Category: Legislation – Policy
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U.S. Green Hydrogen Power Plants Eyed for Water-Stressed Areas
ChatGPT & DALL-E generated panoramic image. As the federal government pours billions into hydrogen production to lower greenhouse gas emissions, critics worry water shortages in the Southwest could worsen. Armed with bright green shovels, executives from the Australian mining giant Fortescue broke ground in May on a green hydrogen plant outside of Buckeye, Arizona, in an area…
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California adopts sweeping statewide water conservation framework
After years of deliberation, California water officials have adopted landmark rules that will guide future water use and conservation in the state. According to officials, the Making Conservation a California Way of Life framework will help save 500,000 acre-feet of water annually by 2040 — enough to supply more than 1.4 million households for a year —…
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Drinking water of a million Californians fails to meet state requirements
Almost 400 suppliers, two-thirds in communities of color, don’t meet safety and reliability standards. Fixing them would cost billions. Almost 400 water systems serving nearly a million Californians don’t meet state requirements for safe and reliable drinking water supplies — and fixing them would cost billions of dollars. More than two-thirds of these failing water…
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Landmark Supreme Court ruling in Chevron case could curb environmental protections in California
Photo: A drone view of the Chevron Richmond Refinery in Richmond, Calif., on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group) Closely watched decision is cheered by business groups, slammed by environmentalists A major ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday that weakened the ability of federal agencies to set rules on the…
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California lawmakers reject proposal to curb well-drilling where nearby wells could run dry
A worker places gravel around a newly drilled water well at a home in Fresno County in 2023. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) Over the past several years, California’s water managers have seen a pattern emerge in farming areas of the Central Valley: Even as declining groundwater levels have left thousands of residents with…
