[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Paulina Borsook

The spirit of Clausewitz ("war is a continuation of politics with other means") has been ever-present since the Bush Administration declared war against blue state-California in 2007.

How has this war been faring, the one where the combined powers of the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) and the CDFA (California Department of Food and Agriculture) intend to engage in the fury of aerial bombardment and the terror of ground assault on people, economy, and environment of the San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas? A war which may extend to the entire state?

This is the extermination campaign against the LBAM (Light Brown Apple Moth), a total war the USDA says it will carry on regardless the will of the people, scientific testimony, state rulings, or anything else having anything to do with rational courses of action. All this against a bug that poses a threat only in the realm of ideas and not in the realm of actual harms. Sounds vaguely familiar, doesn't it, like a few other wars (in Iraq; on some drugs) carried out by the Bush Administration?

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By John Russo
Farmer and Beekeeper
Carmel Valley

On May 13th in Monterey County, a new independent lawsuit challenged the state of emergency imposed by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) for the Light-brown Apple Moth (LBAM) eradication program. It legally declared that conditions of an emergency had not been met. It further requires an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) prior to resuming the program in Monterey County. This lawsuit follows on the heels of a similar suit in Santa Cruz County and is a second blow to the CDFA’s poorly-planned and poorly-executed program.

This is a major victory for all of us concerned about the program. Buoyed by the success of the legal process, StopTheSpray.org announces our legislative strategy to permanently halt the CDFA use of pesticides over human populations to eradicate (LBAM).

The Light-brown Apple Moth (LBAM) was officially discovered in California in 2007 although it may have been in residence in the state for up to 30 years. The CDFA declared an administrative emergency, established quarantine zones and launched a multi-million dollar eradication program. The eradication program, which includes residential and urban areas, is at least in part motivated by international trade issues.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By John A. Russo

In California, something as innocuous as trimming a tree or putting a new façade on a commercial building can trigger a state Environmental Quality Act review.

But state officials are poised to launch a fleet of airplanes to blanket Oakland and the Bay Area with pest-control chemicals - and they want to do it before completing a California Environmental Quality Act review. In other words: spray first and ask questions later.

This is not only ridiculous on its face, it is an unnecessarily risk to public health.

Despite growing opposition from cities, legislators and the public, the state seems determined to spray a new pesticide called CheckMate to get rid of the light brown apple moth, a species that farmers consider a threat to crops.

The state says it will conduct an environmental impact report, but only after planes have rained tons of the spray on our homes, schools, businesses and reservoirs. Meanwhile, the Department of Food and Agriculture is silent on some of the most basic questions surrounding the plan. The Department can't tell us how much of the chemical it will take to rid the state of apple moths, or how many years the state will continue to spray.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Frank D. Russo

Every year the California Legislature hears new legislation related to the California Environmental Quality Act or CEQA. This law allows public agencies to make informed decisions about the health and environmental impacts of proposed new projects. CEQA requires public agencies to review the environmental impacts of proposed projects, and if there are significant impacts, to prepare an environmental impact report (EIR), which considers feasible alternatives and mitigation measures that would reduce adverse environmental effects. The law also gives local citizens a chance to participate in the process.

Most bills introduced in the legislature seek to streamline the CEQA process or carve out special exemptions for various types of projects. Last year, for example Senate Republicans held the state budget up trying to tie the hands of the Attorney General in enforcing this basic environmental law. This year however, SB 1165 by Senator Sheila Kuehl, seeks to strengthen the statute and actually enhance public participation

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Debra Anderson, Brian Stranko, and Brian J. Johnson
Protect Our Waters

Nestle has made some important concessions in recent days regarding its proposed massive water bottling plant in McCloud, CA, indicating that the company is willing to complete more rigorous environmental review than previously promised before building a massive water bottling facility in McCloud. But, like all large-scale projects, the devil is in the details. We are encouraged that Nestle has asked Siskiyou County to recirculate its Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to include more scientific study and cap the type and amount of water it would extract. Still, we are eager to see the specifics of what will be studied, and how the science will be conducted in the new EIR.

The proposed plant will have undetermined impacts to Squaw Valley Creek and the McCloud River. These spring-fed rivers and streams draw visitors from all over the world to fish their pristine waters for the famous Shasta rainbow trout, and to view the spectacular McCloud River Falls. These resources are an integral part of the region’s current and future economic potential.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

California Water Plan Amendments Released

By Gary A. Patton
Executive Director
Planning and Conservation League

Despite the recent crisis in the Delta and the Governor's push for new dams, last week the Department of Water Resources (DWR) proposed to give away the largest water storage facility in the state and to eliminate drought safeguards for urban areas in California.

by Assemblymember_Levine [courtesy of Calitics: Soapblox California - Front Page]

I celebrate today's decision with all the citizens whose lives would have been adversely impacted by the BHP Billiton project.  An environmental impact report associated with the project identified more than a dozen harmful effects on marine life, air quality and the coastal environment, and we already knew this project was not in compliance with our Clean Air Act. These factors, combined with the great efforts of many concerned Californians, helped to sink this proposal. It was the wrong project at the wrong time for California.

Four years ago, our energy situation in California was in a much different place. However, after several productive years of passing legislation focusing not only on energy efficiency standards, but also on green, clean, and renewable energy sources, there is no need to lessen our state's commitment to a clean environment by approving the BHP Billiton terminal.