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Scoop.it!
Mary Nichols, California Air Resources Board chair, fears the U.S. Supreme Court could take away the state's power to set its own emissions standards. 
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Scoop.it!
Mad hatters, gold, clocks — and a dangerous cumulative toxin.
PIRatE Lab's insight:
Mercury poisoning was once a huge problem across the industrializing world. We here in California had our fair share early on in the history of our state thanks to the gold mining fever that swept Alta California turned State of California and associated use of mercury to separate gold from sediments.
These days, we in the "developed" economies see the mercury mostly in the context of bioaccumulation in sediments and fatty tissues (mostly methylated mercury) of critters in the higher tiers of our marine food webs who have accumulated the industrial runoff of our modern society. Mercury (and other toxic metals and organic contaminants) remain a key challenge in much of the southern San Francisco Bay for example, an ever-present threat to migratory bird in our South Bay Salt Pond Restorations, for example. We rarely hear about the more traditional, direct exposure to mercury as so much of this exposure has been regulated out of existence. But we should not forget there are folks who still like to practice the old mercurial arts...
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WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency and BP announced Thursday an agreement that would allow the energy giant to bid once again on deep-water offshore drilling leases, reversing a government decision two years ago to bar the company from federal contracts following its massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
PIRatE Lab's insight:
There you go: "fair and reasonable."
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A controversial decision by the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) would set catch limits during the initial phase of the 2014 Pacific sardine season well below traditional recommendations.
The dramatic 7-6 vote by council members during their November 3, 2013 session in Costa Mesa, California sets the interim sardine quota lower than the specified harvest formula for the first time since the federal government took over management of the fishery 13 years ago.
PIRatE Lab's insight:
This appears to be a test of our ability to stave off a (traditional) total or near-total stock collapse.
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The Coast Guard has ordered Taylor Energy Company to contain and clean up the spill, which has leaked more than a million barrels of oil since 2004, or face fines of $40,000 per day. The order, issued Oct. 23, came one day after The Washington Post reported that the ongoing spill verged on becoming one of the worst offshore disasters in U.S. history.
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Minh Tran, who has a record of infractions and misdemeanor convictions for state Fish and Game Code violations, was sentenced to 10 days in jail, three years of probation and a $20,580 fine. A state Fish and Wildlife warden spotted the couple Feb. 14 as they arrived at Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay in their 18-foot Boston Whaler powerboat. The warden saw 20 crabs in an open ice chest but found 16 more in a canvas bag in the boat's anchor compartment, authorities said.
PIRatE Lab's insight:
Secret compartments, eh?
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Santa Barbara County is pushing forward with a controversial proposal for a ballot measure for a new oil production tax.
If approved, the dollar a barrel tax on would help the cash strapped county provide more funding for things like fire protection, libraries, parks, and deferred maintenance.
But, oil companies, some business leaders, and some members of the public are blasting the idea, saying it will cost jobs.
PIRatE Lab's insight:
This piece, the previous piece (Santa Barbara County Considering Putting Oil Production Tax Proposal To Voters) and the related pressure being brought to bear on oil producers in adjoining Ventura County (Ventura County Supervisors Approve Fracking Questionnaire For Oil, Gas Companies Seeking Drilling Permits) are a nice introduction to the increasingly contentious relationship between local/county governments here in California and our coastal oil production companies.
This stands in stark contrast to other boom regions of our country such as Louisiana and North Dakota.
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One of the big problems with fighting overfishing is that the quality of the data is often bad. A lot of fishing takes place off the books.
PIRatE Lab's insight:
Great use of publically available satellite images.
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