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Supplies will be cut or reduced to homes in many areas of the capital this weekend, making a scarce resource even scarcer. 'We are running out of water,' an official said.
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Statewide, the snow's water content is 61% of the average figure for this point in the season. Another La Niña may be developing, an expert says. Conservation is strongly urged. >>
GREENSPACE
Critics say condors and other endangered species would be at risk. >>
Big-leaved crownbeard endures despite controversial clearing and plans for homes. >>
Homeowners and businesses had a record 158 megawatts of photovoltaic panels put on despite the recession. >>
The president, meeting with corporate executives at the White House, says he wants to create 'an environment in which business can prosper.' >>
The former vice president presents new science to a Senate panel and pushes for an international climate pact by the end of this year in order to avert catastrophic global warming. >>
Freeway foes who fear cancer risk from the project question data used to support the plan as a regional benefit. >>
The department's new chief will review many of the energy and environmental decisions made in the waning days of the Bush administration. >>
Interior Department officials ignored key scientific findings when they limited water flows in the Grand Canyon to optimize generation of electric power there, risking damage to the ecology of the spectacular landmark, according to documents obtained by the Washington Post. >>
COLUMN ONE
Jimmie Rizzo traps coyotes throughout the Southland. The practice is controversial, with homeowners saying it protects their pets and animal advocates saying it's cruel and indiscriminate. >>
TRANSPORTATION
Funding for a $20,000 incentive for buyers of clean-fuel trucks has dried up. Some trucking firms have spent millions of dollars on greener fleets, expecting the cash. >>
Researchers say that even if nations can get carbon dioxide levels under control, it would take 1,000 years or longer for the climate changes already triggered to be reversed. >>
Among other actions, the president orders the EPA to reconsider California's request to impose its tougher standards for greenhouse gas emissions on carmakers. >>
The president will ask the EPA today to allow states to set their own, stricter rules for auto emissions, sources say. >>
Eco-industry jobs are expanding faster than other areas, according to a report by Next 10. >>
Cass Sunstein, selected to be Obama's regulatory czar, has labor activists and environmentalists digging into his record. >>
Naess coined the term 'deep ecology' to indicate that humans are no more important than other species, ecosystems or natural processes. >>
A tentative deal could open new areas to whale hunting but would require Japan to scale back its 'scientific' hunts. >>
Landfills receive less because people are buying less. Sometimes that's good news, but not always. >>
The bird, found last month exhausted and with a broken leg, was nursed back to health at a Calabasas center. Workers there decided to return the red-tail to familiar surroundings. >>
A cap-and-trade initiative would limit greenhouse gases and raise the cost of pumping more carbon into the atmosphere. Some fear it could also further hurt the economy. >>
Some National Park Service veterans say it may take decades for the agency to undo policies that tended to favor commercial interests and energy projects over conservation. >>
Environment-conscious crowds look at energy-efficient lightbulbs, biodegradable trash bags, cornstarch cups and electric cars. >>
The toxic metal used at thousands of remote mining sites travels through the atmosphere and contaminates fish worldwide. It harms not only local workers, but people around the globe. >>
New findings show that although temperatures have dropped slightly in the continent's east, they have risen enough in the west to result in an overall warming trend. >>
An environmental group asks the state Supreme Court to review PUC approval of the project. >>
The county had been paying a firm to operate a trash-gathering boom across the mouth of the Los Angeles River, but funding ran out. >>
A study of old-growth forests predicts that if the trend continues, it could alter not just the region's woodlands, but the quality of wildlife habitat and forests' ability to store carbon. >>
The new president stops plans to loosen a pair of controversial air quality regulations and to remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list. >>
In a boon for supporters of air quality management, new findings show that the more particulate air pollution is reduced, the more life expectancy increases. >>
The hottest and coldest days of the year come roughly two days sooner than they did 50 years ago, according to a study published in Nature. The change coincides with the rise in global temperatures. >>
Charlotte Russe is considering a sale of the company, Phillips-Van Heusen will close about 175 stores and eliminate 400 employees and Coach is lowering its prices 10% to 15%. >>
Commissions and nonprofits charged with conserving parks, wildlife, water and mountain areas of the state are at risk of laying off staff or closing since the state stopped funding last month. >>
Projects in peril>>Of the animal programs and services being hard hit, most notable is the Chula Vista Nature Center, which has been told the city can no longer afford its $1-million-a-year budget. >>
AUTOS
Barack Obama is expected to allow California and other states to enforce tough air quality rules soon after taking office. >>
Environmental groups win a temporary restraining order, potentially leaving the fate of the 110,000 federal acres to the Obama administration. >>
YOUR MONEY
With a few cheap and easy changes, you can save big on fuel costs. >>
A day earlier, a photo with Communist symbols was defaced and the building owners ordered the exhibit closed. The Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Assn. commissioned the show. >>
To block oilmen, an activist snatches up acres at auction -- with no way to pay. He and the parcels are now in legal limbo. >>
Even when they're switched to "off," most of the appliances and electronics in your home will continue drawing a little bit of power as long as they remain plugged into the wall. >>
Ecologist Marina Rikhvanova is trying to protect Siberia's Lake Baikal. She is up against a Kremlin and business elite intent on exploiting natural resources. >>
Residents of 8 homes in Wilmington and 1 in Carson may face 1% higher cancer risk due to a public bridge-replacement and expressway project aimed at easing traffic from ports of L.A. and Long Beach. >>
In the 1800s, sailors brought rats, then cats, then rabbits to sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island, hurting native species. Attempts to reverse the damage failed. Now it's all-out scientific war. >>
Hundreds of starving and ill birds have been turning up far from their seaside habitats, and scientists think freezing temperatures and winds off the coasts of Oregon and Washington may be to blame. >>
CONSUMER SAFETY
As buyers converge on the L.A. garment district to decide what to stock in stores, already struggling manufacturers are scrambling to have kids' items tested to comply with federal law. >>
Honda gets serious about the hybrid competition just in time to see Toyota's new-and-improved model. >>
'I want to clean up the mess,' the Interior secretary-designate tells senators in his confirmation hearing. He pledges support for renewable energy development. >>
According to one observer, 'the planning just has not been done.' >>
For the sake of an endangered bird, the islands turn off analog signals more than a month before the rest of the country. >>
Woodside puts plans on hold for an offshore LNG terminal 27 miles from the Los Angeles airport, citing the economic downturn. >>
Researchers hope the find, if confirmed, will yield further clues about the evolution and eventual extinction of the pony-sized pygmy mammoths. >>
Two-thirds of the money comes from groups affiliated with DWP unions. Its workers would install 400 megawatts of solar panels if the measure is approved. >>
The Bush administration will remove wolves in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Idaho and Montana from the endangered species list. Environmentalists hope Obama will reverse the action, or they'll sue. >>
The U.S. Navy has been granted a one-year permit to train with sonar and bombs in Hawaiian waters as long as it tries to protect whales and other marine animals from harm. >>
Cells contain toxic materials that could end up in landfills. Some firms are taking steps to help keep the industry's reputation green. >>
A coalition that includes actress Emma Thompson plans to subdivide its acre in the area proposed for a runway. It hopes the move will bog down British government efforts. >>
AUTOS
GM and Toyota push development plans while Ford says it will continue to use a supplier. >>
ENERGY
OptiSolar Inc. lays off nearly half its staff. The company's financing woes raise concerns about its ability to build a solar farm to provide energy to Pacific Gas & Electric customers. >>
The state holds out for its own stricter cleanup standards for the former rocket engine and nuclear testing facility near Chatsworth and Simi Valley. Activists are pleased. >>
AUTO SHOW ROUNDUP
Hyundai Genesis is North American car of the year; Fisker is on track with a high-performance hybrid. >>
GLOBAL ECONOMY
Leaders are pushing ecotourism at the area's Pudacuo National Park and plan four more parks. >>
Scuba divers working with the Ocean Defenders Alliance have been trying to release a net that has been catching and killing ocean dwellers since the trawler Infidel sank off Catalina Island. >>
The Senate clears the way for passage of legislation that would expand wilderness protection to more than 2 million acres of public land nationwide, mostly in California and the West. >>
They say the planned 'Pachyderm Forest,' whose construction has been halted, is the ideal home for Billy the Asian bull. The City Council is to vote on the project's future this week. >>
Stripping environmental protections could fast-track the work, give California a $1.2-billion boost and create 22,000 jobs, the governor says. >>
Topa the California condor was a wreck when rescuers found him in 1967. Now, after learning how to mate, he's sired 21 chicks since 1993 -- the father of a new generation for his endangered species. >>
Lots of organizations are throwing celebrations Jan. 20 to highlight their pet causes. But the environment will be cleaning up. (No Styrofoam in the House of Representatives.) >>
HOUSING SCENE
'Greenwashing' is common in real estate. Products may have ecological virtues, but you may not be getting the full story. >>
Harold Richard Hart, 48, who lived on a boat, was discovered floating on his back about 100 yards from a lifeguard tower at Doheny State Beach. >>
REGULATION
Federal regulators say secondhand stores won't be required to test children's merchandise for lead. >>
He refuses to remove language warning that Los Angeles' solar energy initiative in the March 3 election would create a monopoly. >>
COLUMN ONE
The sad decline of the historic promenade shows in trampled lawns and unfiltered pools. With 2 million visitors expected for the inauguration and 25 million yearly, the park service can't keep up. >>
The carrier uses an algae-and-weed mix to help power one of two engines during a two-hour flight. >>
The study by the environmental group Heal the Bay faults state and regional quality regulators, alleging they've been lax in enforcing and adopting strong discharge standards. >>
The city is eager to complete Legacy Park, where storm water would be treated. But environmental groups say officials aren't taking adequate steps to prevent sewage from leaching into the ocean. >>
The coastal birds have been seen on highways, runways and in backyards, and they share symptoms of disorientation, fatigue and bruising. The phenomenon is stumping experts. >>
A president who had been assailed by environmentalists will have set aside more square miles of ocean for protection than any other political leader. >>
In Santa Barbara, Rob Bjorklund makes unique furniture out of 'awesome logs' that otherwise would be cut for firewood or buried in a landfill. >>
ENERGY
An analyst says a Sempra Generation project powering California homes beats conventional sources on cost-effectiveness. >>
Some states -- including Michigan -- already see renewable energy as their future: It's the only sector that appears to be making room for more employees despite the recession. >>
In these dismal times, is it financially smart to do the environmentally right thing? Here's advice on navigating a sector fraught with risks. >>
A massive earth-moving project is transforming Smuggler's Gulch near San Diego from a narrow canyon used by cattle thieves, bandits and illegal immigrants into a plugged breach. >>
The governor endorses the program, which would install GPS devices in every new car and free the state from the problem of falling gasoline tax revenue. Some drivers worry about privacy. >>
The agency intends to finalize a deal, which would build roads through timberlands, before Obama takes office. The president-elect has joined local officials in opposing the proposal. >>
A Wal-Mart near a Civil War battlefield? This means war. >>
RETAIL
Some owners say the cost of testing for toxic lead and phthalates will shut their businesses. The law goes into effect Feb. 10. >>
Residents are concerned about the long-term health effects of last week's coal ash spill, one of the worst in U.S. history. Relations with a Depression-era federal utility are damaged, too. >>
Recent moves by lame-duck officials, though frustrating to environmentalists, offer the president-elect time and political cover to deliberately craft rules on emissions, energy lobbyists say. >>
As wealthy homeowners build sandbag walls and plan more extensive, costly measures, scientists say the ocean could eventually defeat all such efforts. >>
About 1.4 million acres burned in 2008 in one of the worst fire seasons in the state's history. But no meaningful reforms are enacted at the state or federal level. >>
The state attorney general's office says new rules put California's threatened and endangered wildlife in greater danger and could cost the state more to protect the plants and animals on the list. >>
In the Upper Midwest, the animals are dying off in startling numbers. Biologists blame global warming. >>
A trove of oil shale may be a boon. But the science to extract fuel is imperfect, and locals worry about their water supplies, which ultimately feed Southern California reservoirs. >>
Environmental groups concerned about the effect on whales claim victory, as does the military. The Navy says the deal does not expand protections. The Supreme Court recently decided a similar case. >>
The reptiles, especially softshell turtles, are prized in China as food and as a source for traditional medicines. U.S. experts fear the trade could lead to extinctions. >>
Economic downturn hits metal dealers and scavengers where it hurts. >>
A burst dike at a coal-fired power plant in eastern Tennessee spilled millions more cubic yards of ash than originally estimated, officials said Friday, and residents fear the muck coating their neighborhood is endangering the drinking water. >>
GREENSPACE
Lennie Arkinstall braves rough weather to keep tons of urban debris in the L.A. River from reaching the open ocean. >>
New regulations aim to protect medical workers, the environment and wildlife. Critics call them potentially crippling to an industry crucial to the state economy. >>
The United States faces the possibility of much more rapid climate change by the end of the century than previous studies have suggested, according to a report led by the U.S. Geological Survey. >>
Silver Lake Farms owner is cited by city agency for composting waste not generated in her home. Officials say she will be OK if they receive no more complaints. >>
A new Cal State Long Beach study finds high levels of DDT and PCB in seals and sea lions that died between 1994 and 2006, suggesting possible danger for humans. >>
Industry experts and businesspeople in China say that the industrial chemical has been routinely added to fish and animal feed to artificially boost protein readings. >>
Now that the federal government has rejected a proposed toll road extension through south Orange County, it's back to square one. >>
Jewish communities in Southern California follow a nationwide trend among religious organizations of environmental awareness. >>
The exhibit outside the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry urges people to use environmentally sustainable methods. >>
The global financial crisis has shut down the mill, a feat that ecologists, trying to preserve Lake Baikal from pollution, had been unable to accomplish. >>
A hard-line environmentalist group chasing Japanese whalers near Antarctica said it had found the Japanese fleet and had attempted to attack one of the vessels with stink bombs. >>
Physicist John Holdren will be the president-elect's top science advisor; marine biologist Jane Lubchenco will lead NOAA. Both advocate more action to fight climate change. >>
Appeals court strikes down an EPA rule that allowed the emission of tens of millions of pounds of excess toxic chemicals annually. >>
Two bidders, suspected of being environmental activists, are detained. >>
ENERGY
The ratepayer-funded electrical transmission project aims to boost the use of clean sources. >>
His selections as science advisor and NOAA head are two advocates for mandatory limits on greenhouse gas emissions. Environmentalists are heartened, and conservatives dismayed. >>
The California Utilities Commission is scheduled to vote on the renewable energy transmission project, opposed by some environmentalists. >>
They contend that the Bush administration, in its haste, failed to comply with regulations requiring it to consider the sales' effect on air quality and other environmental factors. >>
The plan would inform consumers how items sold in the state are manufactured and transported and how environmentally safe their ingredients are. >>
The region is actually one of the safest in the country, researchers say. Extreme heat and cold are far more deadly than earthquakes and wildfires. >>
The Colorado senator, an attorney with expertise in water law, has criticized the department for opening up his state's Roan Plateau to drilling. >>
With a Nobel physicist and a former EPA chief on board, some expect Obama's White House to break from what they see as the Bush administration's record of overlooking science in favor of politics. >>
New restrictions are intended to protect the delta smelt and the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. >>
Judge refuses to reopen Los Angeles' environmental review of the massive project. The city had ordered the Planning Department to stop processing the application. >>
SHIPPING
The expansion would cut pollution, create jobs and prepare the complex for a shipping rebound, officials say. >>
Get rid of cane fields to help restore the Everglades? Florida Gov. Charlie Crist's big plan now faces big doubts. >>
BOOKS & AUTHORS
Dr. Seuss' spokesthing for the environment was ahead of the curve in 1971. Now, he's a green kids favorite. >>
Despite opposition from truckers, state Air Resources Board votes to require retrofitting or replacement of older rigs. >>
State's Air Resources Board will vote on costly measures to limit big-rig pollution. >>
O.C. residents awake to darkened skies and unsightly air, but it's only Santa Ana winds stirring up reminders -- along with ash and debris -- of recent wildfires. Still, it's gritty and unhealthy. >>
ENVIRONMENT
Hangar 25 may be the greenest facility in aviation, an industry known for a huge carbon footprint. >>
The program to urge environmentally friendly practices hopes to launch in six months. >>
Chickens throw their bantam weight around in Fair Oaks, Calif. Some residents are crying foul over the pampered poultry. >>
The mountain gorillas of Virunga National Park have been mostly unharmed by the civil war. But they are caught in a struggle between the government and rebels over who should control the park. >>
The hatchlings of the California two-spot species start life at the Ocean Institute, which is raising them for educational programs. >>
By studying starch grains in plaque on teeth up to 8,500 years old, scientists have discovered that the Andes people farmed far earlier than previously thought. >>
The document may have consequences for farmers: Belching and gaseous cows and hogs could start costing them money if the federal government decides to charge fees for air-polluting animals. >>
The Border Enforcement Security Task Force is made up of officers from federal, state and local agencies. It has already seized cocaine bound for Australia and weapons headed for Mexico. >>
The Condor Preservation Act has barred the use of lead in killing big game, but under a settlement between environmentalists and state wildlife officials, it also will apply to non-game species. >>
WASHINGTON, D.C.Mine waste disposal rules are changed >>Los Angeles County Waterworks Districts customers in Lancaster, western Palmdale, Lake Los Angeles and Acton will be affected. The disruption will last from Dec. 7 through Dec. 13. >>
A city councilman and animal welfare advocates worry the 3.6-acre 'Pachyderm Forest' won't provide enough space and are concerned about overall care. Zoo officials say they're mimicking the wild. >>
The number of spotted owls in the Pacific Northwest is dwindling. Some experts think an aggressive owl cousin, not logging, is to blame. >>
Your Money
How to celebrate the season while being kind to the environment and your bank account. >>
After fighting for decades over its oil and land, conservationists, developers and Long Beach city planners are joining forces to let the Los Cerritos Wetlands grow wild again. >>
CALIFORNIA
Putting eco-friendliness to the test, we discover that the city passes with its trolleys but fails in affordable hotel options. >>
From Santa Barbara to Orange County, hundreds of homes burn and thousands of people are evacuated. A mobile home park in Sylmar appears to lose the highest number of housing units in L.A. history. >>
Of Oakridge's 600 mobile homes, 501 were destroyed and at least 40 were badly damaged. Even firefighters were forced to leave as the flames grew so intense, they burned fire hoses into the cement. >>
More than 600 Southland homes have been damaged or destroyed. Governor declares an emergency in L.A. County. High winds drive flames through canyons in the San Fernando Valley. >>
Toll could rise. Schwarzenegger declares a state of emergency, and local groups are pitching in to assist evacuees. Calming winds give firefighters a break. >>
Quake tips* To prepare for an earthquake, secure objects that may fall over and cause damage, such as bookshelves or large televisions, said Mark Benthien, director of outreach for the Southern California Earthquake Center, who is helping to organize the Great Southern California ShakeOut. Latch cabinets, strap bookshelves and attach water heaters to the wall. (And don't forget to get your home properly bolted and secured and up to recent building codes, said Lucy Jones of the U.S. Geological Survey.) >> |
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