A revised version of the EAAC Economic Impacts Subcommittee Report on ARB’s Updated AB32 Scoping Plan Economic Analysis is now available.
A public meeting to update the Board on AB32 Economic Analyses will be held on April 21, 2010 as a continuation of the March Board Meeting Agenda Item 10-3-6.
Date: Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Time: 1:00-5:30 pm
Location:
Sierra Hearing Room, 2nd Floor, CalEPA Building
1001 I Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
ARB staff, experts and stakeholders will discuss several economic analyses relating to AB32. This Board agenda item will include an overview of recent economic studies of the implementation of the AB32 Scoping Plan and an opportunity for public comment. The agenda for the Board meeting can be found here.
Click here for further information on the EAAC.
Click here for additional information on ARB’s Updated AB32 Scoping Plan Economic Analysis.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
The Green Chamber Sponsors An Evening with Bill McKibben
The Green Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring an evening with author Bill McKibben on Thursday, April 22, 2010.
Twenty years ago, with The End of Nature, Bill McKibben offered one of the earliest warnings about global warming. Those warnings went mostly unheeded; now, he insists, we need to acknowledge that we've waited too long, and that massive change is not only unavoidable but already under way. Our old familiar globe is suddenly melting, drying, acidifying, flooding, and burning in ways that no human has ever seen. We've created, in very short order, a new planet, still recognizable but fundamentally different.
Bill McKibben is the author of The End of Nature, Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age, and Deep Economy. A former staff writer for the New Yorker, he writes regularly for Harper's, the Atlantic, and the New York Review of Books, among other publications.
The event will be held at Dominican University of California, San Rafael. There is a special reception at 5:30 pm at Creekside. Doors to Angelico Hall open at 6:00 pm and the lecture begins at 7:00 pm. The lecture and book signing are free. There is no RSVP, and seating is limited.
Twenty years ago, with The End of Nature, Bill McKibben offered one of the earliest warnings about global warming. Those warnings went mostly unheeded; now, he insists, we need to acknowledge that we've waited too long, and that massive change is not only unavoidable but already under way. Our old familiar globe is suddenly melting, drying, acidifying, flooding, and burning in ways that no human has ever seen. We've created, in very short order, a new planet, still recognizable but fundamentally different.
Bill McKibben is the author of The End of Nature, Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age, and Deep Economy. A former staff writer for the New Yorker, he writes regularly for Harper's, the Atlantic, and the New York Review of Books, among other publications.
The event will be held at Dominican University of California, San Rafael. There is a special reception at 5:30 pm at Creekside. Doors to Angelico Hall open at 6:00 pm and the lecture begins at 7:00 pm. The lecture and book signing are free. There is no RSVP, and seating is limited.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Report on AB32's Health and Economic Benefits
Minding The Climate Gap: What's at Stake if California's Climate Law isn't Done Right and Right Away
Manuel Pastor, Rachel Morello-Frosch, James Sadd, and Justin Scoggins, April 2010
Minding the Climate Gap: What's at Stake if California's Climate Law isn't Done Right and Right Away details how incentivizing the reduction of greenhouse gases—which cause climate change—from facilities operating in the most polluted neighborhoods could generate major public health benefits. The study also details how revenues generated from charging polluters could be used to improve air quality and create jobs in the neighborhoods that suffer from the dirtiest air.
The report is published by PERE, the USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity.
Manuel Pastor, Rachel Morello-Frosch, James Sadd, and Justin Scoggins, April 2010
Minding the Climate Gap: What's at Stake if California's Climate Law isn't Done Right and Right Away details how incentivizing the reduction of greenhouse gases—which cause climate change—from facilities operating in the most polluted neighborhoods could generate major public health benefits. The study also details how revenues generated from charging polluters could be used to improve air quality and create jobs in the neighborhoods that suffer from the dirtiest air.
The report is published by PERE, the USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Environmental Economics
Paul Krugman has written an article for the New York Times Magazine on the economics of environmental protection and mitigating climate change.
An excerpt:
Visit the Sustainable Remediation Forum (SURF) Links page for links to additional information and reports on environmental economics, life-cycle assessment, sustainable and green remediation policy, and more.
An excerpt:
Like the debate over climate change itself, the debate over climate economics looks very different from the inside than it often does in popular media. The casual reader might have the impression that there are real doubts about whether emissions can be reduced without inflicting severe damage on the economy. In fact, once you filter out the noise generated by special-interest groups, you discover that there is widespread agreement among environmental economists that a market-based program to deal with the threat of climate change — one that limits carbon emissions by putting a price on them — can achieve large results at modest, though not trivial, cost. There is, however, much less agreement on how fast we should move, whether major conservation efforts should start almost immediately or be gradually increased over the course of many decades. Read the complete article here.
Visit the Sustainable Remediation Forum (SURF) Links page for links to additional information and reports on environmental economics, life-cycle assessment, sustainable and green remediation policy, and more.
Monday, April 12, 2010
OAKLAND Earth EXPO
Wednesday, April 14th, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Frank Ogawa Plaza, 14th & Broadway, in front of Oakland City Hall
Free lunchtime event bringing together local green businesses, environmental groups, artists, and agencies.
Sponsored by the City of Oakland Public Works Agency.
For a complete list of participating groups: www.oaklandearthexpo.com
EXPO Community Art Photo Event commemorating Earth Day 2010!
Assembly @ 11:30 (Plaza lawn), photo at NOON.
Oakland's Earth Day Timeline - Add your memories and hopes to this interactive exhibit charting environmental milestones and goals from 1970 to 2050!
Recycling opportunities:
Frank Ogawa Plaza, 14th & Broadway, in front of Oakland City Hall
Free lunchtime event bringing together local green businesses, environmental groups, artists, and agencies.
Sponsored by the City of Oakland Public Works Agency.
For a complete list of participating groups: www.oaklandearthexpo.com
EXPO Community Art Photo Event commemorating Earth Day 2010!
Assembly @ 11:30 (Plaza lawn), photo at NOON.
Oakland's Earth Day Timeline - Add your memories and hopes to this interactive exhibit charting environmental milestones and goals from 1970 to 2050!
Recycling opportunities:
- Mercury Thermometer Exchange at the EBMUD booth. Bring your old thermometer in a zipper bag to prevent spills.
- Recycle used household batteries at the Oakland Recycles booth next to the City Pavilion.
- Recycle old cell phones at either the Universal Waste Management table.
Business Leaders needed for the reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act
As a part of its efforts with the American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC), the Green Chamber of Commerce urges you to support the creation of legislation that fundamentally reforms the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
The main federal law that is supposed to ensure the safety of chemicals has not changed in 34 years. According to ASBC, more than 80,000 different chemicals have been produced and used in the US. The EPA has required testing on just 200 of these. Only 5 chemicals have been restricted.
Designing new chemicals to be inherently safer from the outset reduces the costs of regulation, hazardous waste storage and disposal, worker protection, and future liabilities.
Click here to learn more: The Business Case for Comprehensive TSCA Reform
For more information and to get more involved contact David Levine of the ASBC.
The main federal law that is supposed to ensure the safety of chemicals has not changed in 34 years. According to ASBC, more than 80,000 different chemicals have been produced and used in the US. The EPA has required testing on just 200 of these. Only 5 chemicals have been restricted.
Designing new chemicals to be inherently safer from the outset reduces the costs of regulation, hazardous waste storage and disposal, worker protection, and future liabilities.
Click here to learn more: The Business Case for Comprehensive TSCA Reform
For more information and to get more involved contact David Levine of the ASBC.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
EPA Moves to Revise Drinking Water Standards
The United Nations General Assembly designated March 22nd of each year as the World Day for Water, an initiative that grew out of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro.
Perhaps it was coincidental that yesterday the Environmental Protection Agency announced that it is taking steps to overhaul US drinking water regulations.
EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced to the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) that the agency is developing a broad new set of strategies to strengthen public health protection from contaminants in drinking water. Specifically, this shift in drinking water strategy is organized around four key principles:
There are ongoing efforts on 14 other drinking water standards, including potential revisions to the lead and copper rule, health risk assessments or information gathering for chromium, fluoride, arsenic, and atrazine, and ongoing consideration regarding the regulation of perchlorate.
Perhaps it was coincidental that yesterday the Environmental Protection Agency announced that it is taking steps to overhaul US drinking water regulations.
EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced to the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA) that the agency is developing a broad new set of strategies to strengthen public health protection from contaminants in drinking water. Specifically, this shift in drinking water strategy is organized around four key principles:
- Address contaminants as a group rather than one at a time so that enhancement of drinking water protection can be achieved cost-effectively.
- Foster development of new drinking water treatment technologies to address health risks posed by a broad array of contaminants.
- Use the authority of multiple statutes to help protect drinking water.
- Partner with states to share more complete data from monitoring at public water systems.
There are ongoing efforts on 14 other drinking water standards, including potential revisions to the lead and copper rule, health risk assessments or information gathering for chromium, fluoride, arsenic, and atrazine, and ongoing consideration regarding the regulation of perchlorate.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Oakland City Council to Discuss Climate Action Plan
The Oakland City Council is holding a public meeting on Oakland's Energy and Climate Action Plan on Tuesday, March 30, from 5:30-8:30 at City Hall.
Click here for an overview of the ECAP development process.
Click here for a council meeting schedule.
Click here for an overview of the ECAP development process.
Click here for a council meeting schedule.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Oakland Hills Canyon Saved for Open Space
Neighbors' work to save Butters Canyon pays off
Carolyn Jones, San Francisco Chronicle, March 5, 2010
Last week, a group of Oakland neighbors purchased the last of 13 parcels in Butters Canyon, capping a 9-year effort to preserve the 1/2-mile open space in perpetuity.
They did it entirely on their own, raising nearly $800,000 through yard sales, grants, loans and donations.
The Butters Canyon Conservancy, a nonprofit formed by a few dozen neighbors, will maintain the canyon and keep it accessible to bicyclists, hikers, dog-walkers and those just seeking relief from city life.
The effort started in 2001, when a developer planned to build a home in the secluded, steep canyon just south of Joaquin Miller Road. Afraid they'd lose their green oasis, which is also the headwaters of Peralta Creek, neighbors started raising money to usurp development plans.
Most of the funding came through Measure DD, a $200 million bond that Oakland voters passed in 2002. With help from city Councilwoman Jean Quan's office, the conservancy obtained more than $500,000 to purchase four of the properties. Three lots were donated, three were secured through conservation easements and remaining parcels already have homes on far corners.
Oakland has taken advantage of the slumping real estate market to save four other canyons, as well. The city has purchased Castle Canyon, 10 acres near Joaquin Miller Park, 5-acre Beaconsfield Canyon off Ascot Drive, and Dunsmuir Heights Canyon, 62 acres behind the Dunsmuir House.
Read the complete story here.
Carolyn Jones, San Francisco Chronicle, March 5, 2010
Last week, a group of Oakland neighbors purchased the last of 13 parcels in Butters Canyon, capping a 9-year effort to preserve the 1/2-mile open space in perpetuity.
They did it entirely on their own, raising nearly $800,000 through yard sales, grants, loans and donations.
The Butters Canyon Conservancy, a nonprofit formed by a few dozen neighbors, will maintain the canyon and keep it accessible to bicyclists, hikers, dog-walkers and those just seeking relief from city life.
The effort started in 2001, when a developer planned to build a home in the secluded, steep canyon just south of Joaquin Miller Road. Afraid they'd lose their green oasis, which is also the headwaters of Peralta Creek, neighbors started raising money to usurp development plans.
Most of the funding came through Measure DD, a $200 million bond that Oakland voters passed in 2002. With help from city Councilwoman Jean Quan's office, the conservancy obtained more than $500,000 to purchase four of the properties. Three lots were donated, three were secured through conservation easements and remaining parcels already have homes on far corners.
Oakland has taken advantage of the slumping real estate market to save four other canyons, as well. The city has purchased Castle Canyon, 10 acres near Joaquin Miller Park, 5-acre Beaconsfield Canyon off Ascot Drive, and Dunsmuir Heights Canyon, 62 acres behind the Dunsmuir House.
Read the complete story here.
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