113 posts tagged “grist”
For the first time ever, the Pacific Fisheries Management Council has voted to cancel the salmon fishing season off the coast of California and much of Oregon due to exceedingly low populations of chinook salmon in the Sacramento River area. The restrictions apply to commercial as well as recreational fishers; only a catch of 9,000 hatchery-raised coho salmon will be allowed this season by sport fishers off central Oregon. However, since the imperiled salmon that make up the Sacramento River run rarely venture as far north as Washington, restrictions there were not as harsh. The council voted to allow a combined commercial, sport, and tribal catch of 45,000 coho salmon and 77,500 chinook salmon this year off the Washington coast. But overall, the outlook is still quite bleak. "Collectively, from Canada to Mexico, this will be the worst ever season off the West Coast," said Don McIssac of the PFMC. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency and requested federal financial assistance for the state's fishing industry.
sources:
The Seattle Times
San Francisco Chronicle
Los Angeles Times
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
from Grist:
Fresh-food guru Alice Waters is retiring from the restaurant biz, with plans to sell her famed Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley to none other than ... Martha Stewart. "It's been a good run for me, and I'm excited about the restaurant's future," says Waters, who turns 65 years old this month. "Having the oomph of the Martha Stewart brand behind local and seasonal food will be thrilling." Um, yes. Thrilling. Stewart, whose media company recently acquired the rights to TV chef Emeril Lagasse's franchise, assured through a spokesperson that while "[w]e are considering changing the restaurant's name to Chez Martha ... the dining experience will remain much the same." Waters plans to focus her now free-er time on her Edible Schoolyard project at a Berkeley elementary school.
from Grist:
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced it's considering whether to list four species of Arctic seals under the Endangered Species Act due in part to climate change. The Center for Biological Diversity, a species-advocacy group, petitioned the agency last year to consider protecting ribbon seals due to disappearing sea ice and other concerns. NOAA agreed Wednesday to review ribbon seals' status as well as that of bearded, ringed, and spotted seals. "While the four species of ice seals in Alaska all utilize various types of sea ice habitats, they use the ice in different ways," said Doug Mecum of NOAA. "Therefore, careful status reviews of each species is warranted." The agency said it will finish review of ribbon seals by the end of the year. CBD was pleasantly surprised the agency agreed to evaluate the seals, but it maintained a realistic perspective on listing. "Any Arctic scientist paying attention knows it's not just the polar bear, it's not just the ribbon seal, it's the entire ecosystem and all of the species are in trouble," said CBD's Brendan Cummings.
sources:
The Washington Post
San Francisco Chronicle
Associated Press
from Grist:
On Thursday, the California Air Resources Board will vote on whether to require fewer zero-emissions vehicles on the state's roads in coming years. As it stands now, automakers must sell 25,000 zero-emission vehicles by 2014 and an additional 50,000 by 2017. Under the proposed changes, the numbers would drop to 2,500 by 2014 and 25,000 by 2017, with the difference made up by selling plug-in hybrids or vehicles with hydrogen-powered internal combustion engines. Proponents of the change, including some automakers, say that it's a more realistic requirement since it focuses on closer-to-market technologies. However, the Union of Concerned Scientists and others say that while more plug-in hybrids would be welcome in the state, California's current requirement for ZEVs is an important driver of technology. "California should open the door wide for plug-in hybrids," said UCS' Spencer Quong. "But if the ZEV program is going to get the job done, it still needs to pave the way for millions of battery electric and fuel cell vehicles on the road."
sources:
San Francisco Chronicle
Dow Jones
from Grist:
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom got jiggy with eco-measures this week. He signed into a law a requirement that the city's taxi fleet be converted to low-emission vehicles by 2011; ordered all city departments to purchase 100 percent recycled paper and reduce overall paper use by 20 percent by 2010; and announced his support for a tidal-energy project in the San Francisco Bay, despite a recent study's conclusions that the project would be more expensive than it's worth. Newsom has proposed strict green-building standards for his city and will submit a carbon tax to voters; folks in don't-call-it-Frisco also live happily without plastic bags or toys containing bisphenol A and phthalates.
sources:
San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
from Grist:
A federal appeals court on Friday upheld many restrictions on the Navy's use of mid-frequency sonar off the coast of Southern California, reinforcing a lower court ruling from last month. President Bush had tried to exempt the Navy from the relevant environmental laws in January, but the appeals court agreed with an earlier ruling that questioned the constitutionality of Bush's attempted exemption, finding that there was no unforeseen "emergency" that would warrant it. Despite the slapdown, the appeals court granted the Navy a 30-day reprieve from some of the more restrictive requirements, such as shutting off the sonar when marine mammals come within 2,200 yards, if the sonar is being used "at a critical point in the exercise." The reprieve also allows the Navy time to appeal to the Supreme Court.
sources:
Los Angeles Times
San Francisco Chronicle
Associated Press
Propaganda soft-pedals sonar impacts on marine mammals
from Grist:
Ralph Nader has chosen former San Francisco City Supervisor Matt Gonzalez as a running mate for his 2008 presidential bid. Gonzalez was elected as a San Francisco supervisor in 2000 -- the first Green Party candidate to hold the job. In 2003, Gonzalez narrowly lost a bid for San Francisco mayor to Gavin Newsom, the current SF mayor. Gonzalez, at 42-years-old, provides a relatively youthful infusion to the Nader ticket; Nader turned 74 this week. "I have no illusions," Gonzalez said at a press conference. "I've never entered a contest without some sense the contest can be won."
sources:
San Francisco Chronicle
Boston Globe
Associated Press
Gonzalez's mayoral election environmental platform
from Grist:
A federal appeals court on Wednesday struck down a California rule aimed at reducing smog-causing emissions from ships in the Los Angeles area. The state had argued that it had the authority to implement the rule without seeking permission from the U.S. EPA since it was simply regulating the fuel used in older, more-polluting auxiliary diesel engines that provide onboard electricity and wasn't dictating emissions requirements. The appeals court disagreed, ruling that California must seek a waiver from the EPA in order to implement the rule. A similar waiver for a state law reducing greenhouse-gas emissions from cars and trucks was recently denied.
from Grist:
The California Department of Food and Agriculture has authorized nighttime aerial pesticide spraying on the San Francisco Bay Area this summer in an attempt to eradicate a potentially crop-destroying moth. Similar spraying was done in two other counties this past fall, after which more than 600 residents complained of respiratory problems. Application of the pesticide, called CheckMate, was only authorized for agricultural areas until the U.S. Department of Agriculture received an "emergency exemption" from the U.S. EPA for its use in urban California. The Bay spray would begin June 1 and could continue for up to five years. Residents are organizing to stop it.
source:
San Francisco Chronicle
from Grist:
Four tech companies have partnered with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development to introduce the Eco-Patent Commons, which will offer the rights to eco-friendly technologies for free. IBM, Sony, Nokia, and Pitney Bowes have together donated 31 patents to the public domain, including one for a shock-absorbing cardboard tray that would replace the need for Styrofoam peanuts, and another patent for a way to recycle cell phones into new devices. "Innovation to address environmental issues will require both the application of technology as well as new models for sharing intellectual property among companies in different industries," says IBM Senior Vice President John E. Kelly III. "IBM is excited to bring its patent resources to bear in service of the environment. We strongly urge other companies to contribute to the Eco-Patent Commons." Perhaps we'll donate our patented pun-maker.
