New environmental lawsuit for CBD: California fracking

As part of a total energy strategy, hydraulic oil fracturing from shale could be financial profitable for the State (creating greater revenue and jobs).  Is the process safe, and will regulation be adequate? 

Mercury News Central Coast/Associated Press/Garace Burke, 12/13/12.  "Feds auction prime California land in Monterey and other counties for oil development."

The fracking landscape is a little less scenic

"The federal government auctioned off nearly 18,000 acres of oil leases on prime public lands on Wednesday in Central California, home to prized vineyards, several endangered species and one of the largest deposits of shale oil in the country.

....  The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimated last year that California's Monterey Shale formation contains more than 15 billion barrels of "technically recoverable shale oil," more than the amount contained in the Bakken oil fields of Montana and North Dakota, where oil-producing rock is sandwiched between layers of shale about two miles under the ground.

Industry officials say hydraulic fracturing is one of many techniques used since the 1940s, and concerns are overblown, especially since companies are still determining whether it is economically viable to develop the Monterey Shale.

....  The Center for Biological Diversity filed suit against BLM over a smaller lease auction held in roughly the same region last year, claiming the bureau had failed to properly review the environmental risks associated with increased oil and gas development.  "Fracking is not only intensifying oil and gas development in areas that were in production before, but it's opening up some beautiful, wild places where you previously didn't have drilling," said attorney Kassie Siegel, adding that the group ultimately may file another lawsuit over Wednesday's auction."  Read article.

Related - San Luis Obispo New Times, 8/31/12,  ".... The report said the Monterey shale formation contained 15.5 billion barrels of oil, accounting for 64 percent of the total shale oil resources in the United States. .... California might be the center of a new oil boom. "   Wikipedia,  Hydraulic Fracturing.  Forbes, 10/23/12. "Gas fracking spurs oil rush." 

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Methane emissions, don't blame fracking

San Francisco Chronicle/Associated Press, 4/28/12.  "EPA methane report further divides fracking camps."

And don't blame me alone for global warming

"The Environmental Protection Agency has dramatically lowered its estimate of how much of a potent heat-trapping gas leaks during natural gas production, in a shift with major implications for a debate that has divided environmentalists: Does the recent boom in fracking help or hurt the fight against climate change?

.... The new EPA data is "kind of an earthquake" in the debate over drilling, said Michael Shellenberger, the president of the Breakthrough Institute, an environmental group based in Oakland, Calif. "This is great news for anybody concerned about the climate and strong proof that existing technologies can be deployed to reduce methane leaks."

.... The new EPA figures still show natural gas operations as the leading source of methane emissions in the U.S., at about 145 million metric tons in 2011. The next biggest source was enteric fermentation, scientific jargon for belches from cows and other animals, at 137 million metric tons. Landfills were the third-biggest source, at 103 million metric tons. ...  But the EPA estimates that all the sources of methane combined still account for only 9 percent of greenhouse gases, even taking into account methane's more potent heat-trapping."   Read article.    

Related - Fix Pacifica reprint articles - Fracking.  Note:  photo/graphic from JamLeslie blog. 

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Fracking, welcome to California

Silicon Mercury News/Associated Press, 4/18/13. "Enviro groups sue to stop new California oil leases."

"SAN FRANCISCO—Two environmental groups are suing the federal government over the December auction of nearly 18,000 acres of oil leases on prime public lands in Central California. 

Endangered CA condors, or roosting CBD and Sierra Club lawsuits?      

The Center for Biological Diversity and the Sierra Club filed a lawsuit on Thursday alleging that the Bureau of Land Management auctioned off the rights to drill for oil and gas without adequately considering the potential risks to the region's water supply, wildlife and air posed by hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. 

The land at issue includes scenic ranches and vineyards in Monterey County and is also part of the historic range of the endangered California condor.

Oil industry officials say companies are still whether it is economically viable to develop California's Monterey Shale formation, which the U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates more than 15 billion barrels of technically recoverable oil." 

Related -  Fix Pacifica reprint article, "Mercury News/Central Coast, 12/13/12, "Feds auction prime California land in Monterey and other counties for oil development."  Note:  photograph from the National Park Service, "California Condors" 

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Two sides to environmental issues

Pacifica Tribune/Letters to the Editor, 9/23/14.  "Environmental Issues" by James Doran, Retired Pacifica Firefighter

Public safety, widen highway 1 through two intersections

"Editor:  Unfortunately for me, I am a lot older now. I have seen so many environmental issues come and go. I have always worried about our environment and done what I can for it. Let me tell you a couple of stories that happened recently.

Most mornings I walk my dogs on the levee west of the golf course. I watched the city of San Francisco put up about a $40,000 fence between the levee and the course. They had a biologist there every day to make sure no rodent hole or something else was disturbed. (I have played golf there for 55 years and never saw a frog or snake.) I would bring kibble and throw it up in the air on the levee and watch the ravens catch it.  One day a woman came up to me and told me not to feed the ravens because they were enemies of the hawks. So I said, "Don't hawks also eat red legged frogs and snakes?" No answer.

We can't hear you

The other day a polite and dedicated college student came to my door asking for donations to stop fracking because they are drilling underground several hundred feet looking for natural gas and oil. I said "isn't this the answer to our energy problem and we can finally get out of the Middle East?" I said also that I don't want any more Americans dying because we need their oil and we are spending a trillion dollars on troops and weapons. He left.

My long winded point is there are two sides to every environmental issue. I have tried to address the main issue with Highway 1 as a public safety issue before. It is nearly impossible to get north or south during commute hours for police, fire and ambulances. Environmentally, there are hundreds of cars and trucks burning needless fuel adding to our carbon footprint and polluting east Rockaway and Vallemar. Also, the stress and anxiety of lost productive time.

Like I said, look at the other side of this problem and how it's affecting us. It seems that Judge Weiner is a reasonable person. Let's see how this works out." 

Note photograph from Venitism blog, 4/28/14, "Green mumbo jumbo and environmental orthodoxies."  The Denver Post/Live, 6/4/14, "Denver morning commute," Joel Hillan, 6/4/14, 5:48 AM. 

Posted by Kathy Meeh

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) appointment

The New York Times/Politics/Coral Davenport, 2/17/17. "Senate confirms Scott Pruitt as E.P.A. head."

"Its just weather" (Trump)

Scott Pruitt is extremely qualified
to ruin clean air, clean water.

"WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed Scott Pruitt on Friday to run the Environmental Protection Agency, putting a seasoned legal opponent of the agency at the helm of President Trump’s efforts to dismantle major regulations on climate change and clean water — and to cut the size and authority of the government’s environmental enforcer.

Senators voted 52 to 46 to confirm Mr. Pruitt, the Oklahoma attorney general who has built a career out of suing to block the E.P.A.’s major environmental rules and has called for the dissolution of much of the agency’s authority. One Republican, Susan Collins of Maine, crossed party lines to vote against Mr. Pruitt, while two Democrats, Joe Manchin III of West Virginia and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, both from coal-rich states where voters generally oppose environmental rules, voted for him. Democrats railed all night on the Senate floor against Mr. Pruitt and urged Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, to delay the confirmation vote until after next Tuesday (2/21/17), when the Oklahoma attorney general’s office is under order to release about 3,000 of Mr. Pruitt’s emails related to his communications with the fossil fuel industry."  Read article.

Air quality.  Nope.

Reference, Scott Pruitt's view and action track record against the E.P.A. Fact Check. a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center/Vanessa Schipani, 12/15/16. "Scott Pruitt, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, has made some questionable claims related to global warming, fracking and the Clean Power Plan. A self-described “leading advocate against the EPA’s activist agenda,” Pruitt, Oklahoma’s attorney general since 2011, has repeatedly sued the agency and other government entities over environmental rules and regulations, at times in direct cooperation with fossil fuel companies." 

Related articles.  BBC News US and Canada/Reuters, 2/18/17, "Scott Pruitt: Controversial Trump environment nominee sworn in." ....  "Mr Pruitt, 48, had refused to hand over the emails, at the request of a liberal watchdog, for more than two years. .... Hundreds of former EPA staff members wrote an open letter against his appointment, some calling him an "unqualified extremist"..... With Mr Pruitt in place, it's likely that President Trump will rapidly push ahead with orders to overturn Obama's Clean Power Plan and his "Waters of the US" rule, something conservatives also see as an over-extension of federal power."  CNN/Ted Barrett, 2/17/17, "Scott Pruitt confirmed to EPA."

'He's exceptionally qualified,' said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. 'He's dedicated to environmental protection. And, as someone with state government experience, he understands the real-world consequences of EPA actions and knows that balance is the key to making policies that are sustainable over the long-term." .... 'Mr. Pruitt has extreme environmental policy views. And he has zero experience running an environmental protection agency. In fact, he does not believe in the fundamental mission of EPA," said Sen. Tom Udall, D-New Mexico. 'Attorney General Pruitt made his name opposing EPA rules that protect human health and the environment, fighting against clean air and clean water, disregarding the science behind the EPA's protections for human health and the environment, on behalf of for-profit special interests, not the public interest.'.... At a press conference Friday, Merkley said the first batch of emails will be released on Tuesday (2/21/17), with a second batch released on February 26. They scanned documents will be transferred to the Center for Media and Democracy, then the Senate will get copies. So Democrats originally requesting the vote be postponed until March 3, but that request was denied.Democrats also lost a motion to extend debate until February 27, in a mostly party-line vote." 

Note photographs.

 Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt by Jim Beckel from The Oklahoman/brianna Bailey, 5/13/13,"Oklahoma legal groups use settlement money to assist, investigate."

Noah boat from Nevada County Scooper/James Schlarmann,"Trump's EPA Head Figures The Earth Has 'Had A Good 6,000-Year Run'." Industrial smoke by James Woodcock/AP from Seattle PI/Joel Connelly, 12/7/16, "Climate change skeptic to head EPA..."

Posted by Kathy Meeh

City Council meeting, Monday March 26, 2018

Attend in person, 2212 Beach Boulevard, 2nd floor. Or view on local television or live feed Pacific Coast TV. If you missed meetings, view on PCT26 YouTube!  The city council meeting begins at 7 p.m., or shortly there following. City Council updates and archives are available on the City Council website.      Channel 26 television schedule, see Monday, 03/26/18.  

Interactive City Council meeting agenda, 3/26/18.        City Council meeting agenda, 3/26/18, pdf pages 222.

Closed session, 6:30 pm.  CA code, 54956.9 (d, 4):  anticipated litigation, 1 case. 

Could be fun here, if NIMBIES
would get out of the way.

Open session, 7:00 p.m.  Call to order, roll call, salute to flag.  Closed Session report, none.  
Special presentations.   Caltrans/Jeff Weiss:  Highway 1 paving and San Jose Avenue pedestrian over-crossing projects update. 
Consent Calendar
1.     Approval of financial disbursements (checks), FY 2017-18, report.  a) 2/16/18 - 2/28/18.
2.     Approval of Minutes, report.  a) 3/12/18.
3.     Adopt resolution opposing federal executive order (Trump signed 4/28/17), allowing offshore oil and gas drilling and fracking, report/resolution.
4.     Authorize consultant Group 4 conceptual design at Sharp Park main library location, and possible renovation/expansion of Sanchez branch library, not to exceed $258,522 (budgeted $629,000 from Fund 30 Excess ERAF and Measure A funds, remaining fund balance $165,540), report.  a)  Group 4 Architecture, Research and Planning, Inc.,task order B. b) Master agreement.
5.     Approval of new CA conservation/Pacifica Land Trust agreement: Pedro Point Headlands, report.  a) Access agreement, 2018.  b) 2001 agreement termination.  c) Original agreement, 2001.  d) Headlands parcels map.
6.     Increase the Human Resource management and analyst hours, report.  a) Resolution. 
7.     Approve City/County Association of Governments (CCAG) funding for Safe Routes to School and Green Streets Infrastructure pilot program, report.  a) CCAG contract funding grant: Tier 1 milestone payments not to exceed $20,000. 
8.     Approve City/County Association of Governments (CCAG) funding for San Mateo County Energy Watch Municipal Energy Efficiency (SMCEW) program, report.  a) CCAG contract funding grant: Tier 1 milestone payments not to $20,000.
 Communications.  Public (oral), City Council, City Staff.  Public Hearings, none.

Consideration
9.     Amend municipal code (chapter 28, title 5), unruly gatherings and social host liability ordinance to include marijuana (cannabis) and controlled substances, report/ordinance changes.  a) Ordinance resolution. 
10.    Local Coastal Land Use Plan update and adaptation planning project (draft): 1) approve and formalize goals, 2) receive and file report on expanding community engagement, 3) amend Environmental Science Associates contract to expand community engagement, $41,000.  (The Planning Department budget has allocated $20,000 for community engagement for the General Plan update; $21,000 would come anticipated internal salary benefit and other budget savings.)
11.     Reconsideration and direction for processing and issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP): 2212 Beach Blvd Development Opportunity Site,"specifying that in addition to hotel, retail and restaurant uses, proposals may also include the Pacifica Ocean Discovery Center (PODC) concept although there is no obligation that a PODC be included in any proposals," report.  a) Report, 3/12/18.  b) PODC reconsideration/Mitch Reid letter email, 3/20/18. 
Adjourn.  
-------------------- 
Reference, City of Pacifica: Current Projects, includes background information for Item 4, Library(s), and Item 11, Beach Blvd Hotel.     Note photograph: Cute dogs (unidentified photographer) from Imvet.com/Linda Mar Veterinary Hospital.
Posted by Kathy Meeh