Way Out West News

Way Out West on indefinite hiatus

Victoria Schlesinger — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 06:19:37 +0000

Thank you readers, contributors, and champions of Way Out West, but after a great year, the website is on indefinite hiatus. Both Alison and Victoria have found that juggling paid careers, families, and WOW to be more work than two people could do. We remain hopeful that someone with a passion for environmental journalism will pick up the site where we left off. If that person is you, please get in touch.

Best,

Alison & Victoria

Co-founders and editors of Way Out West

Fraud hits California wind industry

Victoria Schlesinger — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 16:24:22 +0000

The California Energy Commission has accused wind turbine manufacturing company, DyoCore Inc., of misrepresenting the performance of a small wind turbine in order to qualify the product for a state rebate. The Commission has sent $515,000 in rebates to customers, but has suspended the program while another $31 million are pending review. [Read more - The Sacramento Bee]

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Categories: Climate Change & Energy, The Daily Catch: Bay Area Headlines
Tags: california energy commission, dyocore inc, fraud, rebate, wind energy

SolarCity to enter SF’s plug-in charging market

Alison Hawkes — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 18:34:16 +0000

SolarCity has announced it will begin installing EV charging stations in San Francisco homes for a starting price of $1,500. The San Mateo company is making charging systems compatable with the Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf, Tesla Roadster and other plug-ins that are expected to reach the market soon. SolarCity, known for its leasing of solar power systems, hopes consumers will couple the chargers with solar systems for daytime recharging, although the systems can also tap into the grid. [Read more - San Francisco Chronicle].

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Categories: Green Business, The Daily Catch: Bay Area Headlines
Tags: electric vehicles, San Francisco, solarcity

Elk encroaching on Point Reyes ranches

Alison Hawkes — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 17:56:47 +0000

Tule elk were once so endangered that federal officials set up a special preserve for them on the northern tip of Point Reyes. But three decades later, the California native has started migrating to nearby ranch land, sparking anger from farmers who worry that the elk will outcompete cattle for the same grasses and pass on disease. [Read more - Point Reyes Light].

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Categories: Nature, The Daily Catch: Bay Area Headlines
Tags: point reyes, ranching, tule elk

Car sharing not in SF’s low income neighborhoods

Alison Hawkes — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 17:47:44 +0000

One of the best ways for urbanites to dump their cars is the availability of car-sharing services. But despite their increasing popularity in cities like San Francisco, low-income neighborhoods go without. The two major services in San Francisco — City CareShare and Zipcar – don’t stock a single car in the Bayview and other neighborhoods in the city’s Southeast. Zipcar says it targets densely populated markets where there is strong public transportation, and will start serving Bayview eventually. The issue surfaced during a meeting of the San Francisco board of supervisors, which is considering allowing City CarShare to rent parking spaces on city streets in a pilot program this fall. [Read more- San Francisco Examiner].

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Categories: The Daily Catch: Bay Area Headlines, Transportation
Tags: bayview, car sharing, San Francisco

Report: San Francisco faces water-related dangers

Alison Hawkes — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 04:03:19 +0000

San Francisco has been identified as one of the most vulnerable cities in the nation when it comes to water-related impacts of climate change. In a report entitled “Thirsty for Answers,” published by the Natural Resources Defense Council, the organization reviewed more than 75 scientific studies and other reports to come up with a dozen cities that urgently need to prepare for challenges related to water resources.

As a city by the ocean, San Francisco faces a “highly likely” danger of sea level rise, erosion, saltwater intrusion, flooding, and water supply problems, according to the report. Much of the Bay Area will be inundated with a 12 to 18 inch rise sea water, which could come as early as our lifetimes. The cost: $5.4 billion (in 2000 dollars) in needed infrastructure to protect against flooding if seas reach 55 inches higher.

Compounding the problem of flooding is erosion. A total 11 square miles of soil could be lost from these shores.

With higher seas come more saltwater into the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, which supplies some of the East Bay’s freshwater. San Francisco’s Hetch Hetchy water supply is also uncertain because of an earlier Sierra snowpack melt.

The good news, according to the report, is that the San Francisco Bay Area is starting to take action. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is developing local water supplies and supporting the reuse of greywater, stormwater, and rainwater. Meanwhile, the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission is drafting state legislation that would give the agency the power to develop an adaptation plan for sea level rise.

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Categories: Climate Change & Energy, Field Notes Blog
Tags:

State court verdict on plastic bag bans opens further debate

Alison Hawkes — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 17:13:18 +0000

Both sides are claiming victory in a California Supreme Court case over the banning of plastic bags. The court ruled in a 7-0 decision that Manhattan Beach, a town of 35,000, could skip environmental review of the ban because its ordinance would not have significant impact. But opponents of the ban believe that larger communities would be subject to lengthy and costly environmental reviews. The environmental footprint of plastic vs. paper has been heavily debated. Numerous towns in the Bay Area are seeking plastic bag bans, while opponents are represented by a plastic industry group, Save the Plastic Bag Coalition. [Read more-Marin Independent Journal].

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Categories: Contaminants, The Daily Catch: Bay Area Headlines
Tags: california supreme court, environmental impact report, plastic bag ban

Marin streamlines greywater recycling

Alison Hawkes — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 17:03:06 +0000

Want to put in a greywater recycling system? Marin is making it easier. A new ordinance starting Aug. 19 eliminates the need for a permit on systems that handle less than 250 gallons a day from showers and sinks for use in yard irrigation. A permit would still be needed if the plumbing system is substantially altered to prevent contamination of potable water. [Read more-Marin Independent Journal].

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Categories: Policy, The Daily Catch: Bay Area Headlines
Tags: greywater recycling, Marin

San Francisco launching clean power program

Alison Hawkes — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:56:30 +0000

San Francisco’s seven year effort to start a clean power program could begin as early as next June. But its success will depend on whether residents choose to pay an extra $7 a month on PG&E electric bills to participate in the CleanPowerSF program. Today the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is expected to approve an agreement with Shell Energy North America for a 100 percent renewable energy power portfolio. One critic says the city should invest in local wind and solar projects to make rates more attractive to consumers. [Read more-San Francisco Examiner].

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Categories: Climate Change & Energy, The Daily Catch: Bay Area Headlines
Tags: cleanpowersf, pg&e, renewable energy, San Francisco, san francisco public utilities commission

Midpen open space agency getting more cash

Alison Hawkes — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:14:52 +0000

California Gov. Jerry Brown has come to the rescue of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. The agency recently reported that it is running dry of cash to save new land from the clutches of suburban sprawl. The new law, drawn up by Assemblyman Rich Gordon, D-Los Altos, will allow Midpen to expand its debt capacity by 20 percent, injecting $5 million into coffers until it reaches state borrowing limits. [Read more- San Jose Mercury News].

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Categories: Policy, The Daily Catch: Bay Area Headlines
Tags: midpeninsula open space district, open space, Peninsula, suburban sprawl