Justices seem uncertain about reach of Clean Water Act [Associated Press]
The Supreme Court seems uncertain about how to decide a closely watched case from Hawaii about the reach of landmark federal clean-water protections….Several justices appeared to be searching for a compromise between environmental groups on one side, and the Trump administration and the local Hawaii government on the other….The question in this case is whether a permit is needed when the pollutant first passes through the soil or groundwater….The justices seemed concerned that a ruling for Maui would provide what Justice Stephen Breyer called a “road map” for polluters to evade federal permit requirements.
https://apnews.com/4368ad8809944cfca36bf86b74a92e77
NASA flew gas detectors above California, found ‘super emitters’ [Bloomberg]
Over the course of three years, NASA flew a plane carrying gas-imaging equipment above California and made a discovery that surprised even the state’s own environmental agencies: A handful of operations are responsible for the vast majority of methane emissions. In a report published in Nature on Wednesday, scientists estimated that 10% of the places releasing methane — including landfills, natural gas facilities and dairy farms — are responsible for more than half of the state’s total emissions….The report doesn’t identify these “super emitters,” but notes that landfills give off more methane than any other source in the state. NASA’s equipment found that a subset of these landfills were the largest emitters in California and exhibited “persistent anomalous activity.”
‘Our children’s lives are worth more than pretty lawns’: Lindsay parents call for non-toxic weedkillers at schools [Visalia Times-Delta]
Dozens of parents and Tulare County farmworkers flooded the rural Lindsay Unified boardroom this week to urge the district to use non-toxic weedkillers on school grounds. “Our daughters’ health is worth more than these pretty little lawns,” Lindsay parent Lupita Gonzales said during a press conference held on the steps of the district office….As a farmworker, Gonzales said she’s wary of bringing pesticides and other harsh ag chemicals into her home. She leaves her work clothes at the door before entering her home each day….The district has suspended the use of glyphosate while it searches for an acceptable alternative, school officials said.
Truckers protest California gig-work law that could make them employees [San Francisco Chronicle]
With the blare of truck horns punctuating their chants, dozens of truck owner-operators gathered outside government office buildings in Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, Fremont, Salinas and other cities this week to protest California’s new gig-work law, which could make them employees rather than independent contractors. The truck drivers waved signs such as “No on AB5,” referring to legislation set to take effect Jan. 1 that creates steeper hurdles for classifying someone as an independent contractor….Ironically, the drivers’ anti-AB5 protest overlapped with a San Francisco protest Wednesday by Uber and Lyft drivers who want the companies to make them employees. Singh said he feels the two driving professions are distinctive.
In a sign of a changing economy, an iconic Half Moon Bay flower company closes its doors [Bay Area News Group]
Each morning, just after the sun lights up the shores of Half Moon Bay, Rosa Manrriquez steps out her door, walks past the neatly manicured flowers lining her walkway, and drives to the Bay City Flower Company, a place she has called a second home since 1979, when she began working there….On November 10, the family-owned flower operation will close its doors for good, marking the end of an era for a company, started 110 years ago by a Japanese immigrant, that survived the Great Depression and the family’s internment during World War 2, and grew into one of the largest employers in Half Moon Bay.
One thing you can do: Know your organic food [New York Times]
Demand is booming for organic food….That sounds like good news for the environment, but is it really?…In the United States, farming accounts for about 9 percent of emissions. About half of those come from the soil. That’s largely because fertilizers, once applied to farmland, generate emissions of nitrous oxide, the third-most-abundant greenhouse gas. Some organic farming practices, like crop rotation and the use of cover crops, additional plants that can help control erosion and pests, help keep nitrous oxide emissions in check….Other practices, though, like tilling the soil to get rid of weeds (instead of spraying chemicals), have the opposite effect.
