Posts Tagged ‘Environment’
State refinery safety bill hailed by legislators draws concern from a free speech group
A new bill aimed at increasing transparency in California oil refineries has an unexpected opponent –a free speech rights group. The First Amendment Coalition raised concerns over SB 1300, a bill they claim will actually allow oil companies to hide some information as “trade secrets.” “It sets a dangerous precedent,” said Peter Scheer, the coalition’s…
Read MoreUC Regents vote in favor of sustainable investment over divestment
The University of California Board of Regents voted Wednesday to add several environmental responsibility initiatives into its investment portfolio, but declined to act on student fossil-free coalitions’ demands that it divest from fossil fuel companies.
Read MorePoint Molate Beach, a hidden Richmond gem
In the words of environmental activist David Helvarg, Point Molate “is the most beautiful part of the bay nobody’s ever heard of.”
Read MoreReduce, recycle, reuse and rot in El Cerrito and Richmond schools
A new project aims to usher in a waste management transformation. This month, the Environmental Protection Agency awarded the Watershed Project, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting East Bay watersheds and ecosystems, a $30,000 grant to educate children and their community about recycling, reusing and composting.
Read MoreChevron installs new air monitor in North Richmond
Contra Costa County residents will soon have a better understanding of exactly what is in the air they’re breathing. Chevron recently installed a new air-monitoring station at Fire Station 62, in North Richmond, which will provide real-time data about what chemicals are in the air.
Read MoreCity Council considers Richmond sewage treatment options
Over a year ago, the Richmond City Council instructed city staff to study the feasibility of sending wastewater flows to East Bay Municipal Utility District’s plant and shutting down Richmond’s facility at 601 Canal Blvd. The staff presented a list of options to the City Council Tuesday night
Read MoreRestoring Richmond’s Tree Canopy
W hat is the solution to Richmond’s environmental woes? Trees, some say. More than one hundred trees have been planted in Richmond soil in the last month and last weekend nearly 60 volunteers transplanted 30 trees to Roosevelt Avenue and surrounding streets. Richmond Trees and Groundwork Richmond hosted Saturday’s harvest festival, complete with art and…
Read MoreUnwrapped: Mixed reactions to new lunch
On July 1, new U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations kicked in changing what kids eat nationwide. The federal regulations, spearheaded by first lady Michelle Obama as part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, limit the average weekly maximum number of calories in a lunch meal to 850 in high school, 700 in middle…
Read MoreCounty seeks tighter safety measures in wake of new findings
As Richmond Fire Department and Chevron firefighters complete joint search-and-rescue training operations at the Chevron refinery this week — a sign of cooperation between the two agencies at a time when residents and regulators are demanding answers about refinery safety — Contra Costa County is taking steps to tighten its industrial safety standards. The county’s…
Read MoreGreen Drive Expo brings clean energy cars to Richmond
Environmentally conscious car owners showed off their wheels at Saturday’s Green Drive Expo in Richmond.
Read MoreTeens help Richmond break coastal cleanup volunteer records
More than 800 volunteers, many of them teenagers, broke coastal cleanup records in Shimada Park Saturday.
Read MoreNew fire, now out, flares at Chevron plant as residents are treated for respiratory ailments
A new, smaller, fire flared up Wednesday afternoon near the location of the leak that sparked an inferno at Chevron’s 2,900-acre refinery Monday evening, as hundreds of locals sought medical treatment for eye and respiratory complaints related to the fire.
Read MoreVolunteers help restore native species to the Richmond Bay Trail
It’s the first Saturday in July, and like every first Saturday of the month, Tom and Jane Kelly are out on the Bay Trail down Rydin Road, off Central Avenue in Richmond, working with volunteers to clear away invasive plants and give native species a chance to survive.
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