from invasive species. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it agreed with the federal judge who in 2005 ruled that the EPA exceeded its authority in exempting certain ship discharges from the pollution control requirements of the 1972 Clean Water Act.  A handful of environmental groups and states sued the EPA to require it to regulate ballast water because of concerns that invasive aquatic species such as mollusks were being pumped into local waters. AP 7/24/08

 

EPA urged to control mercury from cement kilns -- Environmental groups Wednesday called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to enforce a law that would control the thousands of pounds of toxic mercury discharged into the atmosphere every year by cement kilns in the United States. Two of the nation's worst mercury-emitting cement kilns are in Northern California - in Cupertino and Davenport, north of Santa Cruz. They dump hundreds of pounds of the poison into the air each year and help make the Bay Area's mercury emissions the highest of any region in California. SF Chronicle 7/24/08

 

Transit and infrastructure:

 

*Bay Area officials approve toll-lane network -- Solo drivers would be able to a pay a toll for the privilege of using carpool lanes to speed their commutes on a dozen highways from the South Bay to Sonoma and east under a plan approved Wednesday by Bay Area transportation officials. The system would be phased in over nearly two decades, starting in late 2010 or early 2011. SF Chronicle 7/24/08

 

Fight brews over plan to shut Market Street -- With record gasoline prices, increasing bicycle traffic, growing concern about climate change and Mayor Gavin Newsom's recent efforts to close a 6-mile stretch of road along the city's waterfront on two upcoming Sundays, Supervisor Chris Daly said there's never been a better time to push a car ban on Market Street from Hayes Valley to the Embarcadero. SF Chronicle 7/24/08

 

*MTC approves outlook plan for Bay Area -- Despite pleas that some projects be replaced with more transit-friendly alternatives, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission approved its $223 billion, 25-year Bay Area transportation plan Wednesday. About 85 percent of the budget was committed to ongoing projects, MTC spokesman John Goodwin said. Nearly $6.1 billion went toward establishing 800 miles of carpool and high-occupancy toll lanes. Examiner 7/24/08

 

Shipping and ports:

*Federal prosecutors charge shipping company in Bay oil spill -- Federal prosecutors charged the shipping company that employed the crew of the Cosco Busan with falsifying documents to cover up its negligence in the November spill that poured more than 50,000 gallons of heavy fuel into the Bay. The indictment says the ship's crew and its supervisors made up detailed voyage plans after the spill to make it appear those plans were onboard when the cargo ship struck the Bay Bridge. SJ Mercury 7/24/08

 

Bay Area Coast Guards return home on new ship -- The first new Coast Guard ship in almost four decades reached home Wednesday, reuniting its crew with family and friends they hadn't seen in six months. The Bertholf, a 420-foot ship and the first of its class in the Coast Guard, is a multi-mission ship designed for law enforcement, search-and-rescue missions and working military operations with the Navy, said Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Dave Oney. Crew members spent the past six months training on the ship in Pascagoula, Miss., and arrived home Wednesday after a goodwill tour. SJ Mercury 7/24/08