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
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