(Again.) Federal judge Susan Illston said the agency didn't follow environmental standards in laying out ORV trails in SoCal.
That said, the agency has three-plus years for a redo, upsetting, rightly, most enviros.
Showing posts with label Southern California. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Southern California. Show all posts
February 04, 2011
July 15, 2009
Good news in SoCal? Home sales surge
Now, Southern California in particular, or the nation in general, don’t need a reinflation of the housing bubble that started in the Southland and got us onto the road of recession. But, a 7 percent price increase, and a 30 percent sales increase, are good news indeed.
July 11, 2009
‘Next big one’ closer to hitting SoCal?
Recent tremors under the San Andreas fault say its possible. Could you imagine a magnitude 8 quake hitting the Southland? (The area of fault near the Tejon Pass), just north of the San Gabriel Mountains to the north of LA, is the most likely location for the next truly big one.
LA with its housing bubble blown up, having already abandoned walkaways hit by the earthquake. The state too broke to do anything. Ugh.
LA with its housing bubble blown up, having already abandoned walkaways hit by the earthquake. The state too broke to do anything. Ugh.
January 28, 2009
California law enforcement plans crackdown on ORVs
No warnings anymore for off-road vehicle drivers trespassing on private land in the Tehachapi Mountains; it will be trespassing citations instead.
Good, and more than time. For every one ORVer claiming to be law abiding, there’s a dozen who aren’t.
Good, and more than time. For every one ORVer claiming to be law abiding, there’s a dozen who aren’t.
January 25, 2009
SoCal earthquake danger raised
It’s possible the southern end of the main San Andreas Fault is overdue for a major earthquake, one as big as the El Cajon temblor of 1857.
If an earthquake about that big hit in the same area today, not only could it cause major structural damage in the Southland, it would also like cause major damage to the California Aqueduct and State Water Project systems.
If an earthquake about that big hit in the same area today, not only could it cause major structural damage in the Southland, it would also like cause major damage to the California Aqueduct and State Water Project systems.
June 08, 2008
The future of California will only come up dryland roses
Don’t expect new drought-related restrictions on development to be just a passing fancy.
Assuming everything is correct about how climate change is going to affect the Desert Southwest, water in southern California will get even tighter in the future. And, in neighboring Arizona and Nevada, too.
Eventually, either the federal government will take the voluntary lead in renegotiating the Colorado River Compact, or else one state is going to sue.
In all likelihood, it would be California suing to try to force the other two states of the Lower Colorado Basin to implement similar governing restrictions on development.
Assuming everything is correct about how climate change is going to affect the Desert Southwest, water in southern California will get even tighter in the future. And, in neighboring Arizona and Nevada, too.
Eventually, either the federal government will take the voluntary lead in renegotiating the Colorado River Compact, or else one state is going to sue.
In all likelihood, it would be California suing to try to force the other two states of the Lower Colorado Basin to implement similar governing restrictions on development.
May 17, 2008
Say goodbye to the Colorado River as you know it
As the U.S. Southwest is expected to heat up faster than the world average during the coming decades of global warming, what’s that mean for the lifeblood of the Southwest, the Colorado River?
The U.S. Geological Survey says it could hit a 500-year low in its flow.
Between that and reduced snowpack in the Sierras, 40 percent of SoCal’s water supply could become vulnerable in the next 20 years. Farmers will either get pressured to sell more water rights to cities (which I contend is illegal under the Newlands Act, which established the Bureau of Reclamation; read Marc Reisner’s excellent “Cadillac Desert” for more on this in particular and Desert Southwest water issues in general), or else pony up the money (which SoCal’s big corporate farms can easily afford) to get more efficient with irrigation, like folks like the Israelis do.
Remember, the Colorado is NOT the Mississippi or even close to it. In fact, it’s closer in size (and geographic setting) to the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers of (the former Soviet) Centra Asia, the Oxus and Jaxartes of Alexandrine fame. (The Amy Darya is shown at right, on the Afghanistan/Tajikstan border; doesn’t that just look like the Colorado Plateau?) And we all know what has happened to the Aral Sea as a result of too much tapping of these two rivers.
The USGS has predicted a 25-30 percent chance of a basin-wide water shortage by 2020. That’s the basis of the prediction, made last month, that Lake Mead could dry up by that date.
USGS scientist Gregory McCabe, the author of the report, is due to testify to Congress next month. Stay tuned.
The U.S. Geological Survey says it could hit a 500-year low in its flow.
Between that and reduced snowpack in the Sierras, 40 percent of SoCal’s water supply could become vulnerable in the next 20 years. Farmers will either get pressured to sell more water rights to cities (which I contend is illegal under the Newlands Act, which established the Bureau of Reclamation; read Marc Reisner’s excellent “Cadillac Desert” for more on this in particular and Desert Southwest water issues in general), or else pony up the money (which SoCal’s big corporate farms can easily afford) to get more efficient with irrigation, like folks like the Israelis do.
Remember, the Colorado is NOT the Mississippi or even close to it. In fact, it’s closer in size (and geographic setting) to the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers of (the former Soviet) Centra Asia, the Oxus and Jaxartes of Alexandrine fame. (The Amy Darya is shown at right, on the Afghanistan/Tajikstan border; doesn’t that just look like the Colorado Plateau?) And we all know what has happened to the Aral Sea as a result of too much tapping of these two rivers.The USGS has predicted a 25-30 percent chance of a basin-wide water shortage by 2020. That’s the basis of the prediction, made last month, that Lake Mead could dry up by that date.
USGS scientist Gregory McCabe, the author of the report, is due to testify to Congress next month. Stay tuned.
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