Eagle Lake in the Sierra Nevada's Desolation Wilderness west of Lake Tahoe. (Photo: William Cushman, via Shutterstock) OPINION: While it is no surprise where the Trump administration’s priorities lie when it comes to our public lands during this shutdown, the brazenness of their disregard for our protected public lands in favor of special interests should make it crystal clear what matters to them most.
A photo illustration of a lead-acid battery. (Image: Marynchenko Oleksandr, via Shutterstock)The government nearly always takes the straightforward approach to problematic chemical substances by simply restricting or banning their use. This approach fails to control the replacement(s), so we all too often end up with regrettable substitutions – the use of other chemical substances that perform no better than the substances they replaced in terms of environmental and human health toxicity.
The San Ardo oil field, Monterey. Photo: Loco Steve, WikimediaFracking is taking place in urban and rural communities throughout the state, and continues to be a regular practice in California’s ocean waters. Concerned about potential impacts, Congresswoman Lois Capps has called for a moratorium on fracking in federal waters until more is understood about the risks of the practice.