Environment
About 50 protesters, including some top Richmond elected officials, demonstrated outside county government buildings in Martinez Thursday before filing into a hearing aimed at resolving a tax dispute between Chevron and the Contra Costa County Assessor’s office.
Responders are still cleaning oil leaking from the Tug Tiger, a World War II-era tugboat that sunk on Sunday in the Point Richmond harbor. Although there is no estimate of how much oil was onboard the Tiger, the Coast Guard reported that 590 gallons of oil and water were collected as of Wednesday. Thousands of feet of boom have been deployed around the tug, across the opening of the dry dock and at Brooks Island. There are 55 personnel on…
After nine years of service, Veolia will began the process of terminating its 10-year contract with Richmond, which will start the search for a viable alternative for its wastewater management plan. Residents in Richmond have voiced concerns about odor issues in relation to the plant, and Veolia cited a need for capital investment to improve the condition of the plant as a reason not to continue its contract. “It looks like we are negotiating a divorce,” Councilmember Jeff Ritterman said….
Richmond Sanitary Service is contesting an attempt by the county’s recycling authority to possibly select a new garbage company to manage the city’s collected trash, compost and recyclable waste beginning in 2014. As garbage fees rise, the West Contra Costa Integrated Waste Management Authority (RecyleMore) is scheduled to vote Jan. 5, 2012, on a way to competitively select a “post-collection services” provider for the county — a company to process trash and other waste after garbage trucks have collected it….
Over the last century, as industry grew and the population exploded in Richmond, conflicts between construction and restoration have been inevitable. Development and the natural landscape all over Richmond have been at odds.
The Iron Triangle has long been known for its crime rate, but now it is working on a new reputation: A more fit and healthy neighborhood.
The levels of hydrogen sulfide emitted from the Veolia wastewater treatment plant have been rising over the last few months, and if Tuesday’s City Council meeting was any evidence the plant’s neighbors have noticed. The minimum levels for emissions that Veolia has recently exceeded were set conservatively, said Chad Davisson, the wastewater management officer for the city, implying that there is no reason for concern. But that didn’t dissuade the vehement group of residents that showed up to talk about…
Students in the Environmental Science, Conservation And Photographic Excursions, or E.S.C.A.P.E. Club, at Dejean Middle School are rolling up their sleeves and trading urban living for a day on Slide Ranch. The Club started in 1999 at Adams Middle School when three teachers took their students on an end of the year trip to Monterey Bay. Some of the students had never seen the ocean before. This inspired the teachers to create an after-school club focused on helping students experience…
First, they heard the hissing. Then, they smelled the stench; gas escaping from a pipeline inside the hole carved out of the street on South 47th Street and Wall Avenue on Saturday morning. A laborer with Ghilotti Bros.—a San Rafael-based contracting company—called his supervisor, who was a few blocks away. They had backed into a two-inch PG&E pipeline while digging down to the sewer line. “As soon as I got out of the truck, I could hear it blowin’,” the…