• U.S. Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) introduced the Ocean Acidification Research Partnership Act on March 4. The legislation would support research on ocean acidification through partnerships between the seafood industry and the academic community. According to a press release from Capps’ office, ocean acidification occurs when carbon dioxide dissolves in seawater, leading to the water becoming more acidic. The bill seeks to address the need for a greater understanding of the economic, social, and ecological impacts of oean acidification, “which puts our seafood industry and the communities that depend on it at risk,” the release said, siting an article published in the journal Nature Climate Change. The article reported that the oyster, scallop, and clam industries in 15 states (including California)—valued at $1 billion—are at risk due to ocean acidification related to climate change. “Ocean acidification not only threatens our oceans, but the industries and economies that rely on the ocean for their livelihood,” Capps said in the press release. The bill would amend the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 2009 to provide funding specifically for cooperative grants to foster collaboration between the seafood industry and academic community.
• On March 3, state Sen. Fran Pavley (D-Calabassas), chair of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee, and Assemblymember Das Williams (D-Santa Barbara), chair of the Assembly Natural Resources Committee, sent a joint letter to the chaird of the State Water Reosurces Control Board and the supervisor of the Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resource (DOGGR) expressing concerns about open-air oil and gas wastewater pits in California operating without adequate permits. A report released by Clean Water Action in November 2014 examines the risks associated with the pits and found a “long-term ongoing failure on the part of regulatory agencies tasked with protecting public health and the environment” when it comes to regulating the pits, especially in the Central Valley. In the letter, Pavley and Williams ask the agencies to respond to questions about the types of actions they are taking to ensure proper regulatory oversight of unpermitted pits. A press release from Williams’ office said that while the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board has issued orders against illegal wastewater disposal, “the unpermitted and illegal disposal of wastewater into pits” could still be continuing. “This is another example of insufficient regulatory oversight of the oil and gas industry—oversight meant to protect our groundwater, wildlife, and the public’s health,” Williams said in the release.
This article appears in Mar 12-19, 2015.