The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is pursuing enforcement against California metal finishing companies for violations of federal hazardous waste laws discovered during inspections conducted in Los Angeles, Rosemead, Sun Valley, Compton, Van Nuys, South El Monte and Santa Clara during the current fiscal year. Nine companies paid fines ranging from $2,000 to $48,500 and have returned to compliance with federal law, EPA officials said.
Tags: · Compton, Environmental Protection Agency, hazardous wastes, Los Angeles, Rosemead, Santa Clara, South El Monte, Sun Valley, Van Nuys
From Green Right Now Reports
The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service says it will add to California’s air quality resources. With the grant, California has received a total of $20.9 million from NRCS to help farmers and ranchers reduce air quality emissions from off-road mobile or stationary agricultural sources.
The primary goal of this new portion of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program is to help farmers and ranchers attain the standards set by the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Producers in the 36 California counties that are currently not in compliance with one or more of these standards are eligible for the program.
“These funds should help California producers comply with local and state regulations,” Dave White, chief of the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, said in a statement. “We believe agriculture can be on the leading edge of setting a cleaner, greener example for protecting the air we all breathe. We’re doing what we can to help in that pursuit — technically and financially.”
White was named chief of NRCS in March. With approximately 12,000 employees and an annual budget in excess of $3 billion, NRCS is the nation’s leading agency in conserving natural resources on private lands.
Tags: · Alameda, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Contra Costa, Dave White, El Dorado, Fresno, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Merced, Mono, Napa, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Nevada, Orange, Placer, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tulare, Tuolumne, Ventura, Yolo
By Richard Hart
KGO
SANTA CLARA, CA — You have probably considered a hybrid car. Why not a hybrid bicycle or scooter? The market for electric two-wheel transportation is growing faster than the one for cars and trucks.
“The thing that’s really changed electric bikes and scooters is the battery technology,” says Doug Schwartz, “the fact that you can now get a lithium-ion battery that’s small, it’s lightweight.”
Tags: · e-cycling, electric bikes, ELV Motors, kgo, San Francisco, Santa Clara
By Barbara Kessler Rainwater: It comes to us clean, “green” and free; literally a gift from heaven. The fountain of life. And yet, we haven’t done a great job of conserving it. We Westerners, in particular, let billions of gallons of rainwater wash away, sliding off our concrete surfaces and roofs into storm sewers with [...]
Tags: · American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association, Beth Mortenson, Capturing rainwater, Catch the Rain, gardening, Plano Green Expo, Rainwater catchment, Santa Clara, Texas
Barbara Kessler
Andrew Winston
Danielle Nierenberg
Anthony Swift