(Feb 9, 2021) Oakland, CA—Oil infrastructure at Chevron's Richmond refinery failed today, causing oil to spill into the Bay. Chevron's initial measures to control the spill were inadequate, and oil quickly breached Chevron's containment boom. The Contra Costa Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office Community Warning System issued a public health advisory. The size of the spill is yet unknown.
In...
(Feb 2, 2021) Oakland—By law, the state is required to develop a scientifically solid plan to ensure that enough fresh water flows into San Francisco Bay to keep the water clean and to support thriving fisheries that depend on a healthy Bay ecosystem. However, Governor Gavin Newsom's administration is attempting to circumvent this requirement. At the expense of Bay health, the administration is...
(Jan 8, 2021) OAKLAND (Jan. 8, 2021) – Environmental justice and conservation groups filed an amicus brief today, calling on the California Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC) to regulate metal shredding facilities throughout the state.
Filed by Communities for a Better Environment (CBE), Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment (CRPE), San Francisco Baykeeper, and NRDC (Natural...
(Jan 5, 2021) Bacterial Pollution From Sewage Is Actionable Under Clean Water Act—In Case You Missed It
Oakland, CA—San Francisco Baykeeper, in February 2020, filed legal actions under the Clean Water Act against the cities of Sunnyvale and Mountain View. The cities both have antiquated and failing sewage and stormwater control systems, over a century old in some locations, which are spreading...
(Nov 28, 2020)
Cancellation is a Win for the Bay’s Health, for local Drinking Water, and will Save Taxpayers Millions of Dollars
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which operates as part of the Department of Defense, announced via public notice that it’s withdrawing plans to dredge the shipping channel connecting San Francisco Bay to Stockton deeper. The scheme was a favor to the Bay Area’s...
(Nov 20, 2020) Oakland, California—Just weeks after Contra Costa County’s Board of Supervisors declared a climate emergency in their county, a diverse group of environmental and public health advocates sent a letter to the Board calling for a planned and equitable transition away from fossil fuels to a clean energy economy, in what many are calling a “just transition” that supports refinery...
(Oct 16, 2020) Oakland, CA — Baykeeper and the US Coast Guard reached an agreement today that requires the federal agency to make significant changes to reduce heavy metals and other pollutants from its Yerba Buena Island facility in San Francisco Bay. The agreement also requires the Coast Guard to put a civilian environmental specialist in place to oversee environmental compliance at the...
(Oct 14, 2020)
Oakland, CA — Today, Donald Trump signed an executive order to form a "subcabinet" office of water policy, with a mandate of meeting the water demands of industrial agriculture and fracking. An executive order from Trump put Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler in charge of the interagency body. Bernhardt is a former...
(Oct 6, 2020) Redwood City’s Salt Ponds are Protected by the Clean Water Act The historic salt ponds in Redwood City, owned by an affiliate of Cargill, Inc., are indeed waters of the United States and are protected by the Clean Water Act, according to a ruling by a federal court in San Francisco.
The court ruled that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency “misapplied the law” in deciding that...
(Oct 5, 2020)
Federal Judge Rules that Trump's EPA Cannot Declare South Bay Salt Ponds to be Land
Judge William Alsup of the US Northern District of California Court ruled today on the case Baykeeper vs EPA that Trump's EPA misapplied the Clean Water Act when it determined that the South Bay salt ponds, owned by Cargill, are in fact land. The ruling vacated the EPA's determination, and...