Every year on Earth Day, I feel torn. I either despair about how much we need to do to maintain our planet's health, and then lament that public attention on just one day isn’t going to solve the crisis. Or I feel thankful for the wildflowers, Sierra snow packs, and the Bay's breathtaking beauty, and then lament that one day is hardly sufficient to celebrate.
Northern Californians are likely familiar with the legal battle to protect public access to Martin’s Beach on the San Mateo coast, where a billionaire landowner tried to close off this beloved stretch of public beach to expand his own private playground. Eric Buescher (pictured, below) was the lead attorney in the case, fighting for the public on behalf of Surfrider Foundation. After Eric and his team won, the courts upheld the victory all the way to the US Supreme Court. Now, Eric is the newest addition to Baykeeper’s legal team.
Oakland—The Superior Court of California, Alameda County, ruled yesterday that the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) must regulate toxic metal shredder waste from Schnitzer Steel as hazardous waste.
Benicia Fire Chief Josh Chadwick released a statement today on the preliminary findings of the investigation into the cause of the Benicia Port Fire.
Preliminary findings indicate that the origin of the fire was on or near the lower portion of the coke conveyor belt system near the base of the silos, and the fire appears to have been unintentional in nature.
Baykeeper executive director Sejal Choksi-Chugh issued the following response:
Benicia, CA—A four alarm fire broke out at the Port of Benicia Saturday, April 9. San Francisco Baykeeper, which is currently taking legal action against the port and the Valero refinery over Clean Water Act violations, was on site, documenting the incident with video captured by drone.
Governor Newsom's administration announced today a new timeline and a new price tag for divvying up the state’s water supplies among major water districts that provide for industrial agriculture in parts of the Central Valley. The state also submitted a required plan for managing Sacramento River temperatures this year, which is critical for the survival of Chinook salmon runs.
California lives in our collective imagination as the land of golden dreams and limitless opportunity. We think of sparkling beaches, rushing rivers and powdery mountains, gold nuggets lying on the ground for the taking, and a veritable Eden of farmland so fertile that its destiny must surely be to feed the rest of the world.
Fifty years ago, America’s waterways were choked with sewage and industrial runoff. Cities, corporations, and individuals treated bodies of water across the country, including San Francisco Bay, like dumps. Wastewater plants released raw sewage directly into the Bay and industrial facilities spewed toxic waste onto the shoreline and into the Bay, rivers, and creeks. Even recreational boaters were instructed to throw their trash into the water.
BENICIA—An environmental watchdog group sued the operator of the Port of Benicia and Valero this week, alleging continued pollution of petcoke into the Carquinez Strait manufactured at the Valero Benicia refinery and transported by rail to the port for export.
